It's vital that ongoing cleaning and maintenance requirements are considered to ensure your new floors remain in prime condition and, more importantly, continue to provide a safe surface for students and staff to walk on.
So what needs to be done by cleaners in educational buildings? Establishing a good cleaning programme should be done with care and ideally in consultation with the flooring manufacturer. With cleaning budgets always under pressure, often all there will be time for is a sweep and a quick mop of the more critical areas. Even cleaning with a mop and bucket can be made more effective. Use hot water rather than cold and it's important to use the correct cleaning fluid for the application.
For example, we would recommend an Alkaline cleaner such as Altroclean 44 for Altro Safety Flooring. Too often, the cleaning chemicals are left to dry on the surface without being properly rinsed. This can, over time lead to surface staining. Always remember to rinse properly with clean water once the cleaning solution has done its job. After all, when you wash your car, you always wash it down to remove the residue. It's also important to use the cleaning agent at the correct concentration. The use of an overgenerous mix can lead in time to a build of solution on the floor, causing on occasions a whitish bloom, and also the slip resistance can be impaired.
It is helpful if the floor can be wetted with the cleaning solution and left to soak for a minute or two, allowing the soiling to be lifted into suspension. Merely passing the mop over the floor doesn't really allow the cleaning agent to be effective. The use of a twin compartment bucket allows the floor to be rinsed, ensuring the soiling and cleaning agent are thoroughly removed, and don't forget to change the water when dirty.
Time doesn't stand still and safety flooring has come a long way in the last year or two. With the current advances in safety flooring technology, the need for frequent mechanical cleaning is constantly being reduced. Altro Maxis, for example, with its patented easy clean technology, offers excellent cleanability, which reduces the amount of times the floor needs to be machine scrubbed.
Altro Mirica is another innovative range of safety flooring developed to retain its attractive appearance, even in high traffic areas. Its modern patterned look is designed to minimise the visibility of scuffing and soiling between daily cleaning.
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