Hardwood floors in the commercial environment are arguably more popular now than they've ever been. Consumers love hardwood for a variety of reasons. For starters, it looks great and is available in many different wood types and colors, so they will be able to find the type of product that they're looking for when it comes to their particular situation. Additionally, hardwood floors are easy to clean and maintain, help promote better indoor air quality and are durable enough to stand up to demanding conditions like foot traffic, high heel shoes and more.
Hardwood floors are also long lasting, a factor that makes them more sustainable than other types of flooring, especially considering the fact that many floors these days are harvested responsibly from managed forest areas. In fact, when cared for properly, it's not uncommon for hardwood floors to last for several generations. That's quite the return on investment, but the key to their longevity is proper care. In fact, a large part of proper care is maintaining the floor with the right cleaner. So, just what steps are involved in selecting the right hardwood floor cleaner for commercial properties? Here's a closer look:
Know The Floor
Before you can select the type of floor that's best for a commercial environment, it's first crucial to know what type of floor that is in need of treatment. Different floor finishes will require different types of product. When it comes to commercial floors, they are likely to have one of three types of finish - urethane, polyurethane or poly-acrylic sealant (aka surface sealed). It's also possible have a floor with no finish. However, most commercial environments have surface sealed floors, because they are the easiest to clean. For surface sealed floors, a mix of soap and water typically is a safe, suitable cleaning product.
Selecting the Cleaning Product
First, it's worth noting that many commercial entities include rotary cleaning in their commercial hardwood floor care plan. Rotary cleaners use a high-speed brush and cleaning solution to remove dirt, debris and grime from the surface of hardwood floors, contaminants that are often unable to be reached and removed via routine mopping and surface cleaning. The rotary cleaner works to extract the contaminants, as well as the chemical cleaner and water used so that there's little to no residue left on the floor to dry. The combination of a rotary cleaner and the right cleaning chemical can make for an effective one-two commercial punch. But whether chemicals are being used with a rotary cleaner or used as a standalone cleaner, there are other considerations that must be considered:
- Rely on trusted brands/resources: Like we mentioned in the aforementioned section, not all types of cleaners are suitable for all types of floors. It's always a good idea to get in touch with the floor's manufacturer and ask it directly what type of floor cleaner is best used on the product. The manufacturer is the entity that knows the floor best, and can provide the best input. If that isn't an option, get in touch with a reputable cleaning supply distributor in the area and explain the floor to them, as well as what type of activity it regularly sees. A good distributor will be able to recommend the right product for the situation.
- Eco-friendliness: One of the benefits of hardwood floors is that they help promote a high level of indoor air quality in a commercial facility. So why would you want to compromise this benefit by using a hardwood cleaner with harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other potentially hazardous ingredients? More and more manufacturers are creating safe, sustainable solutions for floor cleaning that do just as good of a job as the conventional products.
- Cleaning vs. revitalizing vs. sealing: Make sure that the purpose of the cleaner is clear. For instance, if sealing is the goal, then you won't want to use a product that strictly cleans. The same goes for revitalization products - they aren't the same as those that are designed to clean. Again, this is where the floor manufacturer or a trusted cleaning supply distributor can help pair the commercial floor in question with the right product to get it looking great, whether it's for a cleaning, sealing or revitalizing purpose.
Hardwood floors are a great investment for any commercial property. But a big part of achieving a significant return on investment from the hardwood floor is making sure that it's properly cleaned and maintained.
