This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

Understanding the Importance of Deep Cleaning Your Floors

Beyond the Basics

  • Unclean floors affect the health and safety of staff and clients.
  • Commercial cleaning removes dirt, bacteria, and allergens.
  • Regular and deep cleanings extend the life of your floors, help you make great first impressions, and help you avoid costly repairs.

Underfoot, out of sight, out of mind. This can be a common thought process when it comes to deep cleaning the floors of a business. It’s just not a first priority and is often overlooked. No matter what type of flooring you have, hardwood, tile, carpet, or plain old concrete, deep cleaning is essential for many reasons. Unclean floors can negatively impact your business’s reputation and the health and safety of staff and clients.

How Often Should My Floors Be Cleaned?

The cleaning frequency needed to keep your floors looking their best differs based on the type of flooring you have and the amount of foot traffic your business sees. Businesses with strict cleaning regulations, like healthcare facilities, will need regular and deep cleaning more often. Let’s take a look at the cleaning needs for different types of flooring commonly used in businesses.

Carpet

Carpet is a popular choice for hotels, office buildings, and some retail businesses. Carpet fibers catch and hold onto dirt and bacteria. Daily vacuuming will help cut down on embedded dirt and debris. Spot cleaning for stains should be performed right away. Depending on the amount of foot traffic, deep carpet cleaning should be done every month or two. Carpets take several hours to dry, so be sure to schedule this cleaning job after hours.

Find out what's happening in Los Angelesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Tile and Grout

While a beautiful design choice, tile and grout require regular cleaning to maintain their appearance and avoid costly repairs. Daily mopping is simple regular cleaning that your staff can perform. Deep cleaning renews your tiles’ shine and reaches deep into the grout to kill bacteria that can cause bad smells. Tile and grout deep cleaning should be performed once or twice a year.

Concrete

Concrete is a durable surface that is common in manufacturing facilities and other industries. Concrete may have different surface finishes, but it still attracts plenty of dirt and grime. Daily sweeping and mopping help keep it looking better, however, deep cleanings should be performed at least once a year.

Find out what's happening in Los Angelesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Hardwood

Hardwood is often a pricey type of flooring to install, but it gives you a beautiful aesthetic for any business. Keeping it clean is essential to increasing the longevity of the floor. Daily sweeping and mopping helps cut back on dirt that can put scratches into the surface. Every 12 to 18 months, deep cleaning with special buffing equipment and cleaners helps to restore a beautiful polish to hardwood floors.

Laminate

Laminate is a very durable floor choice that can handle plenty of foot traffic while keeping a fair appearance. Too much mopping can cause excess moisture that may warp the laminate. Mopping is only needed every other month and should be done with a damp microfiber mop. Professional deep cleaning is needed for stubborn stains or excessive dirt buildup.

https://unsplash.com/photos/white-and-brown-concrete-building-VLHNfKF1Uec

Benefits of Commercial Deep Cleaning

While a beautiful floor is perfect for making a great first impression with clients, it’s not the only reason to use a commercial cleaning service. Professionals are trained extensively in the different types of floors, which chemical cleaners should be used on each type, what equipment is needed, and how often your floors need cleaning to maintain a like-new appearance. Professional deep cleaning experts know all the tips and tricks and will get the job done right, quickly and efficiently.

Health and Safety

According to the National Floor Safety Institute, studies were conducted that concluded about 85% of workers’ compensation claims come from employees who have been injured on the job due to slipping on floors. This may be due to slippery floors that have been miscleaned, poorly cleaned, or cleaned with the wrong cleaning solution. Utilizing a commercial cleaning company with trained professionals to regularly and deep clean your floors will significantly cut back your chances of slick floor accidents in the workplace.

Aside from the physical danger that improperly cleaned floors in the workplace present, your floors also affect the environment that your staff and clients enter every day. Carpet fibers can harbor lots of nasty things like dirt, grime, bacteria, mold spores, and dust mites that lower your air quality. Common allergens hiding in your carpet and upholstery can cause watery eyes, the sniffles, and trouble breathing. Grout used in tile flooring is also a highly absorbent material that will soak up spills, bacteria, and allergens that can lower your air quality.

Hard surface floors also collect bacteria that can be easily spread around by people’s shoes. Using the proper cleaning solutions and equipment ensures your business is sanitized regularly.

Extend the Life of Your Flooring

When dirt and grime collect on your hard surface floors, it causes scuffs and scratches that diminish the look and shorten the life of the floor. Less cleaning means costly repairs and replacements coming your way sooner. Commercial cleaning removes dirt that causes a dingy appearance and restores a like-new luster. Carpet fibers are also damaged when dirt is constantly ground into them by foot traffic. Carpet shampooing reaches deep beyond the surface fibers to remove embedded dirt and kill bacteria.

Make Great First Impressions

When you take care of the appearance of your business, your customers and clients will take notice. Shiny floors and tidy carpets are one part of commercial cleaning that helps you create great first and lasting impressions. Impressions also extend to your staff. A clean environment makes employees happier and more satisfied with their workplace.

Maintain Property Value

Regular floor care helps to maintain the value of your property. The future for your company is yet to be seen, but you never know when you may need to move properties. Selling your building or renting it to prospective businesses is easier when you’ve taken care of the floors and the building.

Take Stress Off Your Staff

Your staff have their own duties and responsibilities that help make your business profitable. Let them focus on their own daily routine and leave the cleaning to the professionals. While you can hire your own staff dedicated solely to cleaning and maintenance, this process takes time to find quality employees, and you may need to offer company benefits like healthcare. Contracting with a commercial cleaning company gives you access to many trained professionals with specialization in different areas of commercial cleaning, from high-rise window washing to healthcare-grade sanitization.

Customize a Cleaning Package

As we mentioned, deep cleaning floors is only one part of commercial cleaning for businesses. Regular cleaning is needed daily, while other cleaning jobs and maintenance are needed weekly, monthly, and biannually. Commercial cleaning companies can typically customize a cleaning schedule that fits your industry, business size, and your specific needs. When you contract for day porter and janitorial services, less frequent deep cleaning jobs are often discounted.

Commercial cleaning companies save you time and money while getting the job done efficiently and correctly. Keep your floors looking their best by getting professional deep cleanings done regularly!

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?