By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

While inherently designed to be tread upon, floors are an important part for both the appearance and ease of travel in a healthcare facility. That is why proper care and maintenance of flooring is a necessary part of a facility’s overall functioning.  

Here are three cleaning essentials to keep the floors looking their best.  

1.) The Right Equipment 

Proper equipment to have on hand are auto scrubbers and a good neutral floor cleaner, says Phil Carrizales, director of the jan/san division at Acme Paper and Supply Company. He says that if an auto scrubber is not available, healthcare facilities can opt for a flat mop system. Carrizales says that this can work well since facilities can use a clean mop all the time versus having to rinse out a dirty mop and spreading dirty water on the floor. 

“Some people also disinfect floors,” says Carrizales. “Other people do not necessarily believe in it because as soon as something hits a disinfected floor or like a wheelchair or a walker, it is all contaminated again. Quite honestly, the best thing you know is just to make sure you have a good neutral floor cleaner to remove dirt and that would keep the floors looking clean as best they can.” 

2.) Floor Finish 

A good floor finish protocol is tantamount to maintaining the floor’s overall appearance. Floor finishes are essentially the final part of treating the floor’s surface to improve its maintainability, appearance and longevity. 

“Depending on your site's maintenance program – if they know they are only going to be able to only buff it once a month – then you are going to want to make sure you get a floor finish that will look good in between burnishing or buffing,” says Carrizales. “If you have a maintenance crew, let’s say if you go into a department store for example, and you see that there is a nice shine in the gloss, that depends on what type of labor you have and how often they are going to be able to maintain the floor.” 

3.) Daily Maintenance Schedule 

To increase the floor’s longevity, Carrizales says that having a daily maintenance schedule/program is an absolute must. He adds that the more a healthcare facility maintains its floors, the longer they will last.  

However, not all floors are made of the same material, and some will require different methods of care than others. 

“It depends on the type of flooring involved as well too," says Carrizales. “So, there is a lot of luxury vinyl tiling (LVT) or luxury vinyl planking (LVP) flooring out there that is all finish free. You just might need to identify the type of scrubber that you need, whether it is a cylindrical to get down into the grooves or just a regular traditional round brush or pad. It really depends on the floor that you have.” 

Jeff Wardon, Jr. is the assistant editor for the facilities market.