“Sweeping and mopping can only take you so far. When it comes to professional floor care, what we do is more art and science.” – Todd Wolf, President Total Cleaning
Total Cleaning touches every aspect of commercial facility hygiene, but one of their most critical jobs starts at the ground level. Building owners and facility managers cannot see what is going on below their feet. Gravity causes contaminants to end up on facility floor surfaces, where they can be easily spread by people and equipment alike. Therefore, it’s important to consider routine hygienic floor cleaning to reduce the accumulation of unwanted microbes, mold, dust, fungi and more. From hardwoods or carpet in an office building to polished marble in an atrium lobby, Total Cleaning’s dedicated specialty floor division is trained to clean and sanitize all types of floor surfaces to make a strong first and many more impressions.
Why is Professional Floor Care Critical?
Truly professional floor care should address two issues … optics and health. Let’s start with what we can see.
There’s no way to avoid drawing up an opinion of how well a facility is maintained without the floor. When you walk into a building, it’s right there — and a dirty or unkempt floor makes a lasting negative impression. Not just for those that work there but for those that shop or visit. “Floors are the first thing customers see,” Wolf says. “If they’re not shining, the customer will wonder, how clean is this place? As a business, you have to exude trust, safety, and wellbeing within every aspect of your building.”
LinkedIn advises that dirty floors can harm businesses by damaging brand reputation, disrupting employee health, posing safety risks, and can even causing structural damage over time. CleanLink reported, according to polls on review sites such as Yelp, that a dirty floor would compel 68% of customers to leave a restaurant or facility immediately.
“At Total Cleaning, we do not let dirty floors ruin first impressions,” Wolf says. Total Cleaning’s technicians are trained and certified to clean, restore, and maintain all types of floors, including marble, stone, wood, laminate, and carpet. Floorcare solutions should improve the building’s look and longevity, setting the stage for businesses to shine.
The second reason why professional floor care is critical is what we can’t see. Understanding the potential presence of contaminants that get tracked into your facility is important. Having optimal hygienic floor care can go a long way toward supporting your facility’s contamination control efforts. Only certain floor care cleaning companies, like Total Cleaning, are trained and certified to help mitigate the presence of pathogens – and demonstrate to your customers and employees that their well-being is a priority.
Who Needs Commercial Floor Care?
Businesses with specialized flooring or a constant flow of customers and employees in and out of the building should consider a higher level of commercial floor cleaning and maintenance. Total Cleaning provides floor care services either as part of an Enhanced Janitorial cleaning program or added a la carte for certain times of the year.
Facilities like public and private schools want their hallways, classrooms, and cafeteria cleaned and polished 2-3 times a year. “We work with many schools and perform a deep floor cleaning and polishing during winter break and summer vacation,” Wolf says. “This is because tile often needs to be completely recoated annually.” Total Cleaning strips tile down and then adds five layers of wax to ensure durability throughout the year.
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Businesses that commonly include floor care as part of their Enhanced Janitorial cleaning programs include commercial buildings, medical facilities, hospitals, design showrooms, and restaurants. “Remember, sweeping and mopping can only go so far,” Wolf says. “We use many special techniques and EPA-rated cleaning solutions, as well as advanced sanitization equipment. For example, we have a machine for scrubbing called the Ride-On Scrubber, which works like a Zamboni.”
Types of Commercial Floor Care
It’s critical that commercial floor cleaning companies have experienced and skilled technicians to operate machinery and understand the science of cleaning materials in order to properly clean and restore different types of floors. Understand how to clean and restore exotic surfaces like marble is very different than tile, hardwoods and carpet. Types of commercial flooring that a full-service floor care company should have experience with includes:
- Marble Cleaning and Restoration: From Saturnia and Travertine to Crema Marfil, Total Cleaning details all marble types to restore dull, scuffed, and soiled areas back to their original luster.
- Tile and Grout Cleaning: Using a combination of advanced techniques and EPA-rated cleaning solutions, Total Cleaning removes the dirt, grime, contaminants, and mildew that builds in grout lines and tile surfaces and applies a sealant to protect against stains and bacteria.
- Carpet Care: With advanced commercial equipment and environmentally friendly products, Total Cleaning removes the dirt, dust, allergens, and other air pollutants trapped in carpeting, which causes discoloration and poses health risks to employees and visitors.
- VCT Stripping and Waxing: As floors wear down over time, they develop unsightly dirt and grime buildup, permanent scratches, and chips. Total Cleaning removes or “strips” the top floor layer and then applies a protective glossy wax or finish, which keeps the floor attractive and free of scratches and stains for years to come.
In-House vs. Outsource Floor Cleaning
Floor cleaning is a tricky and exhaustive process. Without the proper equipment, materials, technique and experience, it’s easy to make a mistake that could cause extensive damage or pose a safety hazard.
“Companies should avoid trying to clean their own floors. They should spend every resource focused on their core business,” Wolf says. “It’s expensive to hire, manage, and train floor-cleaning technicians. There are also too many risks if a business owner misses a potential liability or uses the wrong cleaner.”
As Reader’s Digest points out, many standard cleaners and equipment will damage wood floors, including wet mops and even plain soap and water. Marble is easy to etch accidentally, and the damage often requires a professional to resurface the entire area. “Granite and marble are especially tricky,” Wolf says. “You have to know how the floor is going to react to the chemicals.”
Attempting to remove mold and mildew can pose significant health risks, and even DIY carpet cleaning can go sideways quickly. For these reasons, it’s best to leave floor cleaning to the experts.
Why Hire Total Cleaning for Floor Care?
A full-service professional floor cleaning company such as Total Cleaning can handle numerous tasks. With over 30 years of experience with commercial floor care and over 500 team members, Total Cleaning has the resources to refresh and restore any surface properly, whether natural or synthetic. “Total Cleaning’s team is certified in stone care and maintenance, and we have vast experience with specialty flooring,” Wolf says.
Total Cleaning is also bonded up to $6 million and has supervised and insured employees, which is crucial for building owners and managers. “We partner with 3M, so if we run into challenges, they can provide us with the proper procedure and chemicals to ensure we use the most up-to-date process. They also put up $1 million in liability in case something goes wrong, so businesses can have peace of mind knowing we have back-up,” Wolf says.
For quality floor-care needs, contact Total Cleaning today for a free estimate.