Janitorial Companies, PLEASE, Leave The Floor Care To The “Floor Care Professionals”

VCT Floor Stripped & Ready For Acrylic Finish.
VCT Floor Stripped & Ready For Acrylic Finish.

By no means is this a “dig” on cleaning services or janitorial services. Quite honestly, some of my best referral’s come from professionals in this industry. Not all cleaning companies and or janitorial companies think about or know about the implications some products or processes have on the longevity of a hard surface floor covering and it’s finish.

If you are a business owner, facility maintenance manager or other that is responsible for the care of a facility or simply and employee who takes pride in the appearance of

VCT Floor With Acrylic Finish Applied.
VCT Floor With Acrylic Finish Applied.

their workplace, I have a few tips and suggestions for you.

Many times, the floors in your place of work or business will be the first impression your customer’s or employees will have of you.

As a floor care professional, my #1 goal is to satisfy my costumer’s even after my services have been rendered. In order for this customer service to continue long after I leave, I need to educate the customer on the care and maintenance of their hard surface floors.

In commercial settings I come across ceramic tile, mosaic tile and grout floors usually found in the bathrooms of these facilities that have been coated with an acrylic coating other wise known as floor wax. How can you tell? Grout is not shiny. Another good indication is when the person applying the improper wax / sealer, got sloppy and got the mop to close to the rubber, ceramic or porcelain, kick plate and got wax on it.

Acrylic floor wax is intended for Vinyl Composite Tile, (VCT) not ceramic tile or grout. In most cases the tile and grout was simply mopped clean prior to the wax being applied. When the grout is not properly cleaned prior to the wax being applied you are simply sealing in the dirt. Any chance of those grout lines coming clean with daily mopping are slim to none and slim just left the building.

In order to have any chance of cleaning these waxed surfaces you will need to strip the wax off with special strippers and equipment. Only then will you have a chance at getting the grout lines clean.

VCT (vinyl composite tile) floor coverings that are intended to accept an acrylic wax can shine like a diamond when first applied and for months after. In order to get the “shine like a diamond” months after ; the janitorial company or cleaning company must maintain it and maintain it properly.

First off, the floor should be dust mopped daily or more depending on the amount of foot traffic. Dirt, grim and sand can act as a sandpaper on the finish. Wet mopping daily using a neutral cleaner and cold water, is recommended for longevity of the shine and durability of the wax. Any cleaner that is high in Alkaline will prematurely take some of the finish off the floor and create a “dull” appearance. DO NOT use a disinfectant cleaner unless the cleaner is a neutral disinfectant cleaner, 7.0 on the pH scale. Some disinfectant cleaners contain a chemical property that can actually stick to the floor and attract dirt making it very difficult to remove the dirt. I recommend to my customers using Snap All Purpose Natural Concentrate . 1 cap to 1 gallon of water will provide a 7.0 – 7.5 pH level which is safe for cleaning and protecting almost all acrylic finishes.

 

Green Bay Floor Restore can work with you, your business and your maintenance personnel on the specific issues or concerns you may have to assure your floor coverings are maintained at a level that gives your customers a great first impression and from having to prematurely strip and wax those resilient floor coverings. Be sure to check out some of the photos on my web site Gallery to see the before and after photos of some resilient floors.

Jamie Strohmeyer / Green Bay Floor Restore

IICRC Certified / Clean Trust Firm

 

Who Do You Share Your Bed With?

Dust mites living in your mattress and pillows is enough to make you sick (literally and figuratively)
Dust mites living in your mattress and pillows is enough to make you sick (literally and figuratively)

It’s the 1st day of Spring in NE WI! There is still 9 inches of snow on the ground, the temperature outside is 11 degrees and with the wind chill, it feels like 5 degrees…..Calgon take me away!

When you do start your Spring cleaning and after you get some facts on dust mites, you won’t want to overlook cleaning your mattress’s. Just thinking of dust mites living in your pillows and mattress’s by the millions eating your dead skin and hair is enough to make you sick (literally and figuratively).

Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live primarily on dead skin cells that regularly shed from humans and pets. They don’t carry disease so don’t freak out….but they do cause allergic reactions in asthmatics and others that are allergic to their feces. Dust mites are not Bed Bugs, that my friends is another topic.

A typical mattress contains tens of thousands of dust mites and nearly 100,000 mites can live in one square yard of carpet. A single dust mite produces about 20 droppings each day, each containing a protein that many people are allergic to, including me!

Your bed is a primary habitat for dust mites (where 1/3 of your life is spent). 10% of the weight of a 2 year old pillow can be composed of dead mites and their droppings. Right about now is when I was checking the Kohls add for a sale on pillows! Mites prefer warm, moist surroundings such as the inside of a mattress when someone is on it.

The Mayo Clinic, Web MD and HIH collectively provide a list of typical symptoms of an allergy to dust mites. Runny nose, sneezing, itchy red or watery eyes, facial pressure and pain, post nasal drip are just a few of the symptoms. These are all the same symptoms that I have experienced with my allergic reactions to dust mites.

There are control measures you can take. The most effective way is to enclose the mattress top and sides with a plastic cover. Before you do you may want to have your mattress steam cleaned, unless of course you have a washing machine that it will fit in so it can be cleaned at 130 degrees. Using pure steam dissolves dirt and grime, while removing germs and bacteria from the surfaces that your cleaning. Steam is also and environmentally friendly thing to do. There is no longer a need to use harsh and toxic chemicals.

A few other tips to rid dust mites are to replace feather and down pillows with those having synthetic fillings. Replace woolen blankets with nylon or cotton cellulose ones. Mom’s and Dad’s don’t forget the children’s stuffed animals: be sure to get washable stuffed animals in the future!

For fabrics that may not be washed, pop the fabrics in the freezer for 24 -48 hours to kill dust mites. Freezing and sunlight kills the dust mites but does not remove the residue.

Green Bay Floor Restore offers mattress cleaning services. First we use a special vacuum to remove all the residue the dust mites leave behind. We then use heated steam. No harmful or toxic chemicals are used. Pure 130 + degree steam will kill off the dust mites. For our customers that have allergies, we can apply a post spray to keep dust mites from repopulating for a period of up to 6 months. Think about it, up 6 months without having to share our bed. For those allergic to dust mites, 6 months of feeling better after a night of sleep. Call us today, you will be pleasantly surprised at the cost of this healthy service we offer.

Jamie Strohmeyer / Green Bay Floor Restore

IICRC Certified / Clean Trust Firm

  

Protect Your Investment – Green Guard Carpet Protector

Half Protected With Green Guard Half Not Protected
Half Protected With Green Guard Half Not Protected

It was instilled in me from an early age with the lessons from my father that you work hard for your money and when you purchase material things the better you take care of those things , the longer those things will last. I do what I do because I like to help hard working people take care of those possessions, tile grout, carpet upholstery and much more.

It’s not cheap to replace your floor coverings. It was reported that the month of January 2013, Americans had the least amount of disposable income available. If you have ever priced out the cost to replace your floor coverings you will see the benefit that maintaining what you have will free up money to do or purchase other things.  There is an expense to maintaining a possession but always ask yourself “how much would it cost me to replace it”? My truck and my wife’s car are 2 possessions that come to mind. To me that’s an easy answer. Have you seen the sticker price on a new truck….YIKES! 

Last article I talked about the importance of vacuuming for longevity of your carpets. Carpet stain protection will also assist in having to pre-maturely replace your carpets. For pennies on the dollar your carpet investment will go a long way.

Green Guard is the 1st EPA “green” carpet protector. Green Guard is formulated with the features such as , non toxic, skin friendly, biodegradable, no fragrances and safe for humans and pets.

Green Guard should be applied after each extraction cleaning to help your carpet “stay cleaner longer”.  Over the course of everyday life your carpet’s stain protection weakens due to foot traffic, cleaning and any deodorizing products you may use.

Green Guard keeps traffic lanes cleaner longer; abrasions and wear on the carpet are reduced. Vacuuming is easier and efficient. Green Guard has superior resistance to soil which will help extend the life of your carpet. Green Guard also prevents browning or yellowing of the carpets and limits wicking. You know that stain that the last carpet cleaning company removed and then the stain came back, that’s called wicking. 

Green Guard is a cutting edge encapsulation product that will help keep your carpets keep a “like new look”. Next time you have your carpets cleaned, ask for Green Guard.

Jamie Strohmeyer / Green Bay Floor Restore IICRC Certified Carpet Technician/ Clean Trust Certified.

Vacuuming-The Single Most Important Task For Carpet Longevity

 I work hard and I know you do to. So when we invest money into a product or a service we want to make sure we get the most out of our investment.  A simple understanding of soil and how it affects carpet can help.  I hope you find the following useful in your quest to make your carpet investment last longer.

Most soil is acidic in nature so an alkaline cleaner should clean it right? Well not always. Yes alkaline cleaners will clean soil, but is the carpet dirty or is it just simply worn. As a professional carpet cleaner it is my responsibility to communicate and set the expectation with the customer before service is performed. Anything said after the cleaning  is done if for any reason an area still appears dirty is simply an excuse.  FllterPlease let me explain.  

The majority of soil is brought into your home or business from the outside. Sand and grit quickly works their way to the bottom of the carpet pile where it becomes trapped by compacted yarns. The majority of this tracked in soil accumulates at the entry points or high traffic areas of the home or business.  These fine particles (0.1 microns) have a significant effect on visible soiling. These particles, although by weight are minimal, are actually responsible for the soiled look of carpet. Large particles fall to the bottom while fine particles may be trapped in the abrasions and imperfections of the fibers.

   There are 3 types of soil:

REAL SOIL – the actual amount of soil in the carpet that can be weighed

VISUSAL SOIL – soil that changes the color and luster of the top third of the carpet

APPARENT SOIL – soil that cannot be removed due to shading and abrasion. This is referred to as “graying of the traffic lane”.

 Real soil and visual soil can be removed by frequent vacuuming and carpet cleaning. An apparent soil state occurs when the particles build up in the carpet and are not removed on a frequent basis. These particles as mentioned build up and fill in the imperfections of the fibers and act as a razor blade thus wearing down the carpet fibers. Vacuuming is the single most important task that can be performed to increase the longevity of your carpet. Stain protectors can also help increase longevity.  

Sand, clay quartz, skin, animal fibers, grass, paper, cellulose are all insoluble soils. Nearly 80% of the soil in your carpet is insoluble which means it does not dissolve in water or solvents. The best and most thorough way to remove insoluble soil is through vacuuming.

Carpet filters soils, pollutants, gases and pet dander. Like any filter it needs to be cleaned.

To see a list of vacuum cleaners that passed the Carpet and Rug Institute’s  list of vacuums that passed the Green Label Program visit www.carpet-rug.org. Green Bay Floor Restore vacuums every room or area prior to carpet cleaning. If you had your carpets cleaned and the technician didn’t vacuum, you were cheated and didn’t get the best service possible.  

Jamie Strohmeyer / Green Bay Floor Restore

IICRC Certified Carpet Cleaner / Clean Trust Firm