You don’t want to think about it, but it’s still coming. Winter. Even if you truly enjoy the winter season, skiing, snowmobiling, ice-skating, and more, when you are responsible for a commercial facility, you know this is going to be a challenge.
Every winter commercial facilities experience the struggle.
Whether your commercial facility is only for employees or has the general public coming and going at all hours of the day or night, like a hospital, you need to be prepared for the winter months ahead. The snow will start falling soon. We are just a matter of weeks away from the average earliest snowfall, and when that happens, sand, road salt, and other debris will begin making its way inside those facilities.
Prepare with walkoff mats.
Collection mats are an invaluable asset. Deep tread mats can be strategically placed just outside your main entry doors. These are rubber mats that have long grooves and deep collection points. They will grab a lot of the slush and other debris that could otherwise get tracked into the facility on the bottom of shoes.
Your maintenance department will have to keep up with these mats, especially on days when it’s snowing. They may have to turn them over and beat them out to remove the ice, salt, sand, and other debris that has collected there, but as long as they do this consistently, such as just after the morning rush, around lunchtime, and in the evening, it can help deter a lot of that debris from tracking in on the floor surfaces.
Mats just inside the door, such as carpeted mats, could help to remove even more.
These will reduce just how much potential damage could be caused to those floor surfaces from the road salt and sand that gets stuck on the bottom of shoes. All of that debris can cause scratching on the surface of linoleum tile, ceramic, and even marble.
Regular mopping and cleaning of the floors may be necessary, especially around the most common entry points throughout winter. As long as you begin preparing now and getting things ready, you won’t be caught by surprise when the snow begins falling before you expect it.