Like it or not, another winter is on its way to Toronto and the surrounding area. As anyone who has spent time in this part of the world during winter, you already know that this can have a tremendous impact on commercial floors.
It is important to maintain commercial floors not only for their integrity, but also for the safety of employees, clients, and customers. Many commercial floors will become slick when wet. As a snow begins to fall and collects in the parking lot and other areas, even walkways, people will be tracking in that snow and slush on the bottom of their boots.
That can create slippery conditions. On top of that, you also have to consider the salt that is used to increase traction and reduce ice on parking lots and road surfaces. That salt will get mixed in with the snow and slush and carried into the building. Over time, that can create serious issues, especially with linoleum tile floors. The salt can actually erode the surface of your commercial floors.
Since we are still at least a few weeks away from the first snowfall of the season, you have time to properly prepare to maintain your commercial floors this year. You may want to consider adding an extra maintenance personnel or a couple of employees who will be able to focus more energy on keeping up with the demands that winter brings, especially on those days when snow is expected as well as the days afterward.
Make sure you have the proper equipment to maintain these floors. Better equipment will make it easier to not only clean the floors, but also to wax and even strip if necessary.
Be prepared with adequate signs that will instruct your potential clients or customers coming into the building, as well as employees, that the floor surfaces could be slick. When people step in from the cold, they might not be thinking about slick floor surfaces. Make sure that they see the signs first whenever there is a lot of foot traffic entering your building, dragging in with them snow, slush, and rock salt.