Maintenance crews are often responsible for a wide range of responsibilities when it comes to commercial properties. When cleaning hardwood or even tile floors, mistakes can cause significant damage to the floor surface and that can cost the company hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Some common mistakes that maintenance crews make when caring for hardwood floor surfaces are:
- Over scrubbing
- Neglect
- Letting wax build up
- Scraping
- Not repairing minor defects in time
Taking a closer look at these will give a better idea about the potential problems cleaning commercial hardwood floors.
Over scrubbing
Any time there is dirt, mud, or a stain on a floor, the initial reaction is to scrub it until it is clean. Too much scrubbing on a hardwood floor can cause scratches and wear out certain sections too quickly.
Neglect
Maintenance crews are sometimes overwhelmed with work, having to repair wiring, plumbing, equipment, and other issues and the floors end up getting neglected. They need to have enough time to tend to the floors. If they don’t and it’s impossible to make that time, you should consider increasing the maintenance staff.
Letting wax build up
Wax acts as a sealant to help protect commercial floors. It needs to be stripped down from time to time in order to apply a new coat of wax. If the old wax is not stripped down, the buildup can cause the floors to appear dull, old, and dirty.
Scraping
Dragging things along the floor because a person doesn’t rely on a dolly or other equipment to transport something properly can cause scrapes and tears. These might seem minor at first, but they can quickly become more severe as more scratches are dug into the surface.
Make sure that your maintenance crew is transporting equipment or machinery properly.
Using the wrong equipment
When a person is relying on residential or small types of cleaning machines, rather than commercial machines, they simply won’t do as good a job. This will eventually lead to more damage to the floor surfaces.
It’s important to make sure that your maintenance crew has the right equipment to care for your commercial floors.