Keeping commercial floors in great shape is usually a matter of proper cleaning, polishing, and waxing. However, depending on the type of flooring you’re talking about, you could end up having to decide between keeping your clients, customers, or employees safe and having shining floors that look like new.
How important is the shine to you and your company?
Shining floors are usually considered a sign of cleanliness, even though that’s not always the case. They could also be a sign of slick conditions. When they get wet it can create more dangerous conditions.
So where should a company draw the line between getting that like-new shine on their commercial floors and keeping their employees and customers safe? The shine that is commonly found in well maintained floors is due to wax and not moisture. Certain wax finishes can certainly become slick when they get wet, so the company should have an experienced maintenance team on hand who will understand the best methods for stripping floors and resealing and waxing them.
Proper commercial floor maintenance will reduce the risks of slipping and falling for those walking on them, including when it’s raining or snowing outside. In truth, though, there is no way to remove the risk of falls completely, especially during inclement weather.
The most effective way to ensure safety for people is carry out floor cleaning or maintenance after business hours. For a school system, this is relatively simple: the maintenance crew would clean and wax the floors in the evening or on the weekends. For a hospital this is more challenging as the building is open around the clock.
For facilities that are always open, it’s best to clean floors during the lower traffic times of the day or night. This should usually be when only staff are on hand. Management can instruct staff to use extra caution when the floors are being cleaned, polished, or waxed.
The goal should always be about safety first. If there is ever a question about safety versus shine for commercial floors, choose safety every time.