As if winter wasn’t tough enough, with having to shovel or plow snow, throw salt down on icy areas, and trying to make sure that all employees and visitors are safe when visiting your commercial space, you also have to worry about the condition of your floors.
During winter, snow will be tracked in on the feet of your customers and employees and that’s going to increase the risk of falls and other accidents. It’s not something that can really be avoided, but it is something that must be addressed.
Some Simple Potential Solutions to Help Minimize Slick Commercial Floor Surfaces
The best defense against these problems is to be proactive. The maintenance department or individual who is responsible for maintaining your commercial floors on a daily basis should pay attention to the weather forecasts in the area. If he or she notices snow, freezing rain, or sleet forecast in the near future, then they can reschedule their services to focus on keeping up with slick floors.
Putting out ‘wet floor’ signs is the first thing to do. Warning people about the potentially slick conditions is a must. Next, the crew or individual should be monitoring the condition of the entryway and mopping up wet spots, slush, and more on a regular basis.
Of course, that does little to help protect the commercial floors from damage due to ice and salts. It does help keep people safe and that is far more important than keeping the floor surface in good condition.
Protecting the Commercial Floor Itself
Once the foot traffic has died down after the morning or afternoon rush, it’s a good idea to wash the floor thoroughly, just as you would after hours. This could require a simple mopping (for the short-term solution) or using a commercial floor cleaning machine, if it’s safe, convenient, and possible to do so.
Getting the road or rock salt up off the floor as soon as possible is essential to protecting the floor surface. If rock salt is left there, on most surfaces it’s going to erode the integrity and quality of the floor shine and surface.
Keeping up with commercial floor maintenance during winter is going to require more man-hours, but as long as you devote the right resources to this task, you will benefit by keeping those floors in good condition for a longer period of time.