Clean Up Time

Over the last few years there has been a huge switch to hard flooring as opposed to carpeting.  We must say it is about time too – in restaurants and cafes the amount of bacteria held in the carpets of restaurants and other food outlets is enormous and unless regularly and thoroughly cleaned will harbour all sorts of nasty unmentionables and not so nice smells.

In offices however, carpets are still the most widely used floor covering for warmth and general appearance.  Thorough regular vacuuming is essential to prolong appearance and life.  Small particles of grit can destroy the weave if left thus reducing the life of the carpet.

Periodically a deep clean with hot water extraction (commonly called steam cleaning) will be required.  This method of cleaning should be reduced to the absolute minimum to prevent re-soiling in a shorter time span as each clean will extract a little natural oil from the fabric.  Quality shampoo is absolutely essential.

Hard floors can be broken down into three distinct types:

1.    Non-Porous floors – These include terrazzo and granite.  Seals and polishes should not be applied to these floors.  Maintenance would be with a mild detergent, mopped or buffed, and occasional scrubbing.

2.    Semi porous floors – These include vinyl (both sheet and tiled) thermoplastic and lino.  Many places introduce a polish system to these floors.  This means applying a water based seal or polish with a few coats and then maintaining with detergent until the sheen fades and then stripping back and starting all over again.  Naturally this means a striking appearance at first with a gradual deterioration until stripping is required.  Our method is to apply one coat of polish and then maintain with a gel based product with occasional buffing which will enhance the floor appearance without the need to strip at all.  Therefore meaning a standard non slip appearance at all times, without the need to use harsh strippers that will take out the natural oils from the floor and reduce its life.

3.    Porous floors – These include cork, concrete and wood.  These floors will need sealing.  We have years of experience with wood floors and if you would like advice for renovating or maintaining this most beautiful of floors please do not hesitate to contact us.