Types of commercial floors and the best products and tools for safely cleaning them

Make sure you’re not ruining your floors

We once cleaned for a client who’s previous cleaners were using wet mops on the wood floors, which had caused scratched areas and warping of wood.  Before you fill up a bucket of water and start wet mopping the floors in your offices or store, it’s
important to understand the types of hard surface floors you have and the best products and tools for safely cleaning them.

Tips for Cleaning 5 Types of Commercial Floors

For your convenience we’ve created a short list of the most common hard surface commercial floor cleaning types that most offices and stores have as well as which products and tools you or your cleaners should be using for commercial floor cleaning:

1. Ceramic tile floors

Using a mop and bucket of water for ceramic tile won’t necessarily harm your tile, but it can stain your grout from the dirty water seeping into the pores over time.  A better option for tile is to use a flat head mop which doesn’t transfer dirty water and usually has a microfiber pad, which is excellent for sanitizing tile.

2. Cement floors

Many larger warehouses and A-frame commercial buildings will have cement floors stained with a particular color.  For floors like these, a wet mop and bucket of water with a small amount of commercial floor cleaning disinfectant or white vinegar is safe to use.

3. Hardwood floors

Of all the floors you want to be careful cleaning, hardwood should be at the top of the list.  Although most newer buildings will use more adaptable and durable material like vinyl or rubber, some offices and stores still use hardwood floors, such as hair salons, dance studios and even certain departments within supermarkets will have hardwood along with their tile floors.  For these types, it’s best to not only use a minimally dampened microfiber mop pad, but also use a floor product that is certified specifically for wood floor use, such as Bona Hardwood floor cleaner.

4. Laminate floors

Laminate is more durable than wood floors, but we recommend that you still use a microfiber mop pad vs a wet mop, as laminate can still create air bubbles from over-exposure to moisture.  A certified spray product like Bona should be used, and a handy trick to reducing the amount of streaks (laminate is very common for amplifying mop streaks) is to mop along side the grains of the flooring, which helps camouflage your streak patterns.

5. Vinyl floors

Vinyl is ideal for areas where high foot traffic is common because it’s so strong and durable, so you’ll find it less in offices and commercial buildings, and more in retail stores or warehouses with a high number of employees.  Although it’s durable, it’s installed in planks, which means water has a chance to seep into the cracks and loosen the flooring and come apart.  We would advise that if you use a wet mop and bucket, be sure your mop is thoroughly wrung out so that it’s more damp and produces less slosh.  Also, a microfiber mop head is safe for commercial floor cleaning without transmitting water in between the cracks.

For quality commercial floor cleaning in Loudoun & Fairfax Counties contact The Office Cleaner of Northern Virginia