“Our floors look awful!”
When it comes to offering cleaning services, clients often express their frustration with dull and damaged flooring. This is especially true for building managers, who take pride in the appearance of their property. It’s not hard to understand why – think about the places you visit on a daily basis. Do you notice when the floors are shiny and clean? Of course you do. In contrast, dull, dirty flooring can be off-putting. In this article, we’ll discuss ways to properly maintain vinyl composite tile (VCT) flooring to keep it looking its best.
What Is Vinyl Composite Tile (VCT)
Vinyl composite tiles are made up of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) chips that are compressed into solid sheets through heat and pressure. Despite its seemingly smooth surface (usually coated in wax), VCT is actually quite porous. This makes it susceptible to collecting dirt and grit over time. Therefore, it is crucial to consistently apply and maintain a suitable amount of wax coating on VCT to keep it clean and long-lasting.
What can you do to maintain clean VCT floors? Try these tips:
Incorporate Walk-off Mats
By providing walk-off mats at entry and exit points, dirt and debris can be trapped before it grinds into the floor. In an industrial setting, this strategy is particularly effective. While the mats won’t catch everything, they are still highly effective at capturing a significant amount of dirt and grit. Consider using a service that will replace these mats on a regular basis, and remind your cleaning team to vacuum them daily to maintain their effectiveness.
Dust and Damp Mop Regularly
To prevent your floors from dulling, it’s important to stay ahead of the game. The best defense is a good offense, which includes daily dirt and dust removal using a microfiber mop. Microfiber materials are highly effective at capturing a significant amount of dust and dirt on a floor. Afterwards, use a damp mop with mild soap to eliminate any remaining debris. If your floors see a lot of foot traffic, make sure to damp mop on a daily basis. For areas with light foot traffic, less frequent mopping will do the trick.
Schedule Occasional Buffing
Floor buffers work by smoothing the surface of your VCT, which in turn creates a shiny appearance. With a smooth surface, light reflects off it, giving it that glossy look. However, over time, the constant abrasion from foot traffic and rolling chairs can leave small scratches and pits on the surface of your VCT. The buffer, equipped with an abrasive pad and heat generated from the spinning surface, effectively smooths out these imperfections to produce a reflective surface.
Annually Restore Your Floors
Scratching, pitting, and buffing can all contribute to the gradual disappearance of your VCT flooring’s wax coating. To keep your floor in pristine condition, it’s essential to remove any remaining old wax and apply multiple layers of fresh wax. The frequency of this maintenance procedure varies depending on a few factors. However, thanks to advancements in floor wax, long-lasting protection is now possible. In general, we recommend annual floor restoration for facilities with moderate to high traffic.
