Winter Is Hard on Your Floors: Here’s How to Protect Them!

1. Stop Dirt at the Door

One of the easiest ways to protect your floors is to catch as much dirt and moisture as possible before it travels through your building.

A good entrance matting system gives shoes an opportunity to release moisture, sand and grit before those materials are carried onto carpet or hard flooring.

But simply having mats isn't enough. During wet or snowy weather, entrance mats can become saturated and loaded with debris, so regular cleaning and maintenance are just as important.

2. Don't Underestimate Sand and Grit

Kamloops businesses know all about winter sand.

Those tiny particles may not look like much, but once they are tracked inside, they can settle into carpet fibres or remain on hard flooring where normal foot traffic continues to move them around.

This is why winter floor care shouldn't wait until your floors look dirty. Increasing vacuuming and floor cleaning in high-traffic areas can help remove debris before it accumulates.

3. Give High-Traffic Areas Extra Attention

Not every part of your building experiences the same amount of wear.

Entrances, reception areas, hallways, elevator areas and the pathways employees and customers use most frequently generally need more attention than lower-traffic spaces.

Instead of treating every floor area the same, a good winter maintenance program should focus additional attention on these traffic lanes and entry zones.

That may mean cleaning some areas more frequently or scheduling periodic deeper cleaning throughout the winter instead of waiting until spring.

4. Protect Your Hard-Surface Floors

Winter moisture and tracked-in debris can quickly change the appearance of hard flooring.

Routine dust mopping, vacuuming and damp cleaning help manage day-to-day soil, but depending on the flooring and finish, periodic floor maintenance may also be needed.

The goal isn't simply to make the floor look clean today. Proper maintenance helps preserve the appearance of the flooring and the finish protecting it over the longer term.

This is especially important in commercial facilities where floors may see hundreds of footsteps in a single day.

5. Don't Forget About Your Carpet

Your carpet can hide a surprising amount of winter soil.

Regular commercial vacuuming is an important first step, particularly around entrances and high-traffic areas, but some soil can eventually work deeper into the carpet.

Periodic professional carpet cleaning can help remove accumulated soil and refresh heavily travelled areas.

Rather than waiting until the carpet visibly looks dirty, consider incorporating carpet care into your overall floor-maintenance program.

6. Have a Plan Before Winter Takes Its Toll

One of the biggest mistakes businesses can make is waiting until their floors look worn or heavily soiled before changing their cleaning routine.

Winter floor care works best when it's preventative rather than reactive.

Your plan might include:

• Proper entrance matting
• More frequent vacuuming of entryways and traffic lanes
• Regular hard-floor cleaning
• Spot cleaning as needed
• Periodic carpet extraction
• Planned hard-floor maintenance
• Monitoring high-traffic areas throughout the season

The right schedule will depend on your flooring, building traffic, type of business and how much winter debris is coming through the door.

Give Your Floors a Fighting Chance This Winter

At ServiceMaster Clean of Kamloops, we know that no two buildings, and no two floors, are exactly the same. A small professional office won't have the same floor-care needs as a busy retail location, strata building or high-traffic commercial facility.

That's why we believe floor care should be based on your flooring, your traffic and your facility's needs.

From routine commercial floor care to carpet cleaning and periodic hard-floor maintenance, our team can help build a program that keeps your floors looking professional throughout the winter and beyond.

Winter may be tough on your floors, but the right maintenance plan can help them fight back.