Why Is My Floor Always Dirty?

Floors can look or feel dirty for a number of reasons.

Dirty hard surface floors are usually caused by the environment, an overuse of chemicals, and a large volume of traffic.

Fortunately, there are many things you can do to keep your floor looking and feeling cleaner for longer. Plus, some vitally essential cleaning tips can make a massive difference to the cleanliness and appearance of your floors.

Problem: Heavy traffic

Many commercial buildings have heavy traffic, and this can make floors dirty, slippery and unclean. It's not feasible to have staff cleaning your floors constantly.

So, what's a solution that doesn't involve a 24-hour cleaning schedule?

Solution: Floor mats

Good quality entrance mats are a great place to start if you want to keep your floors clean. Sturdy, strategically-placed mats can pick up a substantial amount of dirt, dust, mud, sand and germs before they have a chance to enter your building.

Providing you choose the right type of floor mat, they can make a significant difference to the cleanliness of your floors. Make sure you select a nonslip variety though, so you don't invite other unwelcome problems into your business.

If you have a heavily populated thoroughfare, entrance door mats may not be enough. You may want to consider an extended duration floor matting system to keep your floors cleaner. For example, the i-matt not only reduces slippage and hazards by 20% but stops dirt and water at critical traffic points, keeping your floors cleaner all day.

The i-matt is purchased on a roll and applied to the floor on main thoroughfares or building entrances using a proprietary adhesive backing. It uses a superior dirt capture technology that stops dirt and water at critical traffic points. And unlike other heavy, dirty mats or rugs that must be lugged around for cleaning, the i-matt can be cleaned in place, saving up to 60 hours per year in cleaning processes.

Problem: Not cleaning frequently or efficiently enough

First, let's look at frequency.

How frequently you clean your floor depends on your facility. For example, an airport or 24-hour shopping centre may require floor cleaning several times a day. Other facilities may only require floor cleaning once a day (e.g. CBD offices). Others such as industrial office complexes may only need cleaning 1 to 3 times a week. Make sure you find out the appropriate frequency for cleaning your floor, because it may be dirty merely because you're not cleaning it enough.

How you clean your floors can make a huge difference, too. Many people make the mistake of using a cleaning tool such as a conventional mop which only removes 30-40% of dirt. Instead, choose an effective cleaning method or device that actually sucks up or removes the dirt from the floor.

Solution: Find an easy-to-use cleaning machine and use it regularly

Look for a sophisticated cleaning machine that offers the following advantages:

- Rapid-cleaning

- Flexible, allowing it to get into tricky corners

- Safe – not leaving hazardous wet puddles after cleaning

- Effective – the proper cleaning tool will remove far more dirt

- Ergonomically friendly

- Environmentally friendly

Often used with the above-mentioned i-matt, the i-mop is a game-changing cleaning tool that rapidly removes dirt. It can be used on a multitude of industrial or commercial hard floors, from factories, office spaces, restaurants, caterers, to shopping malls and retail shops. The i-mop cleans up to 70% faster than traditional mops – and is up to 30% faster than conventional auto scrubbers. It’s ergonomically friendly so it won’t be problematic for staff to use.

Plus, it’s highly manoeuvrable so you can get right to the edges and under obstacles, giving you a far more satisfactory and rapid result. The i-mop is also simply far better at removing dirt. As we said, mops only remove 30 to 40% of dirt, which means your floor gets progressively dirtier over time. The i-mop has a dirt removal rating of over 97%.

Problem: Sticky and slippery floors

Once again, it’s imperative you get the right advice and choose the correct chemical (detergent) to clean your hard floors. Mistakes can be disastrously costly – especially in large buildings!

Solution: Correct cleaning chemicals at the correct measurements

There are three key tips when it comes to avoiding problems with cleaning products:

1. Read the floor manufacturer's recommendations. This will give you vital information as well as help ensure you do not compromise any warranties if anything goes wrong. If you don't have such information, try and find out the material of the flooring and call the manufacturer to ask for technical advice.
2. If none of the above is possible, choose a neutral cleaning agent. This means it has a pH of approximately 7. A more acidic cleaner (low pH) can damage floors. Limestone, terrazzo, marble or travertine can have the tile and the grout ruined by using an acidic cleaner – which can will also wear away any sealer on the floor. High alkaline cleaners (typically pH 9.5-10 or above) can also cause havoc on surfaces such as natural stone tiles or even linoleum or VCT floors.
3. Carefully follow the dilution instructions. Too much of the chemical solution can allow soil and surfactant to build on the floor, giving you a sticky, opaque finish that gets worse over time. If you're not 100% confident that you're using the right dilution, purchase single-use cleaning chemicals with a predetermined mix.