Winter Floor Care Tips & Suggestions
Winter Floor Care Tips & Suggestions
Maintain safe, clean floors that never lose their luster and beauty with this winter floor care guide from the flooring experts at 1877FloorGuy. Snow, ice and salt can really compromise the quality and finish of your floors over time, so you want to make sure you implement a rigid winter floor maintenance system to keep your floors sparkling well into spring. When you invest in a high-quality floor cleaner, a commercial-grade mop and mop bucket and floor protection products, you'll be able to enjoy clean floors year-round. Note that winter is not the recommended time to refinish floors, because the cold air can compromise how the finish dries and adheres. Wait until spring to finish floors.
Daily Winter Floor Care:
- Shake-out floor mats outside or into a utility sink
- Sweep or vacuum
- Spot clean with cleaner as needed
- Clean entire floor daily if residue or shoe tracks are visible
Weekly Winter Floor Care:
- Thoroughly mop using a commercial-grade mop system that won't redeposit salt, dirt and ice back onto the surface of the floor
- In commercial environments, consider investing in a high-performance floor scrubber to ensure that salt and other ice melt products do not penetrate the surface of the floors
Preventative Winter Floor Care
The first line of attack in keeping snow, ice and ice melt products off of a floor is to have clean walk-off mats at each entry door. If possible, keep a mat in the garage, warehouse or covered porch to catch water and debris from shoes before they enter the living or working space. Place another mat inside the entry door where shoes and boots can be removed when they are wet. Even if shoes don't seem wet it is best to remove them this time of year because ice melt products such as rock salt, ice melt pellets and sand become stuck in the treads of shoes and track throughout your home or business.
Keep a dry rag or paper towels near the entry to conveniently wipe up puddles right away. Prevent small particles of dirt and debris from scratching hard surface floors by sweeping or vacuuming frequently. Carpets can be especially challenging, because particles of debris fall into the carpet fibers and are not always visible. Vacuuming carpet routinely is especially important this time of year because the ice melt particles could damage the carpet fibers.
Have an appropriate cleaning product on hand to spot clean residue left behind from melted rock salt or ice melt pellets before they have a chance to damage the floor.
Finding the Right Winter Floor Care Products
Different types and brands of floors require different cleaning products, so choose the cleaning solutions that are right for your floor. Make sure you thoroughly read the manufacturer's label before purchasing and then test the cleaner in a small, inconspicuous area of the floor before applying to the entire surface. Here are our recommended winter floor cleaners:
- Mannington Ultra Clean
- Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner
- Congoleum Bright 'N Easy No-Rinse Cleaner (pre-mix in a spray bottle)
- DuPont™ StoneTech® Revitalizer® Cleaner and Protector
- Host Carpet Dry Cleaner
If you don't find the right product for your floor, browse our website by floor type or brand or call us for assistance at 1-877-FLOORGUY (1-877-356-6748).
