Resilient Flooring Maintenance Guide

Resilient Flooring – Routine Maintenance

Resilient flooring requires regular routine maintenance to protect the floor and promote a clean, healthy building image. Regularly cleaned floors not only last longer, but they also prevent slip-and-fall accidents that can lead to costly liability claims.

As floors are exposed to foot traffic, soils are tracked in which can abrade and attack the floor’s protective finish. Over time, the floor becomes less slip resistant, less reflective, and generally less attractive. Proper routine maintenance will help maintain the desired appearance level as well as extend the time before interim top scrub and recoat procedures need to be performed.

Basic Routine Maintenance:

1. Gather all your supplies before getting to work. You don’t want to have to stop in the middle of cleaning to grab something you've forgotten.
2. Vacuum and/or dust mop the floors first. Removing as much of the dry particulate soils as possible will make it easier to wet mop them clean.
3. Scrape up any gum, stickers, or other sticky things. It is important to remove the sticky residue as it will attract dust and dirt quickly, leading to unsightly dark spots on the floor.
4. Place wet floor signs around your work area before wet mopping the floors. It’s important to alert building occupants of the slippery floors to prevent accidents.
5. Use a high-quality neutral cleaner. Neutral cleaners (such as Unitex Daily Clean) are specifically formulated to attack the dirt and soiling while not affecting the floor finish.  In a mop-wringer and bucket set, dilute Unitex Daily Clean at 2 oz per gallon of cool water. Soak the mop in the solution until mop is drenched. Wring out mop just so excess solution is removed. Using mop, apply solution to the floor using a figure “8” or “S” movement. When finished, the floor will be very wet. Allow floor to remain wet for a few minutes.
6. For general cleaning, we recommend using a mop and bucket or automatic scrubber fitted with RED floor pads.  If a wet/dry vacuum is available, use it to wet vacuum the solution on the floor. If no wet/dry vacuum is available, mop up the solution with a mop that has been tightly wrung out. This helps to remove th remaining dirt and solution from the floor.
7. After cleaning the floor, you can apply a restorer, perform spot cleaning, and/or spray buff the floor. The floor should be thoroughly cleaned before performing any of these procedures. 
8. When the job is done, be sure to thoroughly clean all equipment. Clean equipment works better, lasts longer, and will make your next cleaning job easier.

Again, regular routine maintenance will help your resilient flooring look better and last longer. It will also prolong the time in between more involved floor maintenance procedures including stripping and re-finishing.

Jon-Don carries a full selection of mops, buckets, auto scrubbers, floor pads, and specialty floor cleaning chemicals designed to power through the worst dirt and grime to reveal the beautiful floors underneath. Whether you need just a few items for a small job or a couple of pallet’s worth of supplies for cleaning multiple buildings, Jon-Don is your one-stop shop!

For more information on proper resilient floor care, call 800-556-6366 to request a FREE copy of the Life Cycle of Floor Care manual. This full-color, illustrated guide covers the step-by-step procedures required for all hard floor maintenance procedures. This manual includes instructions in both English and Spanish.