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Natural stone tends to stain and deteriorate over time since tap water, regulary used to clean the material, contains salts and chlorine.

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FM service providers explain the cost benefits of routine floor maintenance and how expensive restoration and material replacement can be avoided.

It’s no secret that floors need cleaning for hygiene and aesthetic purposes. But, according to service providers in the Middle East, most facilities managers are unaware that regular maintenance, not only protects the ground they walk on, but their cash flow too.

Carpets and tiled surfaces must go under the correct maintenance procedures to keep them from wearing away.

And, a wooden floor may appear to glisten with the help of a mop but without the correct cleaning compounds, cracks will begin to show, and eventually leave a dent in your finances.

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“If the correct repairs are not undertaken promptly and professionally, then the damage will soon spread, often to a state beyond economical repair,” insists Craig Boast, manager of the Floor Doctor division at Smashing! Cleaning Services.

“Unfortunately, because floors can take some time to noticeably deteriorate, and the lines of communication between product users and specifiers are often poor, the learning curve amongst property companies is usually slow, and the take-up of improved methods and materials can be almost non-existent.”

Almost all floor finishes are prone to damage, particularly in heavily trafficked areas, such as hotel lobbies. But, costly restoration of these surfaces can be avoided by preventative maintenance. The question is, how?

“Unless scratches are extremely deep, the sanding of wooden floors is unnecessary,” reports Arturo Adefuin, housekeeping specialist at Ecolab, which provides maintenance services for several floor types.

“Maintaining a good condition of the polish applied, limiting damage to the polish or wax and not allowing the seal [of the floor] to be damaged would mean a lot of savings.

Proper daily maintenance is the key to prolong restorative procedures on the floor,” he says, adding that the use of walk-off mats in the entrance of a property will also trap unwanted dirt.

“Approximately 0.54 kg [of dirt] is collected from every 1000 people who pass through [a building], so just imagine a very busy business centre and hotel with lots of people coming in and out several times a day.”

Speed Cleaning is also called upon to preserve floors by power washing, scrubbing (using rotary scrubbing machines) and dusting (using dust control mops).

“Routines on client sites will normally include a daily, weekly and monthly cleans. Prevention [of damage] in the second case would normally be found via education, training others not to drag or drop items on a floor but rather lift and place,” says Speed Cleaning managing director Terry Vaughan.