On solid ground

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

And, Adefuin seconds that argument: “Neutral cleaners are the safest to use on most floor types. It also has a very pleasing scent and could also be used to neutralise foul odors.”

Ecolab offers a maintenance chemical called INdur Brilliant Plus, which is safe to use on all floor types and only 1ml is required per litre of water.

The Floor Doctor has also launched a number of eco-friendly floor maintenance products. But, according to Boast, green cleaning still has a long way to go.

“Whilst there are some very good products on the market that make a variety of ‘eco-friendly’ claims, often the plastic packaged products travels on airplanes, cross borders on smokey diesel trucks, and spend six months in an air conditioned store before we even see them.

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“The term “carbon neutral” really needs to get more coverage – this is when a product can reach its point of use saving as much of the environment it has damaged. If we were all operating on a carbon neutral basis, then many environmental concerns would be resolved, and companies wouldn’t be hiding under the eco-bushel.”

There are also “non-slip” floor cleaning products on the market, which can be beneficial for high trafficked areas such as hotel lobbies and shopping malls.

These products can gloss the floor, whilst providing traction to prevent falls.

“It is misconception that a glossy floor is slippery, the truth is a gloosy floor means a highly polished floor, if a chemical used has non slip or anti slip properties then it should not be slippery.

A wet floor is a slippery floor, that’s what we have to always remember,” adds Adefuin.

But, with all the types of maintenance and the cost benefits they bring, are facilities managers taking note and demanding services? “Yes, undoubtedly,” responds Boast.

“Poor materials, incorrect cleaning methods and questionable restoration attempts have left an abundance of floors in a state of disrepair. We help our contract clients by providing flexible floor maintenance models that best fit their revenue stream and ease their cash-flow.”

And Adefuin agrees: “Just look at how many cleaning services we have now in the market, they have popped up like mushrooms.”