Neglecting your resilient floor maintenance saves time for a very short period, which is followed by a game called Catch-up. The rules of this game require that you to spend long, backbreaking hours on your hands and knees, using strong chemicals as you perform the neglected resilient floor maintenance in an attempt to restore your dastardly looking floor to its original appearance.
Routine Resilient Floor Maintenance a Winning Game!
The Game of Catch-up Resilient Floor Maintenance
As your hands and knees become sore you will see the dirt coming off and the appearance of the floor improving. As the floor becomes clean you may start to notice that the finish is badly scored as if someone had used a wire-brush on it. You get up off your knees and as the floor dries you notice that the floor no longer has the luster that it did when you first purchased it.
You call the dealer and they suggest you use a polish and you think that suggestion is ridiculous, as you had purchased a “no wax floor”. Days later you find yourself back on your hands and knees stripping the old polish and applying new. Hours later the job is complete, you are exhausted and the floor has not been restored to its original luster.
After two or three phone calls to your dealer and waiting for days or weeks a manufacturers rep or independent inspector shows up to look at your “defective” floor. You are soon to find out that the game of Catch-up on resilient floor maintenance has few winners.
That expletive inspector said that the floor is not defective and that the failure was due to improper resilient floor maintenance. You have just lost the game of Catch-up because you had failed to maintain your floor, which is not a warranted condition.
The dealer and manufacturer loose because you feel that the advertising and sales presentations were misleading. The advertising had led you to believe that with this floor resilient floor maintenance was practically an issue of the past. You are now so displeased that you will never buy their products again. Not only will you never buy their products but you are also going to tell your friends and neighbors to stay away from them.
The Game of Preventive Resilient Floor Maintenance
Another game you need to know about is the game of “preventive resilient floor maintenance.” In this game the players perform a small amount of preventative maintenance on a routine basis. Their objective is to keep those pesky twin varmints called granular and airborne soil from moving in and attacking the finish of their floor. In the game of preventive resilient floor maintenance you are a winner for the floor looks great for many years. The dealer and manufacturer are also winners for they told you in advance how you would need to maintain your floor and were there to assist you when you had a question. When the time comes to purchase another floor covering you plan on using the same dealer and manufacturer once again. You are also pleased to tell your friends and neighbors what the brand of the floor is and where you purchased it.
With all resilient floor covering you can expect some dulling over time. This can be expected but the consumer needs to be advised of this up front and informed that with proper routine resilient floor maintenance the floor will look great for many years. What the consumer should not expect is to be promised the moon in advance, only to be surprised with a premature loss in appearance that has occurred for they were not taught how to maintain the floor.
The amount of time that is required to maintain a floor will differ with every installation. Factors that determine this include the frequency of care, the product type, style and color, and the amount of traffic. By following a few easy steps the appearance of a resilient floor covering will be extended for many years.
Nine Steps to a Great Looking Long Lasting Floor
1. Follow the manufacturers written resilient floor maintenance procedures.
2. Use walk off mats or rugs to trap soil before it has a chance to abrade the floor. It is important to keep the mats or rugs vacuumed to prevent them from becoming a warehouse of soil. Soil buildup needs to go somewhere and that somewhere is onto the floor covering. Remember those abrasive not only scratch resilient floors but also laminates, hardwood, carpet fiber and even ceramic and stone.
3. Sweep or vacuum the floor regularly to remove loose soil. Be sure to use the proper floor tool and not a vacuum with a stiff revolving brush.
4. Wipe up spills when they are first observed. Spills that are neglected will attract soil. Delays at cleanup will often make spills more difficult to remove. Forgotten spills can become permanent discoloration.
5. Clean the floor with the manufacturers recommended cleaning products. Most resilient manufacturers have formulated or will recommend specific products for their floors. Following these recommendations increases the end-users chance of not only maintaining a beautiful floor but also protecting their warranties.
6. Abrasive cleaners have their place but it is not with most resilient floor covering. Stay away from these cleaners and also abrasive scrub pads unless the manufacturer recommends them. Improper cleaning with abrasives can scratch many resilient floors just as badly as abrasive soil itself.
7. Never use soap, dishwashing liquids or oil-based cleaners. While these products may appear to clean the floor they are very good at dulling or even permanently staining it.
8. One-step cleaning and polish products can be real time savers but if they are used exclusively the detergent residue builds up, attracts soil and dulls the floor. Occasionally rinse the floors with clear water to remove the detergent buildup.
9. Avoid vinegar and water or ammonia unless approved by your manufacturer, they do not always provide affective cleaning.