Commercial Floor Care Tips for Businesses

Maintenance costs less than repairs. Floors are no exception. Consider your budget when you develop your commercial floor care routine and prioritize your high-traffic areas. The cleaning and maintenance schedules below are ideal, but can be adapted to suit your budget and specific needs.

DAILY MAINTENANCE STEPS

• Clear hard surface floors with durable brooms.
• Sweep all floor mats with light-duty brooms.
• Vacuum high-traffic areas with large-area sweepers.
• Mop hard surface floors with premium wet mops.
• Remove excess dust with microfiber dust mops.

DAILY MAINTENANCE TIPS

• High-visibility sweeping compounds help ensure thorough cleanings.
• Large-area sweepers easily transition from hard floors to carpets.
• Proper cleaning chemicals extend the life of flooring.
• Neutral floor cleaners clean without harmful chemicals.
• Dust mop treatments help grab dust and maximize efficiency.

INTERIM & PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

• Scrub floors weekly with automatic scrubbers.
• Clear debris from entrances and walkways to keep floors cleaner.
• Position weather-resistant mats outside and inside entrances.
• Buff, polish or burnish floors with a floor machine or high-speed burnisher and spray buff to remove scuffs and restore gloss on finished floors.

RESTORATIVE MAINTENANCE

• Strip and recoat wax or finish every four to six months.
• Use low-speed floor machines with a stripping pads to apply strippers.
• Use a wet/dry vacuum to remove stripping slurry.
• Apply five to six coats of floor finish with a finish mop.
• Allow at least 30 minutes of dry time between applications.

Laminate

• Sweep and vacuum* regularly.
• Dust mop frequently.
• Use neutral floor cleaners.
• Microfiber mops work best.

Vinyl

• Sweep and vacuum* regularly.
• Clean with a damp mop.
• Use neutral floor cleaners.

Ceramic & Porcelain

• Mop with a mild cleaner.
• Sweep and vacuum* as needed.
• Clean grout with a brush.
• Dry wet tiles to avoid spotting.
• Seal ceramic.

Natural Stone & Brick

• Seal regularly.
• Clean concrete with heavy-duty surface cleaners.

Hardwood

• Sweep and vacuum* regularly.
• Use solvent-based cleaners.
• Dust mop frequently.
• Microfiber mops work best.

*Do not clean with vacuums that use beater bars or power rotary brush heads. Only use chemical strippers that are appropriate for your floor type. Put safety first. Clean up all spills immediately.

WINTER WEATHER PREP

• Clean and refinish hard floors before the first snow.
• Deep clean carpets to remove and help limit dust.
• Place extra weather-resistant mats outside and inside entrances.
• Manufacturers recommend 15 feet of matting at entrances.

WINTER MAINTENANCE TIPS

• Double down on daily maintenance to fight salt, slurry and moisture.
• Clean entrance mats with a wet vac and winter ice melt neutralizer.
• Change neutralizing mop solutions more frequently on harsher days.
• Flush ice melt residue from cleaning equipment regularly.

POST-WINTER FLOOR CARE

• Bring in extra entrance mats and clean before storage.
• Wipe down wet floor signage to remove salt and ice melts.
• Thoroughly sweep and clean floors to remove debris and ice melts.
• Run restorative maintenance steps for stripping and recoating floors.

PROMOTE HEALTH

• Fight germs with microfiber cloths.
• Reduce irritants with neutral cleaners.
• Limit dust with better air filters.

PRIORITIZE SAFETY

• Clean up spills immediately.
• Set out wet floor signs promptly.
• Stock at least two wet floor signs per entrance.

PROTECT STAFF

• Store chemicals in a well-ventilated area.
• Keep track of stocked cleaning chemicals.
• Maintain chemical material safety data sheets.

Be more competitive and boost your bottom line with Pro Xtra, The Home Depot’s free loyalty program built for Pros. Sign up today to access the enhanced Pro Online Experience, a digital toolbox built with the online business tools and time-saving features Pros need.