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The Life Cycle of Floor Care, Phase 2: Interim Maintenance

Sep 21, 2017
Phase two of the Life Cycle of Floor Care is interim maintenance, or commonly referred to as top scrub and re-coat. The top scrub and re-coat procedure is employed when routine maintenance no longer produces the desired appearance levels you demand, and if further deterioration occurred, the floor would require more expensive stripping. During the top scrub and re-coat process, the top, dirty layers of the floor finish are removed. Two or more coats of finish are then applied to restore the original shine of the floor. This allows the floor care program to start over with phase one of the life cycle, Routine maintenance. Read part one in this series on routine maintenance here.

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Supplies Needed for Interim Maintenance

To begin this process, you will need to gather supplies. This includes a good top scrub cleaner, a quality floor finish, an automatic scrubber and a premium value green pad or a blue scrub pad. You will also need a long handled floor scraper or putty knife, a baseboard scrub kit, a clean untreated dust mop, doodlebug, floor squeegee, clean mop buckets and wringers, mop handles, two all-purpose wet mops, a finish mop and trash can liners.

A Step-by-Step Process for Interim Maintenance
1. Clear the area you will be top scrubbing and use a putty knife to remove any gum, tape or stickers from the floor.
2. Next, prepare your equipment and cleaning solution by filling the automatic scrubber with the cleaner. Make sure you use proper dilution rates to ensure optimum performance.
3. Attach the green or blue pad to the automatic scrubber.
4. Prior to using the automatic scrubber, use the doodlebug to go along the edges with top scrub solution.
5. Then squeegee the solution to the path of the scrubber for pickup. I recommend using a double scrub method by making one pass with the solution on and the vacuum and squeegee off, then make a second pass with the vacuum and squeegee on to pick up the solution.
6. When you are done, check for a consistent look. If there is still embedded dirt and discoloration, the floor will need to be stripped. If the floor is clean with an even appearance, you are ready to apply two coats of Betco® finish of your choice.
The Life Cycle of Floor Care, Phase 1: Routine Maintenance

Sep 21, 2017
The life cycle of floor care consists of three stages of maintenance processes that a typical floor undergoes as the floor is stripped, coated, maintained, and then eventually stripped again. A properly coated and maintained floor can essentially last indefinitely, avoiding costly stripping procedures. Most floors are often subjected to large amounts of traffic and soils, and a subpar maintenance program causes the life of the floor finish to diminish quickly.

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The three phases of the life cycle of floor care are routine, interim and restorative maintenance. This blog will address the procedures used in phase one, routine maintenance.

How to Extend the Life of Your Floor Finish with Routine Maintenance

Appropriate routine maintenance is necessary to maintain the desired appearance level of the floor and to extend the time between more costly Interim and Restorative Maintenance Procedures. Maximum floor appearance can only be achieved when the floor finish is as clean and smooth as possible. A properly coated floor with a smooth clean surface protects the floor, providing excellent shine and easier maintenance. As the floor is exposed to foot traffic, hand carts and soils, the surface film is slowly abraded, causing wear. Soils penetrate the protective finish causing the film to become rough, less slip resistant and less reflective. In order to extend the life of the floor finish, routine maintenance needs to be performed.

5 Tools Needed for Routine Maintenance
1. Floor Matting: A proper routine maintenance plan should include the use of adequate floor matting to prevent damaging soils from being tracked onto the floor. A majority of these soils are tracked in from the outside and keeping them at the entrance is an effective first step to keep your floors looking great.
2. Daily Vacuuming: The entrance matting should be vacuumed on a daily basis in order to remove any soil that could make its way onto the floor.
3. Dust Mopping: Removes soil and debris which can cause premature wear of the floor finish.
4. Daily Damp Mopping (or automatic scrubbing): Use a neutral or daily cleaner to remove soils that a dust mop may leave behind.
5. Restorers: When daily mopping no longer produces desired appearance levels, a restorer should be used to clean and condition the top layer of finish. Restorers are products that clean while restoring the top layer of finish. The floor is then burnished, which restores it to a smooth, reflective shine. This process also extends the time before the Interim Maintenance method of top scrubbing and recoating needs to be performed.
Routine maintenance can be performed as long as the floor meets your desired appearance standards. Once routine maintenance no longer produces the results you would like, it is then time to move onto the second phase, interim maintenance. Stay tuned for part II, where all the steps to interim maintenance will be discussed.
Top Five Floor Care Mistakes that Cause Streaking and How to Fix Them

Sep 21, 2017

Clean shiny floors show that you and your Long Term Care Facility take care and pride in cleaning and maintaining the floors. Applying floor finish is a relatively simple process that we may take for granted. All too often, we as floor care professionals, may skip a step or take a shortcut (hard to believe, but it happens). When we get complacent, mistakes can happen. One of the most common floor care complaints is streaking on freshly coated floors. Streaking is unsightly and if you end up with a streaky floor, there are ways to fix it.

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Here are the top five floor care mistakes that cause streaking and how to fix them:

1. Poor rinsing of an alkaline floor stripper

A lot of strippers today are no rinse strippers but if too much residue has been left on the floor surface or if an alkaline stripper was not properly rinsed prior to applying floor finish, this will cause your finish to streak. Re-stripping of the floor will be required to fix this and of course, be sure to thoroughly rinse.

2. Too little floor finish in your mop during application

Too little floor finish on your mop during application means you are not applying enough finish. This creates streaks on the floor but it can be easily fixed. A scrub and recoat is all that is needed to repair the streaking. Just be sure not to overwork your mop and avoid wringing out the mop too much.

3. Finish applied too thick

Floor finish that is applied too heavy can cause the finish to streak. The solution to this is to wait until the finish is completely dry, then dry buff with a blue pad and reapply thin even coats.

4. Use of a dirty or contaminated mop

A dirty or contaminated mop will leave streaks of discoloration in the finish. The floor may need to be completely stripped to remove all of the streaking if a dirty mop was used on the first coat. Be sure all of your mop heads have been washed thoroughly before reapplying finish. Throw away old, worn or stained mop heads to avoid accidently using them for applying floor finish.

5. Not enough dry time between coats

When you do not allow enough dry time in between coats, also known as “rushing coats”, you can get streaking. This generally will show up after three coats of finish have been applied. The top coat of finish will appear to be dry when subsequent coats are applied and this can trap moisture in the finish causing the “streaking”. If this happens, you should stop applying finish and let the floor completely dry. After the floor is dry, dry buff the surface with a polish pad and recoat.
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Worst floor-care mistakes — and how to fix them

Sep 21, 2017

As you consider keeping the floors in your healthcare facility clean and sanitary, remember the following Top 10 worst floor-care mistakes you can make — and how best to fix them.

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Mistakes to avoid	Corrective actions to take
Beginning a floor-care task without first reading the cleaning product label.	Before beginning any cleaning task, your workers should fully understand how to use the chemicals and equipment required for the job. OSHA regulations state that every employee has the right to know about chemical hazards within their workplace. You should post Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) at strategic locations throughout your facility; these sheets should include all pertinent information regarding the cleaning products and chemicals your workers use. Supervisors should be ready and willing to talk to your workers if they have questions about an MSDS or product label.
Using a cleaning product that was not meant for floor-cleaning.	Workers should use cleaning products specifically designed for use on floors. They should never mix chemicals, which could cause serious or even fatal injury.
Caring for floors with unprotected hands and eyes	Workers should always wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to guard themselves against exposure to cleaning chemicals and body fluids. PPE is typically worn when cleaning patient rooms, emergency rooms, operating rooms, rest rooms and any area that contains blood or body fluids, or where chemicals are mixed.Typical PPE items are: Gloves for all contact with blood, body fluids and most body surfaces of patients Gowns or aprons if soiling of clothing is likely Masks if the patient is coughing Eye protection glasses or goggles and masks if splashing, spraying or aerosol dispersion is likely
Being unfamiliar with the standard clean-up procedures for any area where blood or body fluids may be present, such as an operating room, delivery room, morgue, or rest room.	Workers should read, learn, and follow OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard with regard to blood and body fluid cleanup. In general, this standard requires you to: Establish an exposure-control plan Update your plan annually Implement the use of universal precautions Identify and use engineering controls Identify and ensure the use of work-practice controls Provide PPE Make available hepatitis B vaccinations to all workers with occupational exposure Make available post-exposure evaluation and follow-up to any occupationally exposed worker who experiences an exposure incident Use labels and signs to communicate hazards Provide information and training to workers Maintain worker medical and training records
Beginning a floor-care project with a poorly stocked cart.	Workers should be instructed to review the supply checklist and stock their cart at the beginning of their workday or before performing a floor-cleaning task. Doing so will ensure greater efficiency and productivity—with fewer trips to the stockroom.
Caring for a floor with no “Wet Floor” signs being posted	To ensure no one slips on a wet floor, workers should post the proper caution signs before cleaning, and leave them posted until the floor is completely dry.
Being unsure of how to use a floor-care product, but using it anyway	Workers should receive training before they use a new cleaning product. Supervisors should be available to answer questions about a floor-care product before workers perform a cleaning task.
Cleaning haphazardly, with no set strategy or pattern	Cleaning is a methodical task that is better accomplished by: Always cleaning from top to bottom Cleaning from dry to wet Wiping in a pattern Cleaning in the same pattern every time Follow these steps for best floor-cleaning results: Place the Wet Floor sign. Dust mop the floor, collect debris, and deposit in a trash can. With a clean, microfiber mop, damp-mop the floor with the designated cleaning/disinfectant solution. Allow the floor to dry thoroughly before taking down the Wet Floor signs.
Failing to follow the #1 rule for controlling HAIs	Set the standard throughout your facility that workers must wash their hands after every floor-cleaning and floor-care task.
Leaving chemicals, cleaning products, or solutions in buckets or on equipment from one day to the next.	To keep your environment safe, instruct your workers to: Properly discard unused cleaning products/solutions at the end of their shift or at the end of a workday. Wash equipment at the end of their shift or at the end of a workday.

Work with Betco to implement a floor-cleaning strategy that best suits your organization’s needs. Together, we can ensure that the services you provide add to the well-being of patients, visitors, and staff. With Betco products and services, you can take significant strides in creating a cleaner and healthier environment.

Mitigate the Risk of Costly Slip, Trip and Fall Accidents

Jul 11, 2017
Imagine the impact signs have on us today. We use signs to direct us while driving; find groceries at the store; warn us of potential hazards. With so many signs around, is it no surprise that some signs are just blatantly ignored?

When it comes to reducing the risk of slip and fall injuries, the most used and abused sign is the wet floor sign. Custodians and other facility management personnel who use these signs abuse them by leaving them out when they are no longer needed, which lessens their impact in the facility. By leaving a wet floor sign out for extended periods of time after the floor has dried, how can guests and tenants take them seriously? Even more ironic is that an abandoned wet floor sign itself can become a trip hazard.

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In most cases, the problem with ineffective wet floor signage isn’t the fault of the sign itself. The problem lies with improper use and training of cleaning professionals on how to use the sign in an effective way. Signage should certainly be used to protect everyone from harmful slip, trip and fall accidents. Your wet floor sign should:
- Cover the actual wet area; isn’t placed before approaching or after entering wet area
- Stand 28-39 inches tall for increased visibility
- Be yellow in color with black lettering
- Be visible from 360-degrees
- Have a stable base to avoid falling or being easily knocked over
- Clearly say “Caution: Wet Floor”
To decrease some risk of accidents, signs should be placed early to give advance notice of the hazard when possible. If a large portion of a floor is expected to remain wet for a long period of time, it may be a good idea to place a barricade around the area.

Assuming proper signage fails or is misused, property owners and managers could be leaving themselves open to costly slip, trip and fall litigation. It doesn’t take much grace to walk without falling, but sometimes we fall and are lucky to get up with just a bruised ego.

Others are not so lucky.

For those who are injured, they join the rising multi-billion dollar industry of slip and fall accident litigation. According to OSHA, the average cost of a slip and fall accident is $22,800 per accident but there is no limit to how much companies may pay.

Rather than follow stricter safety procedures, some companies quickly settle claims for slip and fall accidents because the cost to do so is built into their budgets. This is a major mistake because the cost of these claims will also come in the form of increased insurance premiums, which gets passed along to their tenants, consumers or guests.

An imperative solution to reduce the number of slip and fall accidents is to use an alternate method to clean floors that is not only more effective than a wet mop and bucket, but one that also simultaneously leaves the floor dry. This means that no signage may be necessary as the risk of slipping during cleaning is successfully mitigated. Our latest cleaning innovation is the MotoMop™ small area cleaning machine. To find out why MotoMop is right for your facility, visit Betco.com and use our automated cost calculatorto calculate your savings or call customer service at (888) GO-BETCO for more information.
Don’t Let Winter A-SALT Your Floors

Jul 11, 2017

Winter is in full swing and is taking charge with snow, slush and ice. While bundling up and staying warm inside, make sure you don’t give your floors the cold shoulder. It’s important to be aware of the dangers that the winter elements can leave behind on both carpet and hard surface floors.

As people come and go in a facility they stomp, shake and dump snow, slush and salt on floors everywhere. This snowy, slushy mess doesn’t end after it dries and leaves behind un-melted rock salt. Stains as white as snow can be seen on all types of floor surfaces. While these stains are pesky and damaging, they are preventable and your floors are savable.

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Salt stains are not harmful if attended to quickly. The faster you remove the moisture and chemicals, the less time they have to damage your floors. Keep absorbent towels or rags near your doors to clean up the messes as they occur, and a vacuum or broom to remove any dry residue.

Use a reliable matting system. A matting system acts as a first line of defense against tracked-in contaminants on your floors. Over 80% of dirt and residue are brought in by people entering a facility; a good entrance matting system can trap 90% of this dirt and debris that is brought in!

Prevention is the best defense. It’s important to keep in mind that all floor types are vulnerable during the winter. Using a daily maintenance cleaner is one of the most important steps to extend the life of your floors.

It is important to keep in mind that your floors are vulnerable during the winter. While there is danger afoot due to a combination of increased moisture and salt, remember to practice the above tips to avoid havoc on both carpet and hard surface floors.

If you have any questions, please visit http://www.betco.com, call (888) GO-BETCO or please contact us at welisten@betco.com
Solutions for LVT Flooring’s Top 3 Problems

Jan 15, 2017
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) floors are one of the most popular floor products due to their aesthetics, durability, low maintenance, and ability to mimic or match other flooring products. LVT consists of 3 laminate layers: core structure, top layer, and wear layer. The core structure layer is located above the floor backing and provides high stability and thickness. The next layer is the top layer, which gives off the pattern and color of the floor. The wear layer is the top layer, the main protection of the floor.
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Together, these layers help LVT floors withstand heavy traffic and contribute to extreme durability. However, despite their longevity and low maintenance qualities, LVT floors are still prone to damage and require maintenance to ensure the floor looks good and performs well. Continue reading to learn about 3 problems with LVT floors and how the Elevate™ Multiple Surface System is the solution.
1. Finish Scratches
Cause: LVT floors are susceptible to scratches in the wear layer, despite being known as the toughest floor surfaces in the industry. Scratches appear when substances are pressed into the floor by shoes, objects, and more. They ruin the LVT floor’s look and aesthetic by leaving marks on the top layer. They also dull the shine and pattern of the floor, destroying its overall appearance.
Solution: Daily cleaning on LVT floors reduces the risk for scratches in the wear layer. Sweep the floor regularly to dispose of any debris or hard substances resting on the floor. Use Reinforce Cleaner and Protectant for daily wet mopping and as a protectant. Its neutral formula contains a small amount of polymer and waxes that continually fills in scratches with a slight residue. The residue hardens and the wear layer is smoothed out, creating a better and newer looking LVT floor.
Routine maintenance with Reinforce will extend the life of the floor up by to 25% and prevent the need for a costly strip and recoat. A strip and recoat on 10,000 square feet of LVT can cost an upwards of $10,000 annually, including maintenance costs.
Apply Rescue Finish to protect the wear layer of LVT flooring to avoid costly floor replacement. An LVT floor replacement can cost around $100,000 on a 10,000 square feet floor. The formula contains a specific polymer for adhesion that has the capability to bond to LVT and make it last longer. To suit every floor aesthetic, Rescue is available in Gloss or TruMatte.
2. Stains and Discoloration
Cause: LVT floors can stain and become discolored due to a wide variety of causes, including moisture, liquid, food, constant sunlight, and using the wrong cleaning chemicals or stripper. A yellowing coloring is usually the first sign of damage on LVT floors and tends to stay permanently.
Solution: Be prepared with Reinforce to clean up any contaminants before they penetrate the floor layers. To help remove heavy soiling and stains, deep clean with Reinforce at the proper dilution rate by double scrubbing affected areas.
Rescue Finish adds an additional layer of protection to the LVT floor. If that layer is stained or discolored, the finish can easily be removed and reapplied. Conventional floor strippers that are not made for LVT floors can also cause yellow discoloration. High alkalinity found in these strippers’ formulas attaches to the wear layer and grabs onto soils that causes a yellowing or a darkening color on the floor.
Recover Finish Remover is safe for multiple low-maintenance flooring types because its lower pH will not harm LVT and other non-traditional floors such as linoleum. Recover can also be used as a deep cleaner to remove scuffs and black marks when diluted at a low rate. The floor will look like-new and routine cleaning with Reinforce can resume.
3. Peeling and Cracking
Cause: LVT floors can start peeling and cracking after enduring significant amounts of wear and tear. It usually starts around the adhesive in corners as it wears out. Cracking happens between tiles due to the nature of the environment where the LVT is applied. Dirt, soils, and other substances are able to unintentionally contaminate underneath the floor through the exposures.
Solution: A combination of Elevate system products reduces the risk of peeling by providing superior protection. Reinforce has a specific blend of surfactants, polymers, and waxes that continually protect LVT with daily cleaning. Its pH balance will not harm LVT from delamination and removal of flooring flexibility.
Rescue extends the life of the LVT wear layer with additional protection while finishing the floor. It also contains a flexibility polymer, which is important because LVT tiles are flexible and move and bend as the floor endures wear. Without flexibility, the floor will crack or peel.
Elevate Multiple Surface System
The Elevate Multiple Surface System caters to LVT floors and other alternate flooring types such as vinyl tile, linoleum, rubber, and laminate. It is also the only program that provides a cleaner, a finish, and a stripper specifically for these floor types. Reinforce, Rescue, and Recover are designed for no to low maintenance flooring with advanced technology to keep floors looking cleaner for longer. Each play a role in combating the top problems with LVT.
Regardless of the floor’s current condition, the Luxury Vinyl Tile Floor Assessment quiz will help determine which Elevate products meet the needs of the floor. The following videos teach about the different processes and procedures for each phase of the Life Cycle of Floor Care.
If interested in the Elevate Multiple Surface Program, please click here to contact us for more information.