The first step to maintaining any floor surface is to prevent dirt and debris from entering the facility in the first place, and LVT is no exception. Every entrance to the building should have some type of matting system to capture soil before it tracks onto the floor. As floor matting goes, more is always better. This is a cheap and easy way to extend the life of any floor surface.

Regular maintenance is very similar for LVT when compared to traditional flooring. Dry sweep or dust mop the floors on a daily basis and then damp mop the floor with a mild neutral cleaner, such as daily cleaners with a pH of 7, or better yet, a neutral peroxide cleaner. Most peroxide cleaners are not only safe for the environment, but can be used on a variety of hard surfaces and carpet. There are even peroxide cleaners that disinfect while they clean. The last rule of thumb for regular maintenance is to clean spills as quickly as possible, not only to protect the flooring, but also to reduce the potential for slip and fall accidents.

More aggressive routine cleaning will be required if you want to keep your LVT floor looking as good as possible. For smooth LVT surfaces, use a rotary disk automatic scrubber equipped with a light scrub pad and neutral or peroxide cleaner. The combination of mechanical agitation and vacuum extraction with the automatic scrubber will remove the dirt left behind from your daily mopping process.

Routine cleaning for textured LVT is slightly different. In this case, your automatic scrubber should be equipped with a light duty all-purpose scrub brush.

Again, use a neutral cleaner or preferably a peroxide-based cleaner in the machine. The brush will do a much better job of scrubbing in the textured recesses of the floor and the vacuum motor on the scrubber will lift the solution and suspended soils from these areas. Textured LVT has a very refined look, however, if not cleaned properly it can quickly lose its luster and appeal from the dirt and debris that collects in the valleys of these textured areas.

Some manufacturers recommend that LVT products be coated with a protective layer of floor finish. This process provides protection for the surface and increases gloss level. However, there are a few concerns with coating LVT, which includes effective floor finish adhesion and eventually stripping the finish without damaging the tile.

Not all floor finishes will adhere to LVT tile and not all LVT tiles allow finishes to adhere to them. The best practice is to test finishes for adhesion in an inconspicuous area first.

Inevitably, a coated LVT floor will need to have the finish stripped off at some point during its lifecycle. You should be aware that chemical stripping solutions may cause discoloration or other damage to some LVT products. The best advice is to follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for coatings and stripping. If you are not sure which products are compatible, test them in a discreet location before coating the entire surface.  This will help prevent a major crisis years down the road.

Keep in mind that there are many different types and styles of LVT flooring being developed, so these recommendations should be used a general guideline. Your actual procedures may vary depending on the specific type of floor that is installed in your facility.

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 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.

A primary area for concern in health care facilities is hospital acquired infections (HAI)—which rank among the top 10 most frequent causes of death in the United States. In response to the growing number of HAIs, as well as to the number of immune-deficient patients, health care organizations have an increased awareness and interest in cleanliness, sanitation, and disinfection techniques. Across the U.S., health care facilities are implementing programs that help maintain a cleaner, healthier environment that can stop HIAs before they occur.

A significant part of any sanitation program is worker awareness—which starts with understanding the most common ways microorganisms move from one person to the next. One of the best ways to reduce cross-contamination is frequently washing your hands. In fact, hand hygiene is recognized by infection prevention and control experts as the single most important factor in decreasing the spread of infection within any facility, especially healthcare. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) identify the following hand hygiene “touch points”:

• Before touching a patient
• Before cleaning and aseptic procedures
• After bodily fluid exposure
• After touching a patient
• After touching a patient’s surroundings

If no soap, water and towels are available, hand sanitizers limit the spread of microorganisms.

In addition to hand washing, you can outsmart germs in your facility by keeping critical touch point areas clean and sanitary. Critical touch point areas include:

• Floors and hallways—Organisms survive up to 5 months on floors.
• Chair arms—More than 90% are rarely cleaned, and millions of micro-organisms live on chair arms.
• Door knobs—Viruses such has H1N1 survive from 24 to 48 hours on these surfaces.
• Bed rails— Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) survives at least 7 days on bedrails.
• Sinks and faucets—75% of all sinks contain extremely high levels of microorganisms.
• Toilet seats—Norovirus survives on toilet seats for 12 hours.

You can keep these critical touch points clean using chemicals such as:

• Sterilizer—To destroy or eliminate all forms of microbial life.
• Limited disinfectant—To use against a specific major group of microorganisms.
• General disinfectant—To use against a broad spectrum of microorganisms.
• Hospital disinfectant—To use throughout a health care facility.
• Common surface disinfectants including:
  • Synthetic phenols—For killing a wide range of organisms; often used in operating rooms.
  • Quats—Highly versatile and cost effective, used to kill a wide range of microorganisms; often used in schools, institutions, supermarkets and hospital settings.
  • Hypochlorite/Bleach—For use as a disinfectant or sanitizer, but not for cleaning; never mix bleach with another chemical.
  • Hydrogen Peroxide—Versatile, sustainable cleaner for glass, hard surfaces, carpets and restrooms.
  • Iodine—Due to its staining properties and acidic qualities, use is restricted to specialized areas, such as surgical settings.
  • Alcohol—For disinfecting smaller surface areas.
• Sanitizers—For reducing, but not necessarily eliminating, microorganisms from the environment; normally used in food service, food preparation, food processing areas and hand care products.

Remember these important statistics:

• Infections are one of the primary reasons patients are admitted to hospitals.
• Proper disinfection prevents 36% of HAIs.
• Proper disinfection reduces VRE by 50%.
• The CDC recommends implementing a critical touch point cleaning program in every health care facility.

Work with Betco to design a comprehensive program that helps you create a healthier, cleaner environment for your patients, visitors and staff—one that outsmarts germs and stops HAIs before they begin

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.

In a healthcare environment, cross contamination is the number one concern for the healthcare facility, caregivers, patients and their families. With multiple touch points such as door handles, keyboards and sink faucets, it’s no wonder why hand hygiene compliance is a serious issue. Approximately 80% of all infections are transmitted by the hands.

How can you implement an effective hand hygiene program at your facility? The World Health Organization recommends 5 essential elements for a successful hand hygiene program.

Step 1 – Gaining Commitment from all operating areas of your facility is critical. All facility and staff are key advocates to reinforce this commitment.

Step 2 – Educating those chosen to be hand hygiene advocates on the impact of this implementation is the next step.

Step 3 – Create a Roadmap by surveying your facility for proper placement of both sanitizing and handwashing stations.

Step 4 – Implementation of the dispenser installation needs careful planning. Optimizing the educational function, or site zone, of the dispenser along with message reinforcement will greatly assist your facility campaign.

Step 5 – Developing a communication strategy to drive hand hygiene compliance is critical.

Healthcare facilities must focus on preventing cross contamination for the well-being of patients and healthcare workers. By regularly researching and determining the most effective cleaning practices, healthcare facilities will be able to achieve a higher level of clean, positively impacting the patients’ health and overall experience.

For more solutions or guidance to proper hand hygiene, visit betco.com to learn about our Compass Program.

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”

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.

High touch areas include the following:

• Light switches
• Door knobs
• Railings
• Tops and sides of chairs and tables
• Elevator buttons

This means that custodial workers must pay extra special attention to high touch areas. An EPA registered disinfectant should be used to clean these areas. If the surface is visibly soiled, first the high touch area must be cleaned prior to disinfection. This two-step process can be avoided if using a Betco product clearly labeled that it can be used for cleaning and disinfecting. Using such a product can be a major time saver.

High touch areas should be cleaned frequently, as often as once per day. Cleaning professionals should use microfiber cleaning cloths because they tend to be more effective at removing germs and bacteria than traditional cleaning cloths. Also, the cloths should be changed frequently and used for the same purpose: never use a microfiber cleaning cloth used to clean restroom fixtures on light switches, as an example.

While students and teachers may not be aware of how important it is to keep high touch areas properly cleaned, as cleaning professionals, we must be acutely aware of how important keeping these areas clean and sanitary is to protecting the health of all building users, teachers, and staff.

Contact a Betco representative for all your school cleaning needs and supplies. The health of your educational facility is one of our top priorities. Call (888) GO-BETCO

1. Have a plan. Become aware of your strengths and weaknesses and focus on what goals you can build from them. Setting goals will give you something to work towards, furthering your abilities and skills.
2. Hold yourself accountable. Once you establish your goals, make it your mission to achieve them. Put in the time and effort it takes to reach your objective. The end result will be well worth it!
3. Read, listen and watch. Attending online webinars and onsite training sessions will expand your knowledge. Look for opportunities to engage in the latest and greatest trends in your industry.
4. Back-up your knowledge with tools. There are various training programs that are available at no cost to you. Certifications will show your expertise and proficiency.
5. Keep your skills current. Look out for the most relevant skill-sets in your industry and pursue opportunities to make them one of your strengths.
6. Seek professional development opportunities. Building a network of like-minded individuals that encourage your professional growth can help you reach or even surpass your goals.
7. Pay attention to updated materials within your industry. Minimize mistakes by ensuring you are utilizing the most current tools.

If you have any questions, please visit http://www.betco.com, call (888) GO-BETCO or please contact us at welisten@betco.com.

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

Sanitize your hands and your surroundings. While the spirit of the season may be all around us, so are numerous types of bacteria. Seats on a plane or bus, your desk at work and shopping carts are common places for you to pick-up unwanted germs. Hand washing can reduce the risk of respiratory infections by 20%, so protect yourself by washing your hands and sanitizing your surroundings before touching them.

If you’re not feeling well, stay in. You don’t feel like yourself when you’re sick. While it can be hard to miss out on some holiday fun, it’s important to put your health first. Let people know you won’t be able to attend a gathering if you’re feeling under the weather. They’ll understand and appreciate your mindfulness to allow them to spread cheer, not your germs.

If you are sick, don’t prepare food. Bacteria is not a favorable secret ingredient. It’s important to prevent cross-contamination since 80% of all infections are transmitted by hands. Be courteous of others and don’t contaminate your famous holiday dish with your illness.

Stay hydrated. Water helps your body transport nutrients to keep you energized and healthy. Nourish your body by following the 8x8 rule; drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day.

Take in holiday joy, not germs. Those cookies in the break room and bowl of roasted peanuts at the holiday party are tempting to pick up and eat, but sharing is not always caring when it comes to festive treats. Use the proper utensils when adding food to your plate and steer clear of food that has been touched by other people. Your appetite and your health will be satisfied.

If you have any questions, please visit http://www.betco.com, call (888) GO-BETCO or please contact us at welisten@betco.com.

Betco^® already offers many non-triclosan skin care solutions that comply with this new rule. In the next 12 months, we plan to introduce additional skin cleansers that will meet this criteria for consumer antiseptic handwashing for use with any of our innovative hand hygiene platforms.

This ruling does not affect antiseptics used by healthcare professionals, antiseptics used by food industry professionals or consumer antiseptic rubs (i.e. hand sanitizers). Consumer antiseptics are defined as those primarily used in homes, schools, daycares or other public settings.

You can find full details of the FDA ruling here.

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.

• Elevate Routine Maintenance
• Elevate Interim Maintenance
• Elevate Restorative Maintenance

If interested in the Elevate Multiple Surface Program, please click here to contact us for more information.