Bio Based Polyurethane Maintenance Checklist

Proper care of your BBP floor will help maintain the appearance and performance of your floor by following recommended preventative, routine and wet cleaning guidelines.

Maintenance instructions for Bio Based Polyurethane Flooring.

Post Construction Cleaning

• Dry mop floor using a microfiber mop pad or appropriate floor vacuum to remove dust particulate from the floor.
• Spray neutral pH cleaner, such as Shaw Hard Surface Cleaner or Diversey Stride, onto the floor in manageable area (spray mist will dry quickly). Use a microfiber wet mop pad to mop the floor with cleaner. If pad becomes dirty, be sure to replace the pad with a new microfiber wet mop pad. Work floor in sections.
• Always rinse the floor with water only by mopping water to remove any remaining residue from the floor.
• In the event where drywall dust/construction dust is mopped with water only, a residue film will appear on the floor after drying. Use the process below to remove the film from the floor.

Process to remove construction residue or cloudy film from bio based flooring

1. Dry mop floor to remove any construction dust or exterior soil tracked onto the flooring. Use microfiber dry mop pad. If microfiber dry mop pad gets dirty, replace pad with a clean pad.
2. Spray neutral pH cleaner, such as Shaw Hard Surface Cleaner or Diversey’s Stride, onto the floor in manageable area (spray mist will dry quickly). Work floor in sections. For smooth surface, use a low rpm (175 rpm) buffer with a 3M red pad on flooring with neutral pH cleaner applied to the floor to remove the residue film. (Never Dry Buff). For embossed or textured flooring, use a cylindrical brush scrubber with soft to medium brushes and a neutral pH cleaner applied to the floor to remove the residue film.
3. Using a wet microfiber mop pad, rinse with water only to remove any remaining residue from the flooring. When wet mop pad becomes dirty, be sure to replace the pad with a new microfiber wet mop pad.
4. Repeat steps #2 and #3, if necessary.

When the Bio Based flooring is cleaned properly, the floor will have the same visual as right out of the box!

Preventative Maintenance

1. Care for newly installed floors

• Avoid heavy traffic for 24 hours.
• Proper furniture protection is required to prevent scratching and scuffing of BBP flooring. It is recommended to use industrial strength felt protection. These can be purchased from the following websites: www.1877floorguy.com, www.expandedtechnologies.com, www.flexifelt.com. High point loads can leave impressions in the flooring, use wide based furniture protection to distribute the weight evenly. High heel shoes can also leave impressions in the flooring.
• Moving heavy objects requires protective barriers to distribute the weight such as plywood (¼” or thicker) or heavy cardboard to prevent damage to the surface.
• Remove adhesive residue with a clean white cloth dampened with odorless mineral spirits or isopropyl alcohol.
• Only low moisture or damp mopping is recommended initially, if needed.
• Wait 4 days before normal wet cleaning and/or auto scrubbing the floor.
• Avoid direct sunlight on BBP flooring as it can cause fading and expansion of the planks. Use window protection
• Surface temperature should not exceed 100F (38C) from sunlight, bed bug treatment, steam mop, etc, and temperatures should not fall below 55F (13C). Exposing product to temperatures outside the recommended range could cause expansion of vinyl planks.
• Adhering tape to the surface of your  flooring could damage the surface. 
  Do not use tape to secure floor protection directly to the floor during construction or renovation. Instead, adhere tape to the material used to protect the floor and secure it to the base molding along the wall.  A material such as ram board can also be used to protect your flooring.
• Avoid using mop and shine products on Bio Based flooring.
• Some disinfectants contain chemicals that can stain, discolor and cause general harm to your flooring product.  Quaternary Ammonium Salts are among those that have been found to be harmful to your flooring when used over time.  Take care to choose pH neutral products only.
• Walk-off mats should be used at all entrances to absorb soil and moisture. If mats are placed directly on top of the Bio Based floors, use mats without latex or rubber backings to avoid possible discoloration.

2. Identify and address all sources of soiling

• Maintain a clean exterior (parking lots and walkways) where dirt enters the building.
• Proper mats should have non-staining backing, use PVC backed matting. Use mats at entranceways, transition areas and special areas such as food service areas/restrooms to confine soil, oil, grease and high moisture areas.
• Entrance mats keep soil and moisture outside. Two matting categories are:
  Soil Removal – used at exterior entrances to remove soil from shoes
  Absorbent mats – used inside to minimize moisture
• Mats should cover at least 6 footsteps to capture soil transferring from shoes. Additional matting may be necessary during inclement weather. Include mats in the maintenance program and keep them clean.

Routine Maintenance

1. Remove dry soil

• Sweep, vacuum or dust-mop frequently to remove soil particles that can abrade the surface.
• Dust mop treatments are not recommended since these products can transfer and attract soil.
• Do not use vacuums with rotating beater bars on hard surfaces.

2. Promptly address spots and spills

• All spills should be addressed as quickly as possible to avoid staining and slip/fall hazards.
• Absorb wet spills and if necessary use a neutral pH floor cleaner* and rinse with water.
• Isopropyl alcohol or mineral spirits can be used for oil/grease (petroleum-based) and/or scuff marks.
• Medical stains and hair dyes can cause a permanent stain. These type stains must be removed promptly.

3. Remove scuffs and scratches

• Cleaning with an auto scrubber or spray buffing with a spray/buff solutions* using a low (175 rpm) machine and red pad will remove scuff marks. Agitation is the key to remove these marks.
• A tennis ball placed on the end of a stick, such as a broom handle, can be used as a tool to remove scuff marks. This allows you to remove scuffs from a standing position on smaller areas.
• Buffing the floor with a 175 rpm machine and red 3M pad along with neutral floor cleaner is the first step to improve the appearance of scratches. It is not recommended to use Dr. Schutz scratch fix kit on BBP flooring.

Wet Cleaning

• Always pre-vacuum or dry dust mop before wet cleaning.
• Use neutral pH floor cleaner and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for dilution and use.
• Common systems are: 1) Microfiber wet mop or mop and two-bucket system, and 2) Automatic scrubbing with a red 3M pad/equivalent brushes.
• Rinse the floor with clean water. Repeat the rinse process if necessary to remove all haze
• Do not use brown or black pads/brushes. These pads are too aggressive and can damage the floor.

*It is safe to use a 1:5 bleach solution (1 part bleach, 5 parts water) on BBP flooring.

• Neutral Cleaners: Diversey STRIDE® or PROMINENCE® , Shaw Hard Surface Cleaner, Hilway Direct Neutral Cleaner
• Spray and Buff: Diversey SNAPBACK®

An Applied Finish must not be used on the surface of BBP flooring

Removing or Stripping Applied Finish

• Use Hilway Direct All Safe Stripper or P&G Pro Line Low Odor Floor Stripper (follow directions on the label).  Use a red 3M pad on a 175 rpm rotary floor buffer, vacuum excess liquid with a wet/dry vac, then rinse thoroughly with water.  

Technical phone numbers:

• Diversey: 1.800.558.2332
• Shield Industries for Shaw Cleaner: 1.877.209.7309
• www.1877floorguy.com 1.877.356-6748