Slip Resistant Resilient Maintenance checklist

 

Proper care of your Slip Resistant Resilient flooring will help maintain the appearance and performance of your floor by following recommended preventative, routine cleaning guidelines. 

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 (true neutral pH is 7.0 - it is important to be as close to 7.0 as possible to prevent soil attracting residue), such as Shaw TOTALCARE® 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 the pad becomes dirty, be sure to replace the pad with a new microfiber wet mop pad. Work floor in sections. 

          NOTE: A microfiber mop used for cleaning slip resistant resilient flooring is the best method for proper cleaning and maintenance. 

          SafeMop | Vileda Professional UK Site (vileda-professional.co.uk) 

• Always rinse the floor by mopping it with water only to remove any remaining residue from the floor. 

• In the event where dry wall 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 Safety flooring 

• 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 the pad with a clean pad. 

• Spray neutral pH cleaner, such as Shaw TOTALCARE® 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 red brushes and a neutral pH cleaner applied to the floor to remove the residue film. 

• Using a wet microfiber mop pad, rinse with water only to remove any remaining residue from the flooring. When a wet mop pad becomes dirty, be sure to replace the pad with a new microfiber wet mop pad. 

Repeat steps #2 and #3, if necessary. 

When the resilient 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. 

• Adhering tape to the surface of your resilient 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. 

• Moving heavy objects requires protective barriers to distribute the weight such as plywood (¼” or thicker) or heavy cardboard to prevent damage to the wear layer. 

• Remove adhesive residue with a clean white cloth dampened with odorless mineral spirits or isopropyl alcohol. 

• Avoid direct sunlight on LVT flooring as it can cause fading 

• Surface temperature should not exceed 100F (38C) from sunlight, bed bug treatment, steam mop, etc, and temperatures should not fall below 55F (13C). Exposing products to temperatures outside the recommended range could cause expansion of vinyl planks. 

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 wear layer. 

• 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. 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:  

• Microfiber wet mop or Automatic scrubbing with a red 3M pad/equivalent brush. 

• NOTE: A microfiber mop used for cleaning slip resistant resilient flooring is the best method for proper cleaning and maintenance. 

• SafeMop | Vileda Professional UK Site (vileda-professional.co.uk) 

• 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. 

• Products containing bleach and steam mops are not recommended. 

DISINFECTION AND CLEANING 

• 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. If a quaternary ammonium-based chemical is used, allow for the recommended kill time and immediately rinse the area with water. Failure to remove quaternary based chemistry from the floor can result in sticky soil attracting residue and potential discoloration. A Neutral pH cleaner is designed to aid in the removal of dirt and soil, which is any non-living particle. To aid in the removal of living bacteria of viruses, a disinfection chemistry must be used. 

• ProKure V - This is an EPA registered disinfectant 

• Diversey Virex II 256 can be used as a disinfectant cleaner. It is bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal. Rinsing with water is required after use. 

          Kills MRSA and VRE. 

          Meets bloodborne pathogen standards for decontaminating blood and body fluids. 

• 3M C-Diff tablets are safe for vinyl flooring. Bleach will damage the wear layer of vinyl, do not use bleach. Rinsing with water is required after use. 

NOTE: The above guidelines are recommended to maintain slip resistant resilient products. Application of additional finishes are NOT APPROVED; this may impair the slip resistances.  

For questions contact Technical Support at 1.800.471.7429  
 
* There are many available cleaning and maintenance products for hard surfaces, especially resilient floors. These products should be evaluated since each location can have different requirements due to the type of soil, performance expectations and available maintenance equipment. 

• Neutral Cleaners – Diversey’s STRIDE or PROMINENCE or Shaw TOTALCARE® Hard Surface Cleaner 

• Ecolab neutral cleaners – High Performance Cleaner, Oasis 100 

• Spray and Buff – Diversey SNAPBACK. Unitex Rebound