How do you clean vct tile

With the floor now clean, a floor finish should be applied. Not only will this help restore the shine, but it will help protect the floor from heel marks and future soiling. Use a high-quality finish; allow for adequate drying time, which could be as much as 24 hours, to let the finish adequately solidify; and apply at least three thin coats.

The shine will be most noticeable after the third coat. Brightening stained tiles is usually accomplished through use of specific chemicals. For example, there are special spray buff products designed to be used with floor machines that can help bring back shine or remove stains from VCT tile.

In addition to the chemical angle you can also use autoscrubbers that can remove embedded dirt and discoloration by removing the top layers of finish from your floor. VCT has proven to be a highly popular flooring choice because of its durability and ease of maintenance. But in order to sustain its durability and be reasonably scratch resistant, VCT flooring needs to be cleaned regularly and maintained properly. Thus, a primary goal for maintenance professionals is keeping VCT floors clean and looking their best, which helps extend the life of the floor.

However, accomplishing this goal is fraught with challenges, such as constraints on time, budget and personnel. Cleaning professionals increasingly find themselves having to do more with less. Choosing the right cleaning products can help deliver better floor appearance, less labor, and potentially lower costs. Simply put, sticking to a regular maintenance schedule and using the right cleaning products are the best way to maintain the look of any VCT floor.

Below are tips for maintaining VCT. To ensure the best results from a maintenance program, use a neutral-impact professional tile floor cleaner that is designed to be used on VCT. This cleaner should be extremely effective in removing a broad range of abrasive particulates from the surface of the tile in order to achieve a uniformly glossy, clear and bright appearance. The No. Additionally, choose a cleaner that is designed to be used with a specific finish.

If the cleaner and finish are compatible, then the life of the floor can be further extended. At every entry to your facility, a proper matting program should be installed. Entry mats are the first line of defense for your facility's floors. They trap and contain dirt, stopping it from entering your facility.

Guests should be able to take about 8 to 10 steps on the entry matting before reaching your VCT flooring. In most cases, this will typically call for about 15 feet of matting outside and an additional 15 feet inside your building.

There are different types of matting and each serves a unique purpose. Pro Tip: What is an effective entryway matting system?

An effective entry matting system will have three different types of mats. First, scraper mats are placed outside of your entryway to scrape debris off of shoes as well as begin the removal of any liquids and moisture. They clean shoe bottoms by removing soil as well as any remaining moisture.

Daily maintenance is the first phase of floor care to keep your VCT flooring looking great. This phase can include three different procedures: sweeping, dust mopping or vacuuming, and damp mopping or cleaning with an autoscrubber. It removes large soils and debris such as wrappers, large dirt particles and other small trash items from the area.

However, if there is no noticeable debris, sweeping can be replaced with dust mopping or vacuuming.

When sweeping, ensure your staff is using the most productive broom for the area. In large open areas, like hallways or cafeterias, they should be working with the largest available broom. A large area should be swept from one end of the space to the other, creating a central garbage pile.

For congested areas, such as classrooms or offices, a smaller broom will allow staff to quickly maneuver under desks or behind objects. To sweep stairways, begin at the top of the stairway and work down. On each step, sweep from the end of the step to the middle. Move the soil and debris downward as you progress down the stairs, ultimately collecting the debris in a dustpan on the last stair. Dust mopping and vacuuming is often considered the most important step in a floor maintenance program.

By Robin Hewitt Updated July 21, Related Articles. Tip Do not allow traffic on the floor until it has been sealed. Writer Bio Robin Hewitt began her writing career in