Winter is coming… Winter is coming… Winter is coming… If you are like me, you dread the winter season. Since we live in the Great Lakes Region, the cold and the snow are unavoidable. I want to share seven tips for you to tackle at your company before winter arrives. You better get started quickly though because our warmer days are getting fewer and fewer.
Tip 1: Entryway Floor Mat Preparation
Floor matting is important all year long. As summer transitions to fall, absorbent mats are installed in facilities to wick moisture from shoes before floors become slip-and-fall hazards. But as winter sets in, potentially heavy weather including snow will require you to place scraper mats on the outside of buildings, along with transition mats placed between them.
Tip 2: Hard Floor Maintenance
Regardless of the style of hard flooring in your facility, plan to build up the floor finish to create “wear-off” coats on your floors. During winter months, salt abrasion and friction from boots will attack the finish, causing it to dull. The winter season can be very hard on floors, so expect to top-scrub and recoat before the end of winter.
Tip 3: Carpet Prep and Traffic Patterns
In the Fall, your customers, students, and employees will most likely be tracking in moisture, leaves and dirt. Be sure to remove as much soil as you can before the snow hits. Once the snow has arrived, evaluate your high traffic areas and place extra matting on those carpeted areas to increase your carpet’s life span.
Tip 4: Equipment
Examine the equipment you will need for the winter months to facilitate the drying of carpets and floors, routine maintenance, and deep cleaning, as necessary. Equipment types to look into include floor blowers/auto-movers, wet/dry vacuums, portable extractors, and auto scrubbers.
Tip 5: Protecting Stainless Steel and Glass
Stainless steel and glass surfaces can present a particular challenge. They look great when they’re clean, but wet gloves, moisture, and debris from boots can cause them to look dirty quickly. Consider using products that incorporate nanotechnology to create a nearly nonstick surface on elevator doors, the glass of main front doors, and other common services.
Tip No. 6: Ice Melt
If you have not done so already, be sure to contact your Nichols Sales Representative immediately to order your ice melt for the season. It is better to be prepared before the snow hits. And we all know winter in the Midwest is unpredictable. J
Tip 7: Neutralizing Floor Cleaner
The ice melt from Tip 6 is great, until it created a white residue on your floors! Using a neutralizing cleaner is the best way to remove the residue.
At Nichols, we value our customers and strive to be the leading provider of janitorial supplies and equipment to help keep your facility clean and healthy all year long! Contact your Nichols Sales Representative for more information on any of the above tips to help prepare for winter. Hopefully it will soften the blow of the cold weather here in the Midwest.