Winter in Eastern Idaho is hard on commercial buildings. Snow and slush get tracked in from the parking lot, ice melt leaves a white film on every floor near the door, and cold and flu season means more sick days. A little preparation now saves your floors and keeps your team healthier through spring.
Here's a checklist to work through before the first big storm.
1. Put down the right entrance mats
Most of the dirt in a building comes in on shoes, and in winter that dirt is wet, gritty and full of ice melt. Use a scraper mat outside each door and a longer absorbent mat inside. The longer the mat, the more it catches before it reaches your floors.
2. Refinish hard floors before winter hits
Floor finish acts like a protective coat. If your tile or vinyl floors are already worn, ice melt and gravel will go straight to work on the floor itself. A fresh strip and refinish in the fall gives your floors the best protection going into winter.
3. Plan for ice melt cleanup
Ice melt leaves a white, chalky residue that dulls floors and can damage finish if it sits. Floors near entrances should be mopped every night during winter, using a cleaner that removes the residue instead of spreading it around.
4. Keep carpets near doors in check
Carpet by the entrance soaks up slush and salt. Vacuum these areas every night, and plan a deep clean for early spring to pull out what winter left behind.
5. Step up high-touch disinfecting
Cold and flu season is the time to pay extra attention to the surfaces everyone touches: door handles, light switches, break room counters, coffee makers, microwave handles, faucets and restroom fixtures. Cleaning these every night helps cut down on germs spreading around the office.
6. Stock up before the storms
Make sure your building has plenty of paper towels, soap, hand sanitizer and trash liners on hand. Winter storms can delay deliveries.
7. Check your cleaning schedule
If your building gets cleaned once or twice a week, winter might be the time to add a night. Wet, dirty floors build up fast, and a few extra cleanings in the worst months can protect floors that are expensive to replace.
Get your building ready for winter
Hi-Teck Commercial Cleaning has helped Idaho Falls businesses get through winter since 1991. We clean at night, after you close, and we can add floor refinishing or extra cleanings for the winter months. No long-term contracts.
