Mopping Your Floors Could Be Doing More Harm Than Good

Rubberflooring is commonly found in gyms, basketball courts, tennis courts, weight rooms and indoor tracks.Rubber may also be used in your home and for a wide range of commercial applications that require long-term, durable flooring. Good maintenance will help maintain the floor’s color and responsiveness to help it last even longer.

The most common maintenance issue with rubber floors is dirt and small debris trekked in by shoes and boots, or blown in through windows and air ducts. Rugs at the entrances and exits of every room can help mitigate the problem, but dirt is abrasive and can wear down your floor's finish if not removed in time.

While it may be tempting to simply vacuum or even mop the floors with string mops, sponges ormicrofiber mops, at Avery Cleaning we do not recommend this approach. Mops and buckets are breeding grounds for bacteria and they are great at spreading pathogens. Your floors might look clean after mopping, but the microbes continue to lurk undetected.

 

According to a study conducted by Professor Elizabeth Scott at Simmons University Center for Hygiene and Health,using mops on a vinyl surface does more harm than good. In the study, three types of mops—string, sponge and disposable—were used with regular cleaning detergent. The results showed that the mops did not effectively remove bacteria from the vinyl surface. In fact, these mops ended up adding even more bacteria than had originally been present! This is because mopping often leads to cross-contamination between floors.

 

Similarly, a study conducted by professors John Westwood, Mary Mitchell and Suzanne Legace at a hospital in Canada, showed that “mops, stored wet, supported bacterial growth to very high levels and could not be adequately decontaminated by chemical disinfection.” Even when we think we are cleansing the mops between use, we might be multiplying and spreading bacteria.

 

This is why Avery Cleaning uses an advancedspray and extract method that many researchers nowadays suggest is more effective than the traditional “mop and bucket” or vacuum approach. Hot waterand soap are also good tools for tackling dirty floors. We do our best to avoid using disinfecting chemicals in gyms, which can lead to the release of volatile organic compounds for a few days after application.

 

Some additional compounds to avoid on rubber floors include:

· Acids, such as bleach, vinegar or bathroom cleaners

· Alkalis, such as butyl cleaners and high pH strippers

· Petro chemicals—cleaners that contain oil grease, solvents or abrasives

At Avery Cleaning, we are happy to inspect your floors and provide you with a free estimate. Call us today at 860-503-8333 for a customized quote.