Hi, I'm Vance and welcome to Clean Care.
In this episode, we'll take a closer look at floor matting.
The majority of dirt is brought in by foot traffic
and is quickly spread across the floors and carpet.
Proper floor matting is the most effective way to reduce
the amount of soil and moisture that enters a building.
Now according to the Worldwide Cleaning Association,
one pound of dirt costs more than $500 to remove.
With the right placement of mats, up to 80% of dirt
can be trapped in a concentrated area
where it can be easily vacuumed and removed.
Now this reduces the cost of cleaning, extends the life of the floors,
and drastically improves the overall appearance.
Floor matting can also improve air quality,
as there is less dust and dirt to become airborne.
Additionally, with less moisture on the floor,
there will be a lower risk slips and falls.
A lot of buildings use undersized mats
that can't handle the amount of daily foot traffic.
Each mat can only hold a limited amount of dirt and moisture,
so an undersized mat can quickly become soggy.
Now once a mat is saturated, it stops trapping dirt
and can actually spread more dirt onto the floor.
You might notice patterns of dirt and water leading directly away from the mat.
This is a strong indication that a heavier mat is needed.
Multi stage matting is the most effective to remove
a variety of debris and should include both scrapers and wiper.
Now the first stage is a scraper:
These outdoor mats are generally made up of small rubber fingers
which traps coarse gravel, ice melt pellets and snow.
The second stage, a wiper / scraper hybrid, is placed just inside the door.
These mats contain a mix of fibers which removes sand and snow.
The third stage is a wiper mat that removes the remaining dust and moisture.
These mats use long fibers with a large surface area to trap even more moisture.
Not all facilities need multi-stage matting or have enough space.
Every building is different but it's important
to consider the volume and frequency of traffic.
Light volumes would be a doctor's office, a small shop or
or store front that isn't directly connected to an outdoor entrance.
With only several people entering and exiting each hour,
a single wiper mat might be adequate.
Medium commercial volumes would be retail outlets,
apartment buildings or any store with people constantly entering and exiting.
These buildings would benefit from high quality mats covering a larger area.
Heavy commercial volumes would be schools, malls and major retail centers.
With thousands of people entering and exiting each day,
the amount of soil and moisture can quickly saturate lighter mats.
Now, these buildings require multi-stage matting
and would benefit most from a professionally designed matting program.
Not a lot of people stop to properly wipe their feet.
This requires longer matting to properly walk off all the dirt and moisture.
Encouraging people to wipe their feet can make a difference.
Even if 20% more people thoroughly clean their feet,
there will be an immediate reduction in the amount of soil entering a building.
Another overlooked factor is the cleaning frequency.
For example, in a building that is only cleaned once a week,
dirt can accumulate and can saturate the mats before the next cleaning.
In this case a heavier mat is needed, and the mat should cleaned more frequently.
Overall, the choices made for matting has a direct effect on the cleanliness of any building.
In many cases, it's best to consult a professional
get a matting system designed specifically for your facility.
Now, if you liked this and want to see more tutorials
and informational videos, then subscribe to our channel.
And if you need help, you can call or visit an AMRE location
to talk with out knowledgable staff. Thanks for watching.