MAINTAINING A FLOOR FINISHED IN POLYURETHANE OR ACRYLIC

Consider an example of this where the completely wrong system of cleaning a floor is used. Some products are very rich in soap or other oily compounds and when these are used on a floor they leave behind a slightly sticky residue. This residue in turn traps dirt and sand in the surface. Because this dirt and sand is not easily swept away this can result in increased wear as foot traffic pounds the sand into the surface of the coating resulting in scratching. It can be seen that oily or soapy sticky materials are clearly detrimental to the long term survival of the timber floor. Some products do seriously affect the life of the floor.

Preventative maintenance of a timber floor is a matter of a three pronged approach. By carefully implementing each of the three appropriate measures all timber floor can be adequately maintained.

The first step is to minimize the intrusion of dirt and sand into the building. This can be accomplished by having appropriate matting at entry points. It is a good idea to have good quality matting to the entrance of all buildings to ensure that at least some of the dirt and sand that could potentially be trailed into the building is trapped at the entry.

The second step that is required to clean a timber floor effectively is to use a soft bristle broom or a soft head on the vacuum cleaner and to regularly removing dust and grime. This minimizes the potential wear. Having a soft bristle brush or a soft bristle head on the vacuum cleaner is essential. These simple gentle tools are a very good way to reduce the buildup of dust and dirt which can be trod into the floor and cause scratching.

The third and final component in maintaining a timber floor is to ensure the use of non-residual cleaning fluid. Non-residual is the key expression here. You need something that will not leave any form of residue behind and preferably something that will not leave streaks behind that can take away from the generally pleasing appearance of the floor. At VCS we recommend VCS timber floor cleaner which has been carefully formulated to be a very effective timber floor surface cleaner. This product has been widely used both domestically and commercially for the last 10 years and has proved to be a very effective cleaning solution. Its success relates to the fact that it does not leave any residue behind but at the same time it has a very good “wetting agent” in the product to ensure that the surface is cleaned properly. We strongly recommend the use of this cleaning fluid at a rate of 5% in water to provide a very effective clean.