Different floor types demand different cleaning products, cleaning equipment and methods to suit each surface, the procedure for cleaning a greasy kitchen floor will be dramatically different from a marble foyer floor.
Floor cleaning can be carried out using manual methods such as a mop/brush and bucket, by utilising the washdown system or by a dedicated floor cleaning machine. The most appropriate method will depend on the access to the floor area, time of cleaning and the size of the floor area. Some examples of floor types are shown below.
Epoxy Resin Floors
Epoxy resin floors are used in an almost limitless range of environments: warehouses, factories, schools, kitchens, garages, in storage areas and in homes. They can be installed in hazardous and potentially volatile/explosive environments.
Polyurethane Floors
Polyurethane floors are manufactured for the most demanding industrial and commercial environments. These include the aerospace and food production industries, where performance is the driving factor in a particular floor being specified. This is often due to the presence of highly aggressive acids and alkalis.
Altro Flooring
Kitchen floors tend to be either a rough type surface “Altro” to help avoid trips and falls or a smooth lino type.
Terrazzo Floors
Terrazzo is a very durable floor commonly used in entrance areas and retail. This flooring is made of marble chips set in cement. After it cures, terrazzo is ground and polished.
Ceramic Tile Floors
Glazed (shiny) ceramic tile is virtually stainproof, but unglazed (matte) ceramic tile is porous and must be sealed to resist stains. A new unglazed ceramic-tile floor needs to be sealed.
Cross Contamination
All methods of floor cleaning create overspray which can travel vertically onto food contact surfaces. Work by Campden BRI showed that the potential for cross contamination of food contact surfaces from floors was real and measurable.
The distance of vertical and horizontal travel by floor cleaning solutions varied dependant on the method of clean (Holah et.al. 1993). The greatest vertical and horizontal travel of cleaning solutions occurs when using a high pressure washdown gun, followed by medium pressure washdown gun, low pressure washdown gun, floor cleaning machine with mopping and brushing creating the least travel.