Do you know how myths get started?
Do they start with little white lies? Maybe with an uneducated guess?
Or, do they start with someone that has that, know-it-all attitude (you’ve met them before)?
Wherever they come from, believing commercial floor cleaning myths can have a negative outcome for your business.
They certainly won’t help you impress anyone, and they may actually stop customers from patronizing your establishment.
It can also increase your expenses when you have to replace flooring that would have lasted much longer – had it been properly maintained.
There are a few myths about commercial carpet, tile, vinyl and upholstery that we’ve encountered repeatedly over the last 80 years in the professional floor cleaning business.
We thought it was high time to put these five myths to rest – once and for all!
1. Do the carpets get dirtier faster after a cleaning?
That is absolutely false.
Carpets definitely do not get dirtier faster. In fact, the opposite happens.
By following the proper cleaning process and routine maintenance, the soiling is removed from the bottom fibers of the carpet.
Over time, if soil and debris are left in the carpet, it acts as sandpaper and wears out the fibers, causing the carpet to look worn, soiled and down right grungy.
2. Hardwood, tile, vinyl and concrete don’t get dirty, right?
Even with frequent mopping, these surfaces still attract soil – especially the grouted areas of tile.
Any grooves, seams or uneven surfaces are dirt collectors.
If you were to take a clean, light-colored moist towel or paper towel and wipe the surface of the floor, we guarantee that the towel will come out dirty.
To answer the question – YES!
Hard surface floors get dirty and require professional maintenance cleaning to keep them looking nice and to extend their life.
3. It’s expensive.
Yes, no, maybe.
All kidding aside, these three answers ARE all correct. Here’s how:
- YES. Commercial floor cleaning can be very expensive, IF you don’t maintain the carpet, grout and upholstery.
Once it gets past the point of restoration cleaning, the cost of replacement can be quite costly and it’s a hassle for your business, especially if there’s furniture to move, or you have to close while the cleaning is done. Add that all up to an expense your company doesn’t want, and maybe can’t afford.
- NO. Routine maintenance is a very small fraction of the cost of new flooring or furniture. When properly cleaned and maintained by a professional floor cleaning company, commercial floor cleaning extends the life of the flooring dramatically. Note: Beware of janitorial services. They’re experts at cleaning the office, but usually not on cleaning carpet, upholstery or hard-surface floors.
- MAYBE. Restoration cleaning is more expensive than routine maintenance due to the methods and time it takes to bring extremely soiled grout or carpet back to its original condition. However, it’s not as expensive as replacing the floor. That’s where the maybe comes in.
4. It’s bad for our employees’ health.
The myths around health include:
- The chemicals are toxic.
- The carpet will be overly-wet and turn to mold.
- It’ll make my allergies go crazy from the dirt being stirred up during the cleaning.
Theses are all FALSE.
Removing toxins and soiling from floors and upholstery actually creates a healthier environment.
Some of the common complaints caused by dirty carpets and floors are that they cause weak immune systems, aggravate skin and respiratory problems, as well as cause high stress.
This adds up to more employees sick days, which costs your company money.
5. Nobody cares.
Does anyone really notice that the restroom tile floors are dirty?
Or that the waiting room carpet has coffee stains?
Yes!
Both your employees and customers notice BIG TIME.
Here’s an example: You go into your favorite local burger joint, use the restroom and notice that the grout around the toilet is black with who-only-knows-what. Yuck. Then, you walk to your table and, as you look around, you see the concrete floors are waxy and down-right disgusting.
Do your thoughts drift to what the kitchen may look like?
Of course they do!
First impressions are everything to a client.
And don’t your employees deserve to work in a nice, clean environment?
A clean facility means customers can trust that your business is professional and engaged.
Commercial floor cleaning myths debunked
Properly maintained floors and upholstery in your business shows clients you’re professional and can be trusted, it means you’ll save money on replacement costs and it keeps employees happy, stress-free and healthy.
That leaves you to take care of what you do best: focus on your business.
We’ve debunked five of the most common commercial floor cleaning myths, but did we miss one?
Share it with us – we’d love to hear about it.
