How to Keep the Winter Mess Outside the Office

January 30, 2019

When winter comes, every office needs a thorough cleaning. There are so many more contaminants everywhere, in the air and on the ground. The first line of defense, however, is to keep the dirty world outside your office. One of the biggest problems is salt, but there are ways to deal with it.

On the Floors

Tile and linoleum hold up the best against salt. Other hard flooring is likely to get scratched and can even erode over time. Whatever kind of hard flooring you have, clean it often during the winter.

Warm water and vinegar is a good solution for mopping floors encrusted with salt. Vinegar is a good neutralizer that’s tough on salt but gentle on the floors.

Carpets are another matter. Salt gets into them and sticks. A vacuum cleaner will only get some of it. If the salt is not removed quickly, it degrades the carpet.

Wintertime is a good time for a professional cleaning. Have the experts come in and thoroughly clean and rinse your carpets. Once at the beginning and once at the end of winter is not a bad idea.

An Ounce of Prevention

Before any of this mess even gets to your floors, you can take steps to reduce the problem. Putting mats near your entrances will decrease the amount of salt and other contaminants that get tracked in. You could also consider providing changing areas near the entrance so employees can take their boots off before they reach your carpeting.

There are alternatives to salt as well. You can’t control what everyone else uses, but there are greener melting solutions for ice. Urea is a natural ice melter that isn’t so harsh on your surfaces.

Keep your floors clean this winter by strengthening your first line of defense.