How to choose floor care products and equipment? Buyer's guide

Both traditional and modern floors need regular maintenance to preserve their original beauty and slow down wear and tear. Cleaning surfaces also ensures hygiene, health and safety, thanks to a wide range of appropriate products and manual or mechanised equipment.

Contents

1Cleaning in three steps 2Respect the different types of flooring 3Different cleaning products

4Brooms, buckets and cleaning carts 5Monobrushes, scrubber driers and professional hoovers

1 - Cleaning in three steps

Depending on the nature of the floor, it is advisable to adapt your cleaning methods and products. A distinction must also be made between routine maintenance and weekly or annual maintenance. Remember that, to optimise the final result, maintenance must be carried out in three stages, either successively or simultaneously.

Step 1: scouring
Scouring removes dirt and protective residues, making deep cleaning easier and simplifying routine maintenance. Appropriate products such as degreasers, scourers or wax removers should be chosen.

Step 2: deep cleaning (disinfection)
Deep cleaning with shampoos or multi-purpose detergents prolongs the shine of floors, sanitizes them or prepares them for household products.

Step 3: protect
Polishing protects materials from the aggressions of everyday life. Polishes restore shine through their smoothing effect, preserve the original appearance and facilitate future maintenance by protecting floors from wear, dirt and moisture. Regular cleaning is essential for the long-term condition of the floors. A more thorough cleaning can be carried out less frequently and removes the most stubborn stains.

2 - Respect the different types of flooring

Because you cannot clean a parquet floor like a tiled floor, maintenance must respect the particularities of each type of floor.

MAINTENANCE OF NATURAL OR TREATED PARQUET

Regardless of its finish, parquet flooring requires regular dry dusting to ensure that the natural elegance of the wood will stand the test of time.

On a varnished floor, the most commonly used finish, it usually suffices to wipe it with a damp, wrung-out cloth to restore the material's shine. Once or twice a year the application of a conditioner is recommended, which will restore the transparency of the varnish. If the floor has scratches, sand them with sandpaper and then apply a thin layer of varnish to the scratch before polishing.

Oiled or waxed floors, even if stained, should not be wetted. Therefore, they should be cleaned with a suitable cleaner or polished before being oiled or waxed.

Laminate floors are easier to maintain: after removing dust with a broom or hoover with a special brush, simply wipe with a mop soaked in warm water mixed with a suitable non-abrasive product. Even if the floor becomes dull, make sure you never use oil or sealant, but consider applying a renovator once or twice a year.

Parquet floors are very sensitive to scratches and should therefore be protected. It is recommended to place felt pads under the heaviest furniture and doormats at each entrance. If your floor is still too damaged, consider renovating it.

See parquet cleaners

MAINTENANCE OF PVC AND LINOLEUM

PVC floors need a simple wipe down, followed by a light wash with a multipurpose detergent, to maintain their original appearance. A coat of cedar oil can be applied for more thorough maintenance. For the most stubborn marks, it is advisable to apply diluted bleach (15 cl of bleach in 1 l of water), alcohol or White spirit® and avoid acetone or chlorinated solvents, which dissolve the material.

As for linoleum, all that is required is gentle and regular care with soapy water or 90° alcohol to restore its original shine. Cracks can be reduced with linseed oil and rubber marks can be removed with a simple eraser. Finally, if the linoleum appears dull and faded, a mixture of two egg yolks in 1 litre of water, without rinsing, can be applied to restore its shine.

MAINTENANCE OF TILES (EARTHENWARE, STONEWARE OR CERAMIC TILES)

The longevity of the tiles will depend on their quality, but also on the way they are maintained. To ensure that the tiles and joints are not damaged, daily cleaning should be done with a simple mixture of warm water and detergent. Regular dusting should also be carried out to avoid the abrasive effect of the various dirt deposits.

See tile cleaners
See multisurface cleaners

MAINTENANCE OF CARPETS AND RUGS

To keep carpets and rugs shiny and colourful, vacuum regularly to remove dirt and dust. Use a hoover with a suitable brush (short or thicker bristles). The frequency of maintenance will depend on the degree of soiling and the number of visitors. However, maintenance is easier and less expensive than for other surfaces. Most stains can be removed by dabbing with warm water or with a specific cleaning agent, such as a dry powder or spray.
Once a year, it may be necessary to carry out a thorough cleaning with a steam cleaner or shampooer. This includes an "injection-extraction" model, which has the ability to vacuum and wash synthetic carpets simultaneously.

3 - Different cleaning products

Nowadays, a wide range of products offers the possibility to clean all surfaces, but also to keep their original shine and protect them for many years.

Descalers
These acidic cleaning agents have the power to eliminate limescale deposits and traces of rust. They also ensure bacteriological cleanliness by facilitating the elimination of microorganisms, the presence of which is favoured by limescale. Intended in particular for sanitary facilities, they must be handled with care and must not be mixed with other substances.

See descalers

Solvents
Liquid solvents are used to degrease, purify or strip. They dissolve other substances such as grease and are particularly effective for making coatings shine. There are different types of solvents: :
- water, the basic solvent that removes soluble dirt
- or the so-called "organic" solvents (such as White spirit®, turpentine or acetone), found in many products and which remove grease and varnish quite effectively.

See solvents

Abrasives
Abrasives, which consist of mineral grains, work by rubbing non-corroded stains. They are commercially available in paste, liquid or powder form. Caution is advised, as they can damage the surface. The most aggressive products should therefore be reserved for cleaning less sensitive surfaces or for stripping work.

Detergents
Also called a surface-active agent or surfactant. A detergent is a chemical compound, usually derived from petroleum, whose surface-active properties make it possible to remove organic dirt (especially grease) deposited on the surface of materials.

Perfumed cleaners
Whether they are detergent, abrasive or multi-purpose, scented cleaners are able to diffuse their fragrance (citrus, red fruits, pinewood...) for longer than traditional cleaners. They offer a sensation of cleanliness and long-lasting freshness that is highly appreciated in offices or establishments open to the public.

Disinfectants
Although they help to combat the multiplication of bacteria and viruses, they are only effective at the time of the operation, which makes their results ephemeral. Some have simple bactericidal virtues (they eliminate bacteria), while others have bacteriostatic powers (they slow down the development of micro-organisms), fungicides (they destroy fungi) or virucides (they inactivate viruses).
The best known among them, and certainly one of the most powerful, is bleach, which has multiple properties: disinfecting, stain removal, bleaching and deodorising. The chemical disinfectants available on the market meet a European (NF EN) or French (NF T) standard, by which they can be identified and compared for their antimicrobial performance, which cannot be assessed with the naked eye. The "basic standards" simply indicate whether the product has disinfectant power. The "application standards", on the other hand, specify the context of the tests (concentration, time of action and level of soiling). For bactericides, the basic European standard is NF EN 1040 and the application standard is NF EN 1276. For fungicides, the standards are NF EN 1275 and NF EN 1276.
Please note that the result of the disinfection is limited in time and that the effectiveness of the product will depend on the conditions of use (duration of contact, temperatures, etc.). Finally, the disinfectant must be applied to an already washed area, without being rinsed or wiped off.

See disinfectants

Sanitisers
To determine which product to select, simply check the PH level, which indicates the acidity or alkalinity of the product. Sanitizers for bathrooms usually have a PH between 0 and 7 (to prevent the formation of scale), multi-purpose products have a neutral PH (7) and can be used on all surfaces. Finally, strippers and degreasers are "alkaline" and have a PH above 7.

Good to know

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is a working method and tool for controlling food safety with the aim of preventing, eliminating and reducing biological, physical or chemical hazards to an acceptable level.

See HACCP maintenance products

4 - Brooms, buckets and cleaning carts

Products for regular maintenance are usually applied with a slightly damp cloth or mop. Scrubbing brushes and brooms are used for scrubbing.

See brooms

To store all your material in one place and to access and transport it easily, you can use a cleaning trolley. Thanks to its wheels, a cleaning trolley is mobile and easy to handle. Its compact size makes it a space-saving and functional accessory. Intended for repetitive and time-consuming work. Available in different versions:

traditional cleaning trolley with two buckets (one for the product and one for rinsing) and mop press

cleaning trolley with lid, specially designed for collecting waste or laundry

household trolley, usually a compact model and equipped with several hooks and bins to facilitate cleaning.

When making your choice, you should take into account the use (cleaning only, storage of products, waste sorting, etc.), the functionality (wheels, dimensions, weight, etc.), the layout of the premises and the established protocol.

See buckets and trolleys

5 - Monobrushes, scrubber driers and professional hoovers

For greater safety, hygiene and profitability, cleaning machines remove dirt by mechanical action (brushing) combined with chemical action (a mixture of water and cleaning agent) in a minimum of time. They are designed for larger areas and are available in different models, depending on the desired result.

MONOBRUSH AND SCRUBBER DRIER

FAST AND SAFE CLEANING
The monobrush is equipped with brushes or rotating discs that sweep, wash or polish the floors. It is ergonomic and light, guided by an operator in standing position. To rationalise maintenance, the rotation speed can be adapted to the surface being treated.
The scrubber-dryer is a new version of the single-brush machine. It combines all the stages of traditional cleaning: vacuuming, washing and drying all the surfaces simultaneously. A real "all-in-one", it offers the advantages of a wet hoover and a single brush in a single pass. Depending on the surface to be treated, several models are now available:

the compact scrubber dryer (for areas less than 400 m2 or areas that are difficult to access)

the walk-behind scrubber drier (for areas from 400 to 1,000 m2), more manageable and faster

the ride-on scrubber dryer (for areas over 1,500 m2).

Numerous accessories and household products (recognisable by the pictogram) are available to equip these two types of machines and respond to the specificities of the coatings to be maintained.

See monobrushes en scrubber driers

SWEEPER MACHINE

OPTIMISED, METHODICAL CLEANING
Manual (for smaller areas), self-propelled (led by a driver), or chauffeured (the driver rides around on the machine). Sweepers sweep dust and debris from all types of floors, both indoors and outdoors. For greater effectiveness, the linear movement of the traditional broom is replaced by the circular activity of the brushes.

See sweeper machines

PROFESSIONAL HOOVERS

POWER AND MANOEUVRABILITY
Professional hoovers, whether they only remove dirt or offer the versatility of wet and dry vacuuming, guarantee fast and optimal action, thanks to their outstanding vacuuming quality and excellent comfort of use. The level of suction depends on the capacity to capture and then lift the dust: this is measured in kilo Pascal (kPa). For a satisfactory result, a suction pressure of between 25 and 40 kPa is required. Efficient, handy and relatively quiet, professional hoovers are designed to meet the demands of office use.

See professional hoovers