GENERAL CLEANING & MAINTENANCE GUIDE

Floors usually take the most abuse of any surface in the building. Floor maintenance is a process which is dependent upon the flooring system itself, the traffic conditions, and the type of dirt and debris to which it is exposed. General Polymers floors are easily maintained because of their physical and chemical tough finishes.

In recognition of the need for regular floor maintenance, the following recommendations will help keep your General Polymers floors looking like new. The recommended cleaning products and maintenance program is based on the type of floor you have.

RECOMMENDED CLEANING CHEMICALS

	Area Description	Recommended Cleaner
FOOT TRAFFIC	public areas, health care, dining room/cafeteria, lab, institutional, retail, foot traffic area	Neutral slip resistant floor cleaner
LIGHT TO MODERATE SERVICE AREAS	animal care, automotive service center, commercial kitchen/food prep area, patio	Cleaner/Degreaser
MODERATE TO HEAVY SERVICE AREAS	bottling plant, factory floor, loading dock, manufacturing/industrial, vehicular traffic area, stadium	Heavy-Duty Cleaner/Degreaser
ESD/CONDUCTIVE FLOORS	clean room, computer room, electronics production and assembly, quality control lab, surgery	Neutral Floor Cleaner
FOOD AND BEVERAGE PLANTS	dairy plant, meat & poultry plant, food processing plant, brewery, winery and beverage plants	Cleaner / Degreaser

CLEANING PROCESS

The best method to clean General Polymers floors is a five-step process, using the recommended cleaning product. The process varies between small and large floors and between smooth and textured floors.

The five steps are:

Sweeping – Always sweep the floor thoroughly before
Application – The means to put the cleaning product on the floor
Agitation – Movement of the cleaning product, with a piece of equipment, on the floor surface to aid in the release of foreign
Dwell Time – Letting the cleaning product stand on the surface to allow time for emulsifying foreign
Removal – Removing the cleaning product from the surface of the

	SMOOTH FLOORING SURFACES		TEXTURED FLOORING SURFACES
	SMALL AREA	LARGE AREA	SMALL AREA	LARGE AREA
SWEEPING	broom or dust mop	floor sweeper	broom	floor sweeper
APPLICATION	synthetic mop or deck brush	automatic floor scrubber	deck brush or foamer/sprayer	automatic floor scrubber or foamer/sprayer
AGITATION	mop or deck brush	automatic floor scrubber	deck brush or rotary floor machine	automatic floor scrubber or rotary floor machine
DWELL TIME	5 – 10 minutes	5 – 10 minutes	5 – 10 minutes	5 – 10 minutes
REMOVAL	mop or wet vac	automatic floor scrubber	squeegee or wet vac	automatic floor scrubber

NOTES:

Never use a mop to clean a floor that is greasy or
When using a deck brush, choose a medium/stiff
When using a rotary floor machine, use a white, tan or red 3M pad or similar
When removing solution with a squeegee, use a soft, neoprene
Do Not use a water spray to remove cleaning solution from the floor. It will over-dilute the solution, causing greases and oils to fall back onto the floor
Through proper training and education, unnecessary wear of the floor, such as forklift spin and skid marks, can be
Spills should be cleaned up immediately as a safety precaution as well as to prevent staining of the
Surfaces should be adequately protected when moving heavy equipment across the

MAINTENANCE/DAMAGE PREVENTION

General Polymers floors are installed with several basic types of finish coats including epoxy, polyurethane and acrylic.

Acrylic and polyurethane floors have exceptional mar and scratch resistance while epoxy finishes are harder and therefore, will scratch when subjected to abrasive dirt.

Source: Sherwin Williams Maintenance Guide.pdf. www.generalpolymers.com