Industry Trend Floor covering categories market share in dollars are Carpet & Areas Rugs 54.6%, Vinyl sheet & floor tile 11.3%, Ceramic Floor & Wall Tile 10.8%, Hardwood 10.8%, Stone 6.3%,Laminates 5.3%, and Rubber 0.9%. Floor covering categories market share involume are Carpet & Areas Rugs 59.8%, Vinyl sheet & floor tile 18.2%, Ceramic Floor & Wall Tile 10.5%, Laminates 5.5%, Hardwood 4.5%, Stone flooring 1.5%, and Rubber 0.3%. Ceramic Tile And Stone Consultants (CTaSC) provides ceramic tile research and marketing services.
Vacuums and Brooms DO NOT remove all dirt and debris Mopping requires the repeated use of dirty water without extraction that gets spread throughout the wood. Our cleaning safely scrubs the wood and Extracts dirty water. We also use a constant flow of clean water. Because hardwood and laminates only account for 10% of flooring, most consumers don t know how to properly maintain their hardwood and laminate floors.
Which Wood Is It? There are three types of wood that we will need to focus on. Solid Cut from a solid piece of wood Engineered There are two ways that engineered wood floors are made. The first one, the top surface wear layer is Sliced/Sawn cut from the log like solid wood flooring is. This will give the natural look of the wood along with a thicker wear layer. The second method is a rotary cut. This essentially is shaving the wood off the log in a continuous sheet which will show more dramatic wood grain. Laminate Simulates wood with a photographic applique layer under a clear protective layer. The inner core layer is usually composed of melamine resin and fiber board materials. It has the advantages of being attractive, while costing less than natural floor materials.
Use normal cleaning procedures
Use normal cleaning procedures
Use caution when cleaning. Excessive moisture will damage this flooring
We begin the wood cleaning process by completing a thorough pre-inspection of the floor. The first step in the pre-cleaning inspection is Wood Identification. We must determine the type of wood surface we will be cleaning. Once we determine what type of wood surface we will be cleaning, it will allow us to clean it safely and effectively.
It is very important to familiarize yourself with the physical characteristics of the various types of wood flooring. If possible, locate a floor vent that you can remove to expose the side of the wood. You can also ask the customer if they have any extra wood that you may inspect.
Determine whether the wood flooring issolid, Engineered or Laminate We will need to know this information to know how much moisture is safe to use on the wood and which services we can provide Too much moisture can lead to damages on some flooring
Residues: This refers to any topical treatment or cleaner that may be applied to the floor. The identification of pre-existing residues are important for effective cleaning measures. At times, this is easily identified, but other times it will be necessary to do a scratch test or ammonia test to determine the existence of residues. Potential culprits would include: Orange Glow Murphy s Oil Pledge Mop&Glo..and other over the counter products
The safe and easy way to tell if there is a residue is to ask the customer what they use to clean and maintain their wood floor. It is also helpful to know how often they use these products. This should be asked before any work is done. Alkaline Test Ammonia Test ASK CUSTOMER WHAT THEY USE TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN THEIR FLOOR
Damaged or scratched wood pieces should be pointed out to the customer prior to cleaning This is also a good time to set expectations as our cleaning will not remove scratches from the floor
Now that we have determined what we are cleaning, it is time for the cleaning demonstration Let the customer decide where they would like the demo to take place Remember you are the professional and should feel free to recommend the best area to the customer if the customer has not picked a safe or practical area
We all know how well this works on upholstery...well it works on Hardwood Floors too. Place a towel on the end of the Aluminum Wood Wand then attach vacuum hose. Vacuum a small area of the wood floor then remove the towel. There should be the "circle of dirt" on the white towel. Presenting this to the customer sets up an easy transition into speaking about the removal of "dry soil" with our powerful truck mounted vacuum system. Of course after we remove the dry soil then we go into our Deep Cleaning Process with the auto scrubber.
Spray an area of the Hardwood Floor with SS Neutral Wood Cleaner. Take a clean white towel then wipe that same area. The towel should show dirt. Now vacuum and clean that same area with the auto scrubber. Once again take the white towel and wipe the cleaned area...dirt should no longer show up on the white towel.
Auto scrub an area of the Hardwood Floor (preferably a portion of the floor that gets used the most). Add de-foaming agents to the dump tank and let dwell. Once the foam has subsided, dump the water into the toilet. This is obviously when you want to involve the customer. The visual of dirty water pulled from the customers Hardwood Floor should be enough to seal the deal.
We talk to customers all the time about what happens when we clean one room of carpet and not clean the adjacent room. What happens is dirt is transferred from the un cleaned carpet back onto the cleaned carpet. The same thing happens from "un cleaned wood floors" to cleaned carpets. We can no longer go into Mrs. Jones' house and walk over 500 sq. ft. of hardwood to clean the $99 carpet special. We need to communicate with our customers about "Rapid Re-soiling" on ALL SURFACES. i.e. tile to wood, wood to carpet, tile to carpet, etc.
We will be using Alkaline and Neutral Wood Floor Cleaner ALKALINE HARDWOOD CLEANER This product is made specifically for Hardwood Cleaning and has a drying agent added. DO NOT attempt to use Tile and Grout Alkaline Cleaner on wood. Alkaline and our Neutral Wood Floor Cleaner are mixed at a 4 to 1 ratio. Four parts water for every 1 part of cleaner is needed.
It is important to vacuum the floor prior to cleaning to remove grit and dirt from hardwood floors. Dirt and grit are the biggest enemies when it comes to scratching or scouring the floor finish.
It is now time clean the floor. Edges, corners and steps should be scrubbed by hand using the diluted Alkaline cleaning agent. Once you have filled the auto scrubber with the cleaning agent, clean the entire floor with the auto scrubber. If needed, you may add anti foam into the reservoir tank to eliminate foam build up. You can add 1 cup of ammonia to your 4 to 1 ratio if there are residues from old cleaning agents. Use caution when using the auto scrubber. Keep in mind you are using a rotating brush that will burnish the wood if kept in one place too long
Mix the Neutral Wood Cleaner 4 parts water to 1 part cleaner. Hand scrub the corners, edges and stairs with the mixture. Add the Neutral Wood Cleaner mixture into the fill tank of the auto scrubber Clean the entire floor with the Neutral Wood Cleaner using the auto scrubber.
Use the micro fiber mop along with the Neutral Wood Cleaner on the entire floor. Make sure to mop WITH the grain of the wood. The customer may walk on the wood immediately following the cleaning along with replacing furniture and area rugs
Satin Finish & These products are a polyurethane coating that will provide dry soil protection and revitalize the wood floor while leaving a consistent finish and sheen The Maintenance Coatings may change the appearance of the wood, and there may be a slight gloss range difference than the current level of the flooring
Before applying the Refinisher, it is important to limit the amount of dust and debris into the work area If needed, use an air mover to move air flow away from floor
Once the customer chooses either the Satin or Gloss finish, it is time to apply it to the floor Before applying the Hardwood Floor Refinisher, it will be necessary to rock the product Do not shake the bottle Gently rock the Refinisher back and forth for 15 to 20 seconds
Starting at the furthest point in the house, and working with small sections at a time, apply the Refinisher to the floor in a S pattern Use the micro fiber mop to evenly distribute the Refinisher with the wood grain Work your way out of the room
Allow at least one hour for dry time Allow 24 hours for regular foot traffic and furniture placement Area rugs can be placed on the floor after 24 hours
All customers that have their wood cleaned by Stanley Steemer should be offered a home cleaning kit to properly maintain their floor The kit includes the micro fiber mop, mop handle and Stanley Steemer Hardwood Floor Cleaner
Your wood machine has multiple parts that need every day cleaning and inspecting. At the end of every day, thoroughly check your machine to correct any issues before it is needed again Do not expect great cleaning results if your wood machine looks like..
THIS!
Stanley Steemer Hardwood Service Steve Chapman 614-207-1757 cell Schapman@steemer.com Ryan Dietsch 614-207-3271 Ryan.Dietsch@steemer.com