The weather has a mind of its own. Some may think that the dog days of summertime are all behind us and that fall is coming soon. The weather may still be warm enough to lull business managers into thinking that they still may have some more time to prepare for Mother Nature and the wintertime season. Waiting to prepare and devise a plan until they see the first signs of winter, however, would be a major mistake. Business owners must have a winter maintenance plan in place for the winter season. This would give them peace of mind.
A business should prepare ahead of time for winter weather. This plan would put the business in a much better position—safety and maintenance wise—than those businesses that wait to prepare at the very last minute. These four tips can help your business prepare in advance for the winter months. They will ensure your business is ready for the colder months ahead.
1. Floor Maintenance
Any hardwood floor style in your business firm needs to have a plan to create “wear off” coats on the hardwood floors. This allows the business to build up the finish on the floors. If your business has VCT or vinyl composite flooring, the goal would be to apply a five coat minimum to the floors to prepare for the winter months. These five coats will protect the floors of your vinyl composite floors and other surfaces. The applications for the additional coats is very easy. It is as simple as applying additional coats and top scrubbing beforehand. The business must top-scrub and apply the additional five coats before the end of winter. These additional coats will protect the hardwood floors from physical damage that may accrue in the colder months.
2. Mat and Entryway Floor Preparations
When the summer months transition into the fall season, mats that are absorbent are usually installed in businesses to wick moisture from people’s shoes before the entryway floors become legal slip-and-fall hazards for the community. As the colder months set in, heavy weather such as snow, heavy rains and/or hail may require a business to place scraper mats on the outside the buildings, along with mats that are transitional that should be placed between them. These walk-off mats are programs that will usually keep a business safe and clean.
3. Equipment
Your business must know and understand the equipment that must be used for the colder months. This type of planning will encompass routine maintenance, a plan to facilitate the drying of floors and carpets, and general deep cleaning that would be necessary to help with this process. Some examples of the equipment that may be necessary may include:
- Wet/dry vacuums
- Autoscrubbers
- Portable extractors
- Auto-movers/Floor blowers
4. Chemistry
A business could make its job much easier during the coming winter months if they would take the time to understand the chemistry kits, such as ice and salt, and how long they will last as well as the frequency that the cleaning must be performed. Most of the colder months products arrive for each service pre-packaged. Most of these pre-packaged services usually only have a half-life of only one year. Please be sure to check the expiration dates on your products. In order to maximize your business’ cleaning budget, please be sure to calculate how many times your business must perform with this pre-packaged “chemistry kits.”
