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Gym Floor Maintenance Schedule: Routine Cleaning to Refinishing

By: WAXIE Editorial Staff  |  June 19, 2019

As with anything, if you routinely take care of something it will last a long time, and it's no different when it comes to gym floors.

Gymnasiums are often the “showcase” of a school or athletic club. Good looking, shiny floors convey a positive image to the public, school officials and athletic teams that use these facilities. Sports floors need specific, proven maintenance systems that will enhance their natural beauty and protect their substantial investment. 

Wood floor care can be divided into two main systems:

• Water-Based (recommended)
• Solvent-Based (oil-modified) and Epoxy

Topics: wood floors, Hard Floor Care, flooring, gym floors

WAXIE & Kärcher Join Forces to Assist in School Cleaning Efforts in Denver

WAXIE Denver & Kärcher deep cleaning crew volunteers at Mount Saint Vincent in Denver, CO

By Deven Eastridge

At WAXIE, we believe that giving to others in our community creates a lasting impact. That’s why in August 2018 WAXIE Denver partnered with Kärcher to lend an extra hand to the cleaning & maintenance staff at Mount Saint Vincent. MSV is a pre-K through 8th grade school that also provides advanced mental health & trauma care services in the Denver region.

Before the start of school year our combined team pitched in to deep clean and spruce up a few restrooms, classrooms, hallways, windows and multi-use areas so that students & staff would be starting out the school year fresh.

Topics: community involvement, flooring, Education

Spring Break Restorative Cleaning at Perkins K-8 in Barrio Logan

By Lee Jackson

On Wednesday March 29th, myself and a motivated group of 14 individuals from the WAXIE Sanitary Supply sales team descended on Perkins K-8 in the Barrio Logan section of San Diego to lend a hand to the custodians with their restorative cleaning.

As the morning began, the WAXIE San Diego team unloaded two trucks worth of commercial floor care equipment and restorative bathroom cleaners, and immediately got to work. Thanks to a prior survey of the school, it was determined that the areas of primary concern for the staff were the floors in a large multipurpose room, their kitchen, a teacher’s lounge, and multiple large restrooms.

Topics: community involvement, flooring, Education

Let's Do This! Tackling Your Facility Maintenance Spring Cleaning To-Do List

By: Briana Smith  |  April 7, 2017

Now that spring is officially here, and most of the nasty winter weather is behind us, it’s time to tackle some of those tasks that come with the changing of the seasons. 

Oftentimes, the brutal winter rains and snowfall leave buildings quite beat up (as evidenced by the accumulation of ice melt and dirt that get tracked across floors and thrashed entrance floor matting). Afterwards the advent of spring brings more pollen into the air, not to mention the build-up of any dust that staff wasn’t able to get to during the winter, causing heightened indoor air allergy issues.

Here are a few things that should be part of your facility’s spring cleaning to-do list:

Topics: carpet, Indoor Air Quality, workplace wellness, cleaning procedures, flooring

Choosing the Correct Floor Pad

By: Becky Mollenkamp

From polishing to stripping, janitors spend a lot of time using floor-care machines. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right pad or brush for the task at hand. But with more options than ever, many building service contractors find it easiest to simply stick with what they know.

“Most manufacturers offer upwards of 25 different pads,” says Rory Beaudette, Vice President Sales and COO for ACS Industries Inc., Lincoln, Rhode Island. “That’s complex for most operators, so they may need to spend some time educating themselves.”

Although there will always be a need for the basic pads, learning about myriad new colors and shapes is worthwhile. Many are designed to improve productivity and reduce floor damage, both of which can boost the bottom line.

Topics: Hard Floor Care, flooring, machines & equipment, cleaning tips

Do's & Don'ts for Cleaning Linoleum & Marmoleum Floors

By: Mike Anderson

Linoleum (and Marmoleum) floors have come a long way design-wise from its inception in the 1860’s, but its longevity and endurance as a flooring material haven’t changed a bit. Still, as with every floor, it’s important to regularly clean and maintain them to minimize scratches, scuffs and, other damage. Here are some cleaning tips for preventing linoleum and Marmoleum floors from damage and keeping them looking their best. 

Topics: Hard Floor Care, flooring, cleaning tips

Linoleum & Marmoleum Floor Care: Fact vs. Fiction

By: Mike Anderson

Linoleum and Marmoleum floors are perfect for high-traffic areas because of their durability. Even so, like all flooring materials, they need to be cleaned and maintained regularly to keep them that way, so a daily sweeping and damp mopping routine will go a long way to keeping them in great shape for a long time. Here are some common misconceptions about linoleum and Marmoleum floors and what you need to know to keep yours looking at their best at all times. 

Topics: Hard Floor Care, flooring, cleaning tips

How to Repair Scratched Linoleum & Marmoleum Flooring

By: Mike Anderson

Linoleum & Marmoleum (a brand name type of linoleum made by Forbo Flooring Systems) flooring surfaces are very durable, but accidents can happen and they sometimes get scratched. Here are some procedures that will, in most cases, repair the floor to where you don't see the scratch.

Topics: Hard Floor Care, flooring, cleaning tips

The Original Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT) – Asphalt & Asbestos Tile Flooring

By: Briana Smith, Social Media & Product Branding Specialist, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

Unless your facility has been built sometime in the last 20 years or so, there is a good probably that your flooring is either some form of asbestos or asphalt tile. These tiles were a type of vinyl composition tiles (VCT), which were used predominately between the 1920s through to the early 1980s. At the beginning of the 1980s, modern non-asbestos containing vinyl composition tiles became standard, as asbestos related materials – including adhesives & mastics that had asbestos in them – were recognized as being hazardous by the EPA.

Modern VCT tiles are designed in a different manner, as they are produced from a mixture of colored polyvinyl chloride (PVC) chips, and are often made to resemble high-end flooring materials such as stone, wood, etc. without the cost. VCT is still a very popular flooring material as it holds up well in busy high-traffic areas, has a long lifespan and is much less expensive than high-end flooring options.

Topics: Hard Floor Care, flooring