What commercial floor cleaning involves
Commercial floor cleaning is the routine and periodic cleaning of hard floors such as vinyl composition tile and other resilient flooring, sealed or polished concrete, ceramic and porcelain tile, quarry tile, natural stone and rubber. It is a separate job from carpet care and from floor restoration, and it is planned by floor type, traffic and the finish on the surface.
A typical scope has four levels:
- Daily soil removal. Dust mopping or vacuuming to remove grit before it scratches the finish, followed by damp mopping or spot cleaning of spills.
- Machine scrubbing. A walk-behind or ride-on automatic scrubber dispenses cleaning solution, scrubs with pads or brushes, and recovers the dirty water through a squeegee and vacuum in one pass. Because the dirty solution is picked up in the same pass, it is not left on the floor to dry, and OSHA lists walk-behind auto-scrubbers among the cleaning equipment that minimizes chemical use.
- Burnishing. On floors with a coated finish, a high-speed machine restores gloss between scrubs.
- Deep scrub and recoat, or strip and refinish. A heavier scrub removes the top layers of finish so fresh coats can be applied. A full strip removes all finish down to the floor and is done only when needed, usually when the finish is worn through.
Chemistry is matched to the floor and the soil, following the flooring or sealer manufacturer’s instructions. Polished concrete has its own method, covered under concrete floor polishing.
Commercial floor cleaning requirements and standards
Most of the rules that apply to floor cleaning come from workplace safety, chemical safety and health codes, and they govern how the work is done. The points below are reference points, not legal advice, and the authority having jurisdiction decides how they apply locally.
- Clean, dry and free of hazards. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.22 requires workroom floors to be kept clean and, to the extent feasible, dry, and walking-working surfaces to be free of hazards such as leaks and spills. Surfaces are inspected regularly and as necessary, and a hazardous condition is corrected or guarded before employees use the area again. OSHA 1910.141 also requires workroom floors to be kept dry so far as practicable.
- Cleaning chemicals. Under OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard, as explained in OSHA and NIOSH guidance for cleaning workers, employers must keep safety data sheets for every hazardous cleaning product and make them readily accessible, should label every container with its contents and hazards, and must train workers before they use a hazardous cleaner, in a language they understand. The guidance warns that mixing bleach and ammonia products can cause severe lung damage or death, and recommends running ventilation during cleaning.
- Disinfectants. The U.S. EPA notes that many general cleaning tasks, including floors, do not typically require disinfectants, which are best kept for surfaces people touch often.
- Food service timing. In health codes based on the FDA Food Code, such as Washington’s WAC 246-215-06505, physical facilities are cleaned as often as necessary to keep them clean, and, except for spills, cleaning is done when the least amount of food is exposed, such as after closing.
- Voluntary standards. Green Seal GS-42 for commercial cleaning services schedules stripping during minimum occupancy, restores finishes only when needed rather than on a fixed calendar, and calls for outside ventilation during and after stripping, scrubbing and recoating. It requires powered floor equipment to capture particles and run below 70 dBA, and bars propane equipment indoors while a building is occupied. ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) is a certification for building service contractors and in-house cleaning organizations, built around a management system.
Preventive maintenance schedule for commercial floor cleaning
A written schedule keeps finishes from wearing through, which delays the cost and disruption of a full strip, and reduces slip hazards from soil and residue. It also leaves a dated record of what was cleaned and when, which matters after a slip and fall claim.
| Task | Recommended frequency | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Inspect walking surfaces for spills, residue and hazards | Regularly and as necessary; at least once per shift | Requirement: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.22(d)(1). Frequency: Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Correct or guard a hazardous floor condition | Before the area is used again | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.22(d)(2) |
| Vacuum or mop hard floors in heavy-traffic areas, including entrances and corridors | Daily | Green Seal GS-42 |
| Auto-scrub hard floors | Daily in high-traffic areas; weekly elsewhere | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Burnish coated floors | Weekly to monthly, by traffic | Manufacturer instructions; Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Deep scrub and recoat | Quarterly to semiannually, based on finish wear | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Strip and refinish | Only when needed, not on a fixed calendar | Green Seal GS-42 |
| Clean food service floors | As often as necessary; after closing except for spills | FDA Food Code model (WAC 246-215-06505) |
| Inspect and maintain floor machines, pads, squeegees and batteries | Quarterly | Green Seal GS-42; manufacturer instructions |
| Inspect entry mats and replace curled or saturated mats | Monthly | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
The authority having jurisdiction, the manufacturer and the property’s insurer can require more frequent service, and each location’s schedule is set in its program and recorded on every visit.
Signs the floor cleaning program needs attention
- Floors that feel slippery or sticky after cleaning, often a sign of residue or wrong dilution
- Streaks or standing water behind the scrubber, pointing to a worn squeegee
- Dark traffic lanes at entrances, registers and corridors
- Finish worn through to bare tile
- Repeat slips or near misses in the same area
Records to keep
- Cleaning scope and schedule for each location, by area and floor type
- Visit logs with date, tasks completed and before and after photos
- Safety data sheets for every product used on site
- Worker training records for the cleaning chemicals and equipment used
- Floor machine maintenance logs
- Spill, hazard and slip incident reports, with the time each hazard was corrected
- Finish product, number of coats and date of the last strip or recoat
How Facility First runs commercial floor cleaning across a portfolio
- Scope. Each location’s floor types, square footage, traffic zones and hours are recorded, and a schedule is set for daily, periodic and restorative work.
- Dispatch. A vetted floor care provider in the location’s market receives scheduled work orders and on-demand requests, such as a spill before opening.
- Close-out. The provider documents each visit with photos and notes on any damage or wear.
- Quality checks. Visits are checked against the scope, and recurring problems are flagged for correction.
- Approval and invoice. Routine work proceeds within the client’s approval limits; restorative work such as a full strip is quoted first. Every location is invoiced in one format.
See also the preventive maintenance checklist.
What affects the cost of commercial floor cleaning
- Square footage and floor type
- Frequency of daily, periodic and restorative work
- Condition of the existing finish
- Equipment needed, such as ride-on scrubbers or burnishers
- Night, early morning or weekend scheduling
- Fixtures or displays that must be moved
- Grease load in kitchens and grout condition
Commercial floor cleaning for retail stores, restaurants and offices
Retail stores. Most floor work happens before opening or after closing, around fixtures. Entrances, register lanes and fitting rooms wear fastest, and shopping centers often set rules on hours and equipment in common areas.
Restaurants. Kitchen floors carry grease, and grout in quarry tile traps soil. Under health codes based on the FDA Food Code, routine cleaning is done when the least food is exposed, such as after closing, and wet floors are marked and dried before service.
Offices. Lobbies, elevator landings and break rooms take the most traffic. In multi-tenant buildings, the landlord usually controls common-area floors and the hours when machines can run.
Frequently asked questions
How often should commercial floors be cleaned?
High-traffic hard floors are usually vacuumed or mopped and scrubbed daily, with burnishing weekly to monthly and deep scrubs on a longer cycle. OSHA requires floors to be kept clean and inspected regularly, and hazards such as spills to be corrected or guarded before the area is used again.
What is the difference between scrubbing and stripping a floor?
Scrubbing removes soil from the surface and leaves the finish in place. Stripping removes all the finish so new coats can be applied, and is usually done only when the finish is worn through.
Do commercial floors need to be disinfected?
Usually not. The U.S. EPA notes that floors and many general cleaning tasks do not typically require disinfectants, which are best kept for surfaces people touch often.
Can floors be cleaned during business hours?
Spot cleaning and spill response happen during trading hours. Machine scrubbing, burnishing and recoating are usually scheduled when the location is closed or quiet, and food service sites clean after closing except for spills.
Who keeps the safety data sheets for floor cleaning products?
Under OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard, safety data sheets must be kept and readily accessible for every hazardous cleaning product used. Facility First keeps the provider’s product list and data sheets in each location’s record.
Sources
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.22, Walking-Working Surfaces, General Requirements
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.141, Sanitation
- OSHA and NIOSH: Protecting Workers Who Use Cleaning Chemicals (OSHA 3512)
- U.S. EPA: Identifying Greener Cleaning Products
- Washington State Legislature: WAC 246-215-06505, Cleaning, frequency and restrictions (FDA Food Code 6-501.12)
- Green Seal: GS-42, Commercial and Institutional Cleaning Services
- ISSA: The Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS)