How to Clean Your Floor Mats
A commercial floor mat is an essential investment in your facility’s cleanliness, and the proper floor mat cleaning technique is necessary to help you get the most out of that investment.
Commercial door mats provide a critical service by containing the maximum amount of moisture and soil at the doorways instead of allowing the contaminants to be tracked into your facility. The time and money saved by not having to clean your facility’s floors as often make up for the time and money needed for mat cleaning.
This article will take a deep dive into floor mat cleaning and detail how to clean entrance mats so you can get the most use out of them.
Why Floor Mat Cleaning?
Routine floor mat cleaning is crucial because dirty mats won’t collect the dirt and debris brought into your facility. Also, heavily dirty mats take longer to clean, using up valuable time that could be spent on other activities.
The basic floor mat cleaning steps are:
- Remove commercial floor mats and rubber floor mats
- Shake out the mats
- Clean the floor under your commercial entry mat
- Clean the floor mat
- Remove salt stains
- Treat other stains
- Rinse the floor mats
- Dry the Mats
- Replace the mats
We’ll look at the steps in more detail later in this article.
Mat Cleaning Prep
As you investigate how to clean floor mats, it’s crucial that you properly prepare. You’ll want to have all the necessary mat cleaning materials on hand, including:
- Upright vacuum cleaner
- Spray stain remover
- Soft floor brush
- Gloves
- Safety goggles
You’ll also find it helpful to have a self-contained extractor or steam cleaning vacuum on hand.
Ensure that your mat cleaning equipment is in good working order, with the bag replaced and belts and brushes in good shape. Be certain to use the equipment properly — many times, people vacuum at too low a speed, reducing their effectiveness and prolonging cleaning times.
Consider Dirt Types Before Mat Cleaning
Before you start your mat cleaning, check the type of dirt that you need to clean and use the right equipment for the job.
Wet, sticky soils are more suited to a self-contained extractor with a brush and vac system. Several passes may be necessary at a slow speed to attain the best results.
For dry, loose dirt, a good two-motor vacuum with the brush adjusted all the way down will agitate the soil the most and provide the best results. Backpack vacuums offer a higher CFM than some uprights, but more passes over the mat are needed to compensate for the lack of agitation.
Floor Mat Cleaning Timeline
If your commercial entry mat sees a lot of action, you’ll likely need to vacuum it a couple times each day to prevent contaminants from entering your facility. You should undertake a more thorough floor mat cleaning every week or every other week to ensure your mat’s longevity and peak performance.
How to Clean Entrance Mats
Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let’s look at how to clean entrance mats. A good floor mat cleaner will follow these steps to get the most out of their floor mat cleaning:
1. Remove Commercial Floor Mats and Rubber Floor Mats
Starting at one edge, carefully roll the mats up and take them outdoors.
2. Shake Out the Mats
Select a place away from the entranceway to your facility and thoroughly shake out your commercial floor mats.
3. Clean the Floor Under Your Commercial Entry Mat
While the commercial entry mat is removed, vacuum and clean the area where the mat usually lies. Even with a clean mat, built-up dirt can cause the mat to shift when people walk on it. Extra debris can also damage the floor under the mat.
4. Clean the Floor Mat
Using the carpet cleaner of your choice, thoroughly clean your commercial floor mat. This should take up the remaining dirt particles left over after shaking out the mats.
If you don’t have an extractor or steam cleaner, you can clean the mat by lightly scrubbing it with a soft floor brush and mild detergent or carpet cleaning solution.
5. Remove Salt Stains
Removing salt stains doesn’t have to be complicated. For dry, crusty salt stains, it is recommended that the floor mat be soaked in hot water with a neutral soap solution for half an hour and then cleaned using an extractor.
6. Treat Other Stains
If your commercial entry mat is stained, you may use various carpet spotting solutions to loosen the soil stuck to the fibers. Many of our entrance mats feature solution-dyed yarn, so you need not worry about the colorfastness.
7. Rinse the Floor Mats
Pressure wash or hose off all detergent and debris. It would be a good idea to flush your mat two to three times to make sure no residue is left behind.
8. Dry the Mats
Hang your commercial door mats vertically to allow moisture to drain and dry off.
9. Replace the Mats
Once the mats are completely dry, return them to their original locations.
Clean your entrance mats as often as is needed. They do a tough job catching dirt and debris. A mat’s performance and service life are directly affected by its maintenance schedule and cleanliness. Keep your commercial floor mat clean, and it will do a tough job well.
For your convenience, we have created a handy “how to clean your floor mats” guide.
Trust Your Commercial Floor Mat Needs to Mat Tech
At Mat Tech, we understand your requirements for commercial floor mats that stand up to harsh, regular use. Contact us today for the entry mats you need.
