General Building Maintenance Corp.

Hard-surface floors present a clean image for afacility.  They are often the first thing someone notices when entering anestablishment.  Portraying the right image for stores, shopping centers,medical facilities, banks, schools, and fitness areas or just about anywherehard-surface floors are found can be achieved through cooperation betweenjanitorial companies and their customers.  

Today there are some of the mostinnovative and productive floor care products, chemicals, and equipmentavailable.  So why is the appearance of floors on the decline? It's allabout using the right equipment, cost, a plan and setting goals.

All cleaning work is physical, but floor care is some of the most labor-intensiveand therefore expensive.  In many circumstances as much as 70 percent to90 percent of the cost to strip, clean and refinish a floor is for labor. How can we reduce the cost of labor?  One factor is the machine.Substituting the inexpensive mop and bucket for a floor scrubber may seem likean expensive jump. However, the annual cost savings can be dramatic because thefloor machine can clean the same area is less than an hour. The use of theright floor care machine can reduce cost in labor by 75 percent. 

The right machine isn't the only way to increase productivity when it comes tofloor care and maintenance.  One of the most effective ways to keep floorslooking their best while minimizing labor costs at the same time is prevention- preventing floors from becoming soiled, marred and discolored in the firstplace.  This can be accomplished with an effective matting system. Mats should be at least 15 feet long. Such mats allow enough space for shoes tohit at least three times, removing as much as 90 percent of soils.  Matsshould also have a high level of scrapability. The scrapability of the mat itsability to remove soil is determined by the coarseness of the mat's fibers.Finally mats should have a high level of absorbability. Absorption isdetermined by the thickness or denseness of the mat. The thicker the pattern,the more it will absorb contaminants and the less soil will enter yourfacility.

To reduce cost GBMC works with the customers and building occupants. This means we must:

• Determine just how much time, effort, and money the customer wants to invest in floor care
• Evaluate the cost- and productivity-effectiveness of the floor care products and equipment currently used compared to what else is available in the marketplace
• Develop an effective and ongoing floor maintenance program

GBMC and our customers who have been most successful at keeping their floorswell-maintained on a consistent basis and in a cost-effective manner have done so by setting goals considering such issues as

• The budget to be designated just for hard-surface floor care
• The appearance level the facility wants for its floorsThe floor traffic conditions
  
• The equipment necessary or now available for floor care
• The floor care skill and training of staff.

Customers with asuccessful floor care programs view their floors as an asset. They recognizethe importance of appearance, safety and health (since well-maintained floorslessen the possibility of slips, trips and falls) and minimizing the chancesfor contaminants from being transmitted from one area of a facility to another.