Professionalism with a capital P - rationell reinigen Gebäudedienste

Industrial floors are not meant to dazzle with their beauty, but they require particular attention nonetheless. This applies as much to the way they are manufactured as to their coating, cleaning, and maintenance. They have to endure extraordinary stress and strain. And they have to be safe. Besides, many companies attach great importance to a neat appearance in the production areas, too.By definition, industrial floors in many companies must be able to withstand a lot of stress, mechanical or other. At the same time, they need to be slip-resistant to ensure safety under any conditions. Most floors consist of a smooth, seamless, heavily compacted, highly stress-resistant screed made from a paste that is very viscous when applied. This mass is poured and spread directly on-site, where it is subsequently left to cure. The following screed types are fairly common: 1. Magnesite (MA): A particularly stiff type of screed that is very effective at binding mineral aggregates. Magnesite screeds are usually impregnated during the production stage with an agent that reduces the formation of stains and dust to facilitate maintenance. 2. Cement (CT): When it comes to industrial applications, only the so-called hard aggregate screeds made from limestone and clay are used. Thanks to their thickness and strength class, they can endure huge loads. Cement screeds are sensitive to acids and strong alkalis, however. Acid exposure causes a structure similar to washed concrete: The floor roughens, absorbs more dirt, and becomes harder to clean. 3. Calcium sulfate (CA): This umbrella term refers to all types of screed whose binding agents consist of water-free calcium sulfate (anhydrite). Due to their binding agents, they have hygroscopic properties and are sensitive to moisture. They should therefore not be exposed to water for long periods of time, especially during stripping processes. The latter must only be carried out using a single-step method. 4. Mastic asphalt (AS): A dense, cavity-free mixture of filler materials such as stone wedge, sand, grit or gravel, and bitumen. Mastic asphalt does not generate dust, is insensitive to water, mostly resistant to acids and alkalis, but sensitive to solvents. It usually contains a large proportion of organic filler materials, which makes it necessary to use the single-step method on these floors as well. Surface finishing choices…… also need to be taken into consideration before the cleaning starts. This includes: Permeable impregnation agents that penetrate the screed at a depth between 0.5 and 3 millimeters, depending on substrate quality, to ensure a certain stiffness. Chemical sealants, by which the sealant is applied like an impregnation agent. The surface is hardened, making it more resistant to chemical and mechanical stresses.Permeable sealants, which are relatively thin at a thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 millimeters and resemble a coat of paint.Coatings, usually 0.5 to 2 millimeters thick. Any finish with a thickness between 2 and 6 millimeters is considered flooring. Depending on the material used, a fairly structured or almost completely smooth surface can be achieved. Floor stripping in one or two stepsLet us now turn to the cleaning method consisting of a stripping pass and a maintenance cleaning pass. Heavy contamination, such as oil, grease or encrusted grime, can only be removed by wet scrubbing with heavy-duty scrubbers. If the coating allows for this, full contact pressure is applied in combination with green scrubbing brushes or pads to deal with heavy contaminations using the two-step method. A gradual approach is recommended to keep moisture penetration into the floor at a minimum. During the first step, the cleaning water and the scrubber-drier are set up on the surface to be cleaned. The surface is then scrubbed two or three times, until the dirt has been completely dislodged. The loosened dirt is then absorbed in a second step. Afterwards, the entire surface is treated once more with clear water using the single-step method. This means: Apply water, scrub, absorb. For this process, an alkaline stripping agent with a pH value of up to twelve is recommended at a dosage of three to five percent (depending on the severity of the contamination). This stripping agent must not dissolve coatings, however. If coatings must be dissolved, a solution with a concentration of ten percent or more is required. For industrial floors that are sensitive to water or lack a surface finish, one-step stripping is preferable because the floor might otherwise absorb excessive amounts of moisture and sustain permanent damage. Scrubbers with roller scrub heads have proved particularly effective, here. Also, neutralization with clear water is necessary. Maintenance cleaning ...Red scrubbing brushes or pads (standardized for all floors) are used for the removal of minor contaminations with the one-step method. Here, the scrubber’s contact pressure setting is set for low to medium. To remove oil, grease, soot, or mineral contaminations easily, an alkaline cleaning agent is used at a dosage of 0.5 to 3 percent, depending on dirt ingress. Wiping or rinsing is not necessary and the floor is accessible immediately after the procedure. To avoid the formation of streaks during vacuuming, the vacuum arm must be parallel to the surface. ... with a twistRemoving skid and tire marks, which frequently occur in curves or in front of loading ramps or high racks, is a particular challenge. This task is tackled with a special tire and abrasion mark removal agent (pH 13), which is applied undiluted to the stained areas using a spray bottle or an RM spray can. After the reaction time necessary for the cleaning agent, the scrubber comes into play using clear water and green disc or roller pads. Caution: Do not use this method on coated industrial floors, as the coating will peel off. Roller or disc: It depends on the scrubber headWhether the scrubber is used with a disc or a roller is primarily a function of floor texture. Smooth surfaces can usually be maintained easily and safely with disc brush systems.If the floor is untreated and has a rough surface that tends to retain dirt, the stripping procedure must be carried out with a roller scrubber. This applies, for instance, to textured surfaces, surfaces with added silica sand, or structural coatings. Here, only counter-rotating brushes will be effective. The combination of counter-rotating brushes or pads, high contact pressure (up to 260 g/cm²) across the entire working surface of the scrubbing head, high rotation speeds (up to 1,100 rpm), and excellent floor contact is what effectively extracts dirt from all the nooks and crannies for easy and efficient vacuuming. Preparatory sweeping is often unnecessary, as the machine is equipped with a sweeping apparatus to absorb coarse dust and dirt particles. Depending on the extent of contamination, fewer roller brushes can be used to limit wear. The following parameters must be set or selected on the cleaning machine, depending on the surface material, structure, and sensitivity to moisture: Water quantityCleaner quantityBrush or pad hardnessContact pressureRotation speedThere is no doubt that industrial floor cleaning is a complex matter. Many aspects must be taken into consideration to achieve the desired result. This applies to every branch of the industry and to companies of all sizes and specializations. Niels W. Buhrke, freelance journalist | Gerd Heidrich, Kärcher Training Specialist | peter.hartmann@holzmann-medien.de

Cleaning industrial floors Professionalism with a capital P

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