Page 4 - 2017-09-CFR Volume 108 - The Importance of Exterior Maintenance

should be heavy enough to lay flat and have a rub- September 2017
berized back to prevent creeping and any movement
so they don’t present a trip and fall hazard. These
mats should be cleaned or changed regularly.

Types of walk-off matting: Exterior Mats, Surface/
Recess: These mats are designed to dislodge and
scrape off large dirt particles, including snow. Some
even have heating elements in them so ice and
snow won’t accumulate on them. When specified
and maintained properly, these mats will last for
years, and provide an excellent defense against soil
intrusion.

Interior Entry-Type Mats: These mats are designed
to wipe off light soils, and absorb moisture and oily
soils. Additional consideration should be given to
placing mats in other areas of the building to control
soil or spills (next to the photocopier or coffee maker,
on a landing in the stairwell or any place where car-
pet adjoins a hard surface). Properly placed mats or
the appropriate type can reduce the time spent on
spot and stain removal, and further reduce the
spread of interior soils.

Maintenance of entryways: Walkway & Entry Aprons:
If soils are allowed to accumulate here, they will
eventually end up inside of the building. This area
needs to be swept regularly and pressure washed
periodically.
Parking Lots: Soil is abundant here. Parking lots and
garages must be swept regularly to remove the dust
and dirt, and must be pressure washed to remove
the grease and oil.

Entry areas: Entry areas can consist of energy effi-
cient doorways, with or without grid matting systems.
Typically in geographic areas of extremely high or
low temperatures, these doorways are the norm.

The space between the doors can be used to the
cleaners advantage. In good weather conditions,
there is not much debris that will collect. It is during
this time that the maintenance of the matting or grid
should take place. The more soil that is trapped in
this area will mean less soil in the building, making
cleaning operations much easier to complete.

4 Commercial Flooring Report