When your restaurant floors are greasy, dirty, or wet, the efficacy of even the best anti-slip flooring solutions is greatly reduced. To maximize the safety of your staff and patrons, proper cleaning is necessary to maintain the traction of your anti-slip floors.

Use Your Tools Wisely

Your floor cleaning instruments are your number one tools for getting rid of dirt and grease, but they’ll be a lot more effective when you use them the right way. Be sure your staff is using hot water and a grease-cutting cleanser when they mop. It’s also a good idea to segregate your mops. Keep the mops that you use to clean the kitchen and back rooms separate from those you use in your dining room and anywhere else your customers might go. Consider color-coding the mop handles for easy identification. All mop heads should be changed regularly, so that they don’t get contaminated with oils and grease, but those used in the kitchen should be changed more frequently.

Deploy a Deck Brush

In addition to mopping, employees should use a soft deck brush to clean the floor regularly. Mops pick up loose dirt and oils. Deck brushing actually loosens any grease and oils that may have accumulated on the floor or in the grout and solidified. Solidified oils are as bad as liquids, when it comes to slips and falls. A soft deck brush and hot soapy water will break up those solids so that they can be rinsed away so your anti-slip floors will be at peak performance.

Spot Clean Promptly

When there is a spill or other problem area, don’t let it wait. The faster it gets cleaned up, the less chance it has of causing a slip and fall. Make sure to use a highly visible “Wet Floor” sign both before and after it gets mopped up. However, when the mopped area has dried, remove those signs promptly. Many companies leave the signs up far too long, training customers to ignore the warnings, as the floors underneath the signs are dry up to 65% of the time.

Make Cleaning Easier

Seeing everything that’s involved in keeping anti-slip floors properly clean, you’ll definitely want to make cleaning them as easy as possible. Having mats at each entrance of your restaurant will prevent water, dirt, and oils from getting tracked in on anyone’s shoes. Select your mats carefully to make sure they have a high-traction backing and replace them whenever they get frayed or bent, otherwise the mats themselves can become a trip hazard. Finally, whenever the floors underneath the mats are cleaned, make sure they are completely dry before laying the mat down again.

If you install good anti-slip flooring, such as SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating, and then follow these cleaning guidelines, you’ll create a safer environment for your employees and patrons.