Perfecting the first impression

FORT WORTH, TX —  It might be hard to imagine, but years ago it was not uncommon for many facilities — including hospitals, apartment buildings and schools — to simply have an entryway connected to hallways, according to a press release.

However, today most public facilities have some type of lobby or "welcome area," and usually they are considered the first — and often lasting — impression visitors have of a facility, the release stated.

Keep your floor care maintenance costs to a minimum

Because of their high visibility and because they typically receive the greatest amount of foot traffic in the facility, lobby floors deserve and require top-notch cleaning and maintenance, the release noted.

"Lobby floors are actually transition points between streets and parking lots," said Mike Englund, a custodial trainer and floor care expert at Powr-Flite.

"Because of this, keeping lobby floors clean prevents outdoor soils from being tracked into other areas of the building," Englund added.

Englund suggests installing 10 to 15 feet of matting at the building entry, along with the following:

• Vacuum entry matting throughout the day
• Dust mop, damp mop and/or vacuum lobby floors throughout the day
• Perform heavy wet-cleaning — using a neutral detergent to protect the floor's finish — after business hours each day
• Using a restorer, buff or burnish lobby floors daily; this removes scuff marks and rejuvenates the floor's finish.

Click here to read the complete release.