Monday's Ask the Experts: Caring for rubber tile

November 9, 2009

Monday''s Ask the Experts question from a cleaning professional on the International Custodial Advisors Network (ICAN) "Ask the Experts" page: We recently had Roppe Corporation rubber tile put down in one of our units. We will not put down sealer or finish due to the patient population for this area. What is the best way to care for this product?

The Roppe representative and the installer were no help. They say a 1,000-revolution per minute (RPM) machine will bring out the natural paraffin wax to produce a low luster sheen. Before I purchase the machine, tell me if it is effective.

We are also having difficulty keeping the floor looking clean with just a flat mop method. We are having to scrub once a month with a slow-speed, neutral cleaner and white super-polish pad. Any ideas to help maintain between scrubbings?

The answer:

Roppe rubber tile is a wonderful flooring, if you don''t mess it up. We''ve been teaching the following at Janitor University for 17 years with uniform excellent results on rubber floors.

Contact someone from Taski, a division of JohnsonDiversey Inc., for most of your products.

#1 - Use a Taski High/Low brush on a slow-speed (175 RPM) buffer or get a Taski Mono buffer for scrubbing these floors.

#2 - Clean floors daily by mopping with ... John Walker, president of ManageMen Inc., founder of the Janitor University and former ISSA director of education and training.

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