It’s the day of the big game. Your favorite team is playing your not-so-favorite team. It’s almost half time and you think, maybe this is your chance to sneak off to the restroom, since your team is winning, and get a drop on the other 70,000 people in attendance.
You pop down the stairs, trip into the restroom and immediately think, wow, the place is so clean. Even the vinyl floors are well cared for, and do you know why? Because the stadium has a cracker-jack stadium cleaning crew and they’re dynamite at cleaning vinyl floors.
They understand that when it comes to vinyl, the enemy is dust, sand and grit particles that can dull and mar the surface, so sweeping regularly is an imperative. Use a soft bristle broom, or if you prefer to vacuum, make sure to choose a vacuum that doesn’t have a beater bar, which can scratch the vinyl flooring.
Mop the floor with clean, warm water, and then rinse thoroughly with fresh water. Use one mop to clean with and one for rinsing; soap scum collects dirt, as any owner of a stadium cleaning company knows. For resistant dirt and stains, use cleaning products recommended by the vinyl’s manufacturer. If all else fails, use an ounce of liquid dish detergent mixed in a gallon of clean, warm water and don’t forget to rinse thoroughly.
Do not use harsh detergents, abrasive chemicals or cleaners, or mop-and-shine products on vinyl. These will ruin the vinyl’s glossy finish. And don’t flood vinyl flooring. Excess water can seep into cracks, seams and around the floor edges and destroy the glue that holds the vinyl to the subflooring.
A quick word about waxing a vinyl floor from a professional stadium cleaning crew: Don’t. It will destroy the polyurethane finish that gives the flooring its glossy finish. If, for whatever reason the vinyl loses its shine, use a polish or sealant made for vinyl flooring to restore its gloss. Make sure the floor is thoroughly clean and dry, and then apply one or two thin coats. Done correctly, the shine should keep for a year.
Today’s Linoleum
Linoleum is a vinyl specialty product from the 1950s. For decades linoleum was the flooring choice for every public school and hospital in the country. It was and still is a green dream, composed of linseed oil, wood flour or cork dust over canvas—hard to get more environmentally friendly than that. It comes in a variety of styles and lasts a very long time.
Unfortunately, linoleum has two drawbacks: it doesn’t come in white and it has a dull surface—in other words, you have to wax it, something the owner of a stadium cleaning company knows only too well. Also, its surface isn’t as resistant to dirt and grit as vinyl is, so it should be swept every day. Wash linoleum with a mild dish detergent, using one mop to wash with and one to rinse. Let dry thoroughly, and then wax when it loses its sheen, using only the amount called for on the floor wax container.
A Word about Floor Mats
To slow down the attack on dirt and dust for both vinyl and linoleum, suggest to your client that she place floor mats inside and outside entryways. Mats keep dirt and grit from becoming ground into the vinyl and ruining or staining the finish. These mats should be swept daily and washed weekly.
A clean stadium restroom is one of the best joys in the world. If you’re going to spend an afternoon watching football, it’s nice to know there’s a stadium cleaning crew out there committed to providing you with a clean, beautiful environment to play in. Now that’s a spiked ball if there ever was one.
