A guide to caring for commercial floors

In commercial premises, floors take heavy traffic every day: constant footfall, furniture being moved, spills, and dust brought in on people's shoes. A poorly maintained floor deteriorates quickly, loses its shine and eventually needs costly replacement. Beyond appearance, a dirty floor covering poses real risks to occupants' safety -- slippery surfaces, lifting floor coverings -- and to indoor air quality, particularly in spaces open to the public.

A maintenance programme suited to the type of floor covering considerably extends the life of floors, keeps a faultless professional image and helps maintain a healthy working environment. Each material -- tiles, wood flooring, carpet, polished concrete, linoleum -- has its own requirements in terms of cleaning, products and frequency. This guide sets out good practice for each of them.

Caring for tiled floors

Tiles are very common in building entrance halls, staff canteen kitchens, toilets and commercial spaces. Their durability makes them a popular choice, but they still need looking after. The weak point of tiled floors is the grout, which absorbs dirt and quickly turns grey without regular cleaning.

Recommended techniques: routine care of tiled floors consists of daily damp sweeping followed by washing with a neutral detergent. It is essential to avoid acidic products on natural stone tiles (marble, travertine) and overly alkaline products on polished porcelain stoneware, which can dull the surface. For grout, monthly cleaning with a brush and a dedicated product prevents mould from becoming ingrained.

Frequency: in high-traffic areas such as building entrance halls or office corridors, machine washing with a scrubber-dryer is recommended three to five times a week. Full stripping followed by a new coat of polish or a water-repellent treatment can be scheduled once or twice a year to restore the tiles' shine. Our teams regularly carry out cleaning of building common areas, where tiled floors are very common.

Caring for parquet and wooden floors

Parquet brings warmth and elegance to offices, meeting rooms and reception areas. How it should be cared for depends directly on its finish: varnished, oiled or waxed. Using the wrong product or the wrong technique can cause irreversible damage.

Varnished parquet

Varnished parquet is protected by a varnish that forms a waterproof film on the surface. Caring for it is relatively simple: daily sweeping with a dry microfibre mop to remove dust, followed by weekly washing with a well-wrung mop and a mild, pH-neutral soap. Above all, avoid standing water, which can seep between the boards and make the wood swell. Every two to three years, a light sanding followed by a fresh coat of varnish restores the wood's protection.

Oiled parquet

Oiled parquet needs closer attention because the oil penetrates the wood fibres without forming a protective film on the surface. Routine care is the same -- microfibre sweeping and gentle washing -- but a coat of maintenance oil must be reapplied every six to twelve months in high-traffic areas. This nourishes the wood in depth and renews its protection against stains and moisture. If there is a scratch or a localised stain, the advantage of oiled parquet is that it can be repaired locally without treating the whole surface.

Mistakes to avoid

Several mistakes are commonly seen in the care of parquet in commercial premises: using steam cleaners, which cause thermal shock and make the wood expand; using products containing ammonia or bleach, which attack finishes and discolour the wood; and using too much water, a frequent cause of premature deterioration of solid or engineered wood floors. Finally, protective pads under the legs of chairs and furniture are essential to limit scratches in workspaces.

Caring for carpets and textile floor coverings

Textile floor coverings are widely used in offices, hotels and conference spaces. They offer welcome acoustic and thermal comfort, but cleaning them requires specific techniques. We offer a dedicated professional carpet cleaning service for businesses in the Paris region (Île-de-France).

Daily vacuuming

Vacuuming is the basis of carpet care. In a commercial setting, it should be done daily with a vacuum cleaner fitted with a rotating brush, which lifts the fibres and dislodges embedded particles. High-traffic areas -- entrances, corridors, circulation areas -- deserve particular attention, with a slow and methodical pass. Thorough vacuuming removes most dry soiling and prevents dirt from becoming deeply ingrained.

Deep cleaning

Even with daily vacuuming, over the months carpet builds up greasy soiling, organic residues and allergens that only deep cleaning can remove. Hot water extraction is very effective: a detergent solution is sprayed under pressure into the fibres and immediately vacuumed up along with the dissolved dirt. For moisture-sensitive carpets, dry encapsulation is an effective alternative. Professional carpet cleaning is recommended at least twice a year, or even every quarter in high-traffic areas.

Stain removal

The golden rule of carpet stain removal is speed: the sooner a stain is treated, the easier it is to remove. For liquid stains (coffee, tea, fruit juice), blot up the excess immediately with an absorbent cloth without rubbing, then apply a suitable stain remover from the edge of the stain towards the centre to avoid spreading it. Greasy stains need a mild solvent, while ink or felt-tip stains require specific alcohol-based products. In every case, test first on an inconspicuous area to check that the colours will not run.

Caring for polished concrete and resin floors

Polished concrete and epoxy or polyurethane resin floors are increasingly common in industrial spaces, showrooms, loft-style offices and modern commercial premises. Despite their robust appearance, these floor coverings are sensitive to harsh chemicals and to scratching.

Routine care consists of daily sweeping with a microfibre mop to remove abrasive particles, followed by washing with pH-neutral soap and lukewarm water. It is vital to avoid acidic products (vinegar, descalers), abrasive cleaners and metal squeegees, which would damage the protective film on the surface. To keep polished concrete looking its best, a protective wax should be applied every six months. In industrial settings, industrial cleaning of resin floors is best done with a scrubber-dryer fitted with soft pads.

Caring for linoleum and vinyl floors

Linoleum and vinyl (PVC) floors, also known as resilient floors, are very common in hospitals, schools, nurseries, offices and shops. Ease of cleaning is one of their main advantages, but without proper care they eventually become dull and fragile.

Daily care consists of damp sweeping followed by washing with a mild, slightly alkaline detergent. Natural linoleum, made from plant-based raw materials (linseed oil, wood flour, natural resins), is sensitive to highly alkaline products, which can discolour it. For vinyl, general-purpose pH-neutral products are perfectly suitable. In both cases, it is advisable to apply a protective metallised emulsion (floor polish) after each stripping to form a glossy film that protects the floor covering against wear and makes daily cleaning easier. This is generally done two to four times a year depending on the level of traffic.

Floor stripping and polishing: bringing your floors back to life

Stripping is a restoration process that removes all the layers of wax, emulsion or protective coating built up on a hard floor (tiles, linoleum, vinyl, polished concrete) before a new protective coat is applied. Over time, successive layers of polish turn yellow, trap dirt and give the floor a dull, uneven look. Stripping provides a clean, even base to start again from.

The process has several stages: first, a preliminary sweep to remove debris, then the application of a professional stripper suited to the type of floor covering, followed by a pass with a rotary floor machine fitted with a black or brown abrasive pad. The stripper dissolves the old protective layers, which are then picked up by the scrubber-dryer or removed with a squeegee. After thorough rinsing with clean water and complete drying, two to three coats of metallised emulsion are applied with an applicator mop to rebuild a glossy, hard-wearing protective film.

This work requires professional skill and suitable equipment. Poorly executed stripping -- a product that is too concentrated, too long a contact time, too abrasive a pad -- can damage the floor covering irreversibly. That is why we recommend entrusting this task to experienced technicians who understand the specific characteristics of each material.

Atlantis: spotless floors for your premises

Since 2000, Atlantis has been helping businesses, property and building managers, and public bodies in the Paris region to look after their commercial floors.

We offer regular cleaning contracts tailored to your needs and budget, including daily cleaning, periodic carpet cleaning, and floor stripping and polishing for hard floors. Every site has a written specification, by zone, by task and by frequency. Based in Clamart (92140), we work throughout the Paris region, including outside normal working hours so as not to disrupt your business.

Would you like a quote for the care of your floors? Contact us by phone or email. Free, no-obligation quote.