GENERAL:
(UltraStat, ZeroStat, DuroStat/LG, PolyStat,
UniStat & EuroStat)
NOTE: ESDVinylTile.com DOES NOT
RECOMMEND THE USE OF ANY REGULAR APPLICATION
OF WAX OR SYNTHETIC FLOOR FINISH ON OUR STATIC
DISSIPATIVE OR CONDUCTIVE ESD FLOORING
SYSTEMS. THE USE OF ANY SUCH MATERIAL WILL BUILD
AN INSULATING FILM ON THE FLOOR AND
REDUCE ITS EFFECTIVENESS. OTHER CONDUCTIVE, STATIC
DISSIPATIVE, AND ANTISTATIC FLOOR FINISHES
MAY RAISE THE RESISTANCE OF OUR STATIC DISSIPATIVE
OR CONDUCTIVE ESD FLOORING SYSTEMS.
THEREFORE, THE USE OF THESE PRODUCTS MAY ADVERSELY
AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR PERMANENTLY STATIC DISSIPATIVE OR CONDUCTIVE
ESD FLOORING SYSTEMS.
INITIAL CLEANUP / MAINTENANCE
(NOTE: Do not wash or machine scrub the floor for
at least 5 days after installation. This is to
allow proper curing
for the adhesive and to prevent excess moisture
from interfering with the adhesive bond).
- Remove all surface soil, debris, sand and
grit by sweeping or dust mopping.
- Scrub the floor
with a neutral pH (7-8.5) detergent such as “ZeroStat
Clean”,
Johnson Wax professional Stride Citrus, Diversey
Lever/Taski R-50, or equivalent.
- Apply cleaning solution
with mop and bucket.
Damp Mop Only…
- As Required: Scrub using
a rotary scrubber with scrubbing pad or automatic
scrubber
with scrubbing
pads. (Note: Do not flood the floor w/ cleaning
solution and rinse water, use as
little water as possible.) MORE IS NOT ALWAYS
BETTER!
- Pick up solution with a wet vac or
mop..
- Rinse with clean cool water, (Repeat “Step
# 5) and allow floor to dry.
Note: For ESD Control Installations, DO
NOT WAX OR APPLY FLOOR FINISH. However,
you may achieve a
high gloss appearance by using a high speed
machine and buffing / polishing pad.
DAILY / REGULAR MAINTENANCE
- Remove all surface soil by sweeping
or dust mopping.
Option 1 - Dry Maintenance Method
(preferred method)
- Spray clean or burnish floor
using a rotary buffing machine (1200-1500
r.p.m.)
with appropriate
pads and a spray buff solution that contains
water, alcohol and neutral detergent, or “ZeroStat
Buff”, our ESD spray buff solution.
If heavy cleaning is necessary use “ZeroStat
Nose”, Diversey
Lever/Taski strip, or equivalent and a
brown pad.
Option 2 – Wet Maintenance
Method
- Scrub floor with a neutral pH
(7-8.5) detergent such as “ZeroStat
Clean”,
Diversey Lever/Taski R-
50, Johnson Wax Professional Stride Citrus,
or equivalent. If floor is exposed to grease
or oil, use a
degreasing detergent such as “ZeroStat
Citrus”, Diversey Lever/Taski, Profi,
or equivalent.
- Scrub with rotary scrubber
with scrubbing pad or automatic scrubber
with scrubbing
pads.
(Note: Do not flood the floor w/ cleaning
solution or rinse water, use as little
water as
possible.) MORE IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER!
- Pick
up solution with a wet vac.
- Rinse with clean
cool water, (Repeat “Step
# 5) and allow floor to dry.
CAUTION: For ESD control installations, DO NOT
WAX OR APPLY ANY FLOOR FINISH. Vinyl flooring will become slippery
when wet. Care must be taken when walking upon the wet floor. Appropriate "Warning" or "Caution" placards
should be used if traffic is possible while the floor is wet.
Subject: SPECIAL INCIDENTS MAINTENANCE
Preventions and Remedies for ESDVinylTile.com Floor Care
General Considerations:
Safety First: Wet Floors are normally more slippery
so when cleaning proceed with caution. This
awareness is even more important in Health Care applications when protective
nylon footwear is
worn. Use proper signage and always keep traffic off floors until they are
thoroughly dry. Slipping
on an improperly maintained floor is not considered the fault of the flooring
product.
- Walk off Mats: A completely “maintenance free” floor covering
does not exist. However, as the majority of dirt (as high as 80%) entering
the building comes in on people’s
feet it makes sense to provide for an effective walkout mat system. It is
also important that this is maintained correctly to ensure that it is fulfilling
its function.
A good walk off system will not totally prevent soil from entering a building
but it will substantially reduce the soiling and make for easier maintenance.
A balance will have to be struck between the aesthetic requirements 0f the
mat and its function. Mats can be loose laid, provided by a mat rental company
where they are changed for fresh mats on a pre-agreed schedule, or those, which
are sunk into a mat well. Of those within a mat well, a scraper function is
provided by metal channels, moisture and dirt absorbency by the material inserted
into the channels, which can be moved or replaced as it becomes worn. A barrier
mat when only one or two steps are taken prior to reaching the floor material
will not remove sufficient soil and it can take 4-10 steps before the soil
is removed. If the mat is not properly maintained, the dirt from the first
steps will gradually clog the mat and be transferred subsequently to the floor covering.
- Disinfectants, Sanitizers, Sterilants: Quaternary ammonium compounds
are the primary products used in hospital disinfection procedures. For the
most
part, when necessary neutral pH disinfectants are mixed at their proper dilution
ratio they will have little or no effect on the physical properties of most
floor coverings.
Phenolic, which is used as a disinfectant against the TB microbe is very caustic
and may have adverse affects on the physical properties of any floor covering
or other surfaces in which they come in contact with, including leaving a
slippery residue which may cause a hazardous condition. After each application
of phenolic, thoroughly rinsing the surface with clean water and wet vacing will
help reduce the risk of slipperiness and resulting damage to the floor covering.
When protective footwear is used, the odds of slipping are greatly increased.
However, ESDVinylTile.com does not recommend the use of phenolic and the manufacturer’s
warranty will not cover damage or harm caused by phenolic. Using a combination
of phenolic and quaternary ammonium may have a detrimental effect and create
a hazardous condition. The improper use of disinfectant cleaners can also produce a discoloration of the flooring surface.
- Color: Color choice can have a significant affect on the apparent cleanliness
of a floor covering. Very light colors show dark colored soil and dark colors
show light colored soil. Patterned or marbleized floor coverings have very
good soil concealing characteristics. The color selection of the flooring
material should play an important part in the specifiers decision process.
A correct maintenance program will enhance the vibrancy of the colors and
the overall appearance of the floor. However, if a correct maintenance program
may be in question, the color selection of the flooring material should play
an even more important part in the specifiers decision process.
- Petroleum and Anti-Oxidant Staining: Rubber products, particularly dark
colored ones like tires, casters, floor mats and asphalt sealers, as used
in parking lots and walkways, contain chemicals that can permanently stain
floor coverings, although effect is less marked with linoleum than vinyls.
Precautions should be taken in places where the problem is likely to arise,
such as car showrooms, hospitals and supermarkets. For example, in a car showroom,
put a small mat under each tire thus preventing any transfer of the anti-oxidant
discoloration.
Note: This staining can happen on any type of flooring just in varying degrees.
When possible, ask
your supplier of equipment for non-staining wheels or mats.
- Use of High pH Cleaners and Strippers: If the factory finish is mistakenly
damaged by traditional wet striping methods, the linoleum itself will absorb
the stripping solution. The caustic nature of most strippers will also cause
a color change in linoleum, normally yellowing any of the lighter shades of
color. If it absorbs the solution, linoleum will expand and become softer.
In this softened state it is easily damaged with the heavy duty stripping
pads normally used in the traditional wet stripping method. The use of high
pH cleaners, strippers, and abrasive powders may damage any flooring. Frequent
treatment without rinsing may cause cracking, shrinking and/or discoloration.
The effect of strong alkaline cleaners is particularly marked with linoleum.
- Powdering: Many floor finishes may powder when applied to resilient flooring
if it has been damaged from stripping, using heavy alkaline cleaners or using
abrasive pads/brushes. Powdering is a result of poor film formation; instead
of forming a tough, continuous film, the coating cracks or checks badly, especially
after cleaning. Powdering may also occur from applying multiple coats of finish
and not allowing proper drying time between the applications of each coat
of finish.
- Staining: No flooring product is impervious to every type of chemical,
acid, solvent, ect. Check the stain resistance chart of each product for
common
substances. If spills from iodine-based products cannot be prevented, then
the selection of color to mask the stains will help. The application of 2
to 3 coats of a recommended floor finish can always assist in preventing stains
and can be removed and restored of staining occurs. It is always best to remove
such staining agents
as soon as possible.
- Spills: Remove as soon as possible, mop with clean cool water and use
proper caution signs. Prolonged contact of some fluids may be harmful to
the surface
of the flooring and/or may cause staining. Spills are considered an unavoidable
hazard. Make sure people are aware of the problems and liability caused by
spills, as well as the necessity for immediate attention.
- Heel Marks: Black heel marks can be removed from linoleum using a fine
nylon pad moistened with the selected polish. On vinyls, use a clean white
cloth
with mineral spirits. Rinse thoroughly with a clean cloth and water. Allow
to dry. You may also consider our ZeroStat Diamond Seal II as a protective
barrier to make the removal of scuff marks quick and easy.
- Cigarette Burns and Gum: Cigarette butts stubbed out on a linoleum floor
only char the surface, rather than melt it and marks made in this way can
normally be removed by using fine steel wool, followed by an application of
floor finish. On a vinyl floor covering, however, the heat of the cigarette
butt will often melt the material and this may leave a permanent mark on the
floor. Gum can be removed with a putty knife and mineral spirits.
- Equipment and Handling: Rolling equipment should have flat wheels without
ridges. Do not pull or slide heavy furniture or other objects across the flooring.
This aids in avoiding scratches, cuts or even tearing the flooring away. The
use of dollies on thin sheets of wood or masonite can offer the best protection
when moving heavy objects. Swivel caster wheels made of non-staining plastic
or hard rubber are best for desk chairs. If pressure exerted by an object on
the floor covering exceeds the floor rated capacity permanent indentations
may occur.
- Maintenance Equipment Care: Keep all equipment clean. Wash out pads,
applicators and brushes after use. The mop or applicator used for polish
should be reserved
for this purpose only. Cleaning equipment contaminated with bleach may cause
color fading.
- Cleaning Machine Pads: The color codes indicating grades of pads vary according
to the manufacturer, and also according to the type of machine that is used,
i.e. standard, high speed or ultra high speed.
For example: Fine grade, for dry burnishing |
3M |
Diversey Lever |
Non-buffable polishes |
White |
Mint |
For medium grade spray cleaning |
Red |
Mint |
For heavy duty cleaning |
Blue |
Purple |
Course grade, for stripping high
speed burnishing |
Blue
Check with product
manufacturer. |
Purple
Check with product
manufacturer |
Note: The use of a black stripping pad is not recommended with ESDVinylTile.com
floor coverings. Misuse can cause damage to the flooring material. A black
stripping pad can be used on an existing noncushioned floor covering to remove the finish for application of another resilient floor
covering.
ESDVinylTile.com does not warrant or guarantee the herein described maintenance
products or their performance. ESDVinylTile.com own limited 5-year
warranty on its products. Please refer to the specifications published by ESDVinylTile.com or contact ESDVinylTile.com for details. |