Entrance matting, by its very nature, will get dirty. It is the first part of the floor that people will walk on when they enter your building and therefore it will become covered in dirt, grime and water from outside.
What’s more, this is its purpose – to prevent dirt and bacteria from being spread further inside your premises. But to ensure that your entrance matting works as effectively as possible, it will need to be cleaned regularly and thoroughly.
How often should you clean entrance matting?
As entrance matting gets dirty quickly, it needs to be cleaned daily. For the most part, a thorough vacuum should work to lift the worst of the dirt and debris out of your entrance mat.
It is worth bearing in mind that a standard vacuum cleaner may not be sufficient if your entrance mat receives a high level of foot traffic, especially if people are bringing water inside, such as after walking through puddles.
You may therefore want to invest in a wet vacuum cleaner to ensure that the dirty water, as well as any debris, is lifted out of your entrance matting when it’s cleaned each day. These devices are designed to suck up water, which makes them useful in such settings.
Do you need to change the frequency of mat cleaning in the winter compared to summer?
You should clean your entrance mats daily regardless of the season, but depending on the conditions where you’re based you may need to clean your mats more than once a day during the autumn and winter.
For instance, this autumn, the UK has experienced 120 per cent of its average rainfall for this period, making it one of the wettest autumns on record.
Incredibly wet weather might mean your entrance matting needs cleaning more than once a day to ensure it doesn’t become sodden and that it still functions as a barrier to people walking dirt and debris into your premises.
What other cleaning does entrance matting require?
Depending on how dirty your entrance matting becomes, every three to six months it is advisable to deep clean it. This usually involves using hot water and a cleaning agent that is sprayed onto the matting at a high pressure and immediately sucked up, removing the dirt with it.
This will remove any dirt or grit that is more deeply ingrained in your entrance matting, not only making it look better but also making it more hygienic. Regular deep cleaning of entrance matting is also essential to prolong its life.
Even highly durable matting, like Gradus entrance matting, needs regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure it lasts as long as possible.
You may also need to perform spot cleaning on your entrance matting to remove, for instance, chewing gum or other stubborn stains. The specific spot cleaning method you use will depend on the stain you’re tackling.
For chewing gum, however, it’s recommended that you use freeze spray chewing gum remover to ensure you can lift the substance out of your entrance mat without damaging it.