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Fixing Slippery Gym Floors

Now that school has been back in session for a few months, slippery gym floor complaints might be on the rise.  This can be a serious issue that gets attention of top administrators and concerned parents.  To prevent floors from becoming a safety issue, proper maintenance is the key.

When slippery gym floors become a problem, the blame is frequently placed on the finish that was applied to the floor.  Often, the finish itself is not the culprit.

Everyone is concerned about what should be used to clean wood floors for fear the floors might be damaged.   For those that have wood floors in homes, sometimes they use such products as Murphy’s Oil Soap, vinegar, or other mild cleaners. Likewise, on gym floors, the product selected to clean the floor may be a mild product like a neutral floor cleaner. This may be the same product used to clean tile floors in hallways and classrooms.

The problem is that slippery gym floors are most often a result of contamination on the floor.  Types of contamination include dry dirt, dust, water, beverages, sweat, body oils, food, dust mop treatments, detergents, food and more.  Regular dust mopping for loose soil and proper wet cleaning to remove adhered soils is critical.  Those mild cleaners (i.e. neutral cleaners) that are used because of the fear of harming the floor or the finish, just won’t do the job.  A stronger cleaner is needed, but one that will not harm the floor, dull the floor, or leave a residue.  Multi-Clean makes Hi-Trac, a product specifically designed for hard wood sports floors. 

Gym Floor Cleaner

If slippery floor complaints are already occurring, action needs to be taken.  In this case, the gym floor cleaner combined with aggressive scrubbing will be required to bring the floor back into playing condition.  Follow these steps:

  1. Thoroughly dry dust mop or sweep the floor to remove all loose debris and dirt.
  2. Prepare the Multi-Clean Hi-Trac solution according to label instructions.
  3. For scrubbing, use a 175 rpm floor machine or automatic scrubber with a BLUE pad. If you will be using an automatic scrubber*, fill the tank with the cleaning solution.
  4. Apply solution to areas of the floor then scrub with the floor machine or scrubber. Work an area no more than 1000 sq. ft. Pick up the solution after scrubbing with a wet-dry vacuum or the scrubber.
  5. Allow the floor to dry.

*Note:  For newly installed gym floors, autoscrubbing may not be allowed in the first 1-2 years after installation.

Multi-Clean makes Hi-Trac, a wood floor cleaner and maintainer made specifically for hard wood gym floors.  It is used to maintain and restore traction on wood gym floors.

woodcover

 

Visit our Wood Floor Webpage to get more information on Hi-Trac, and ProFloor Extreme Gym Floor Finish.

 

 

 

 

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