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August 06, 2026 5 min read
You see it every season - moisture and de-icing salt get tracked into your facility and take a toll on your flooring. A little winter floor care goes a long way in keeping your business looking pristine, all while protecting your flooring investment.
We’ll show you how to care for a commercial floor during winter below. It’s as simple as using good-quality floor mats (and keeping those clean), upping your floor cleaning frequency, and investing in better equipment - like a commercial floor scrubber.
SweepScrub helps thousands of companies rethink their floor care regimen every winter. You can get in touch with our team today for one-on-one support. Or, learn more below!
There are two main challenges the winter season brings as it pertains to floor care: moisture and abrasion. Either one would be an issue. But together, they can really take a toll on your expensive flooring.
Snowmelt and slush are tracked in from outside anytime someone steps foot into your building. That melts into water and pools on hard surfaces or saturates carpeted surfaces. It can degrade surfaces like VCT or linoleum, stain polished concrete, and seep into grout lines - promoting mildew and mold growth.
De-icing salt is the bigger threat to commercial flooring because it literally acts as an abrasive underfoot. Rock salt and calcium chloride crystals are placed on the steps/sidewalk right outside your front door and accompany any visitor that comes inside.
But it’s not just the abrasive action that poses a threat to your facility’s flooring. Salt residue can eat through the finish on VST and linoleum, leaving behind ugly white stains. It can also sit in the pores of concrete, causing spalling and pitting.
There’s no getting around it. Salt is a necessary evil, as slips and falls cause 15% of accidental deaths - second only to motor vehicles.1 You just need to know how to care for a commercial floor during winter.
Each of these steps builds upon the last. Implement all of them to overhaul your winter floor care regimen and enjoy peace of mind this season.
This is the best defense against the elements. A good entry mat (and a sign politely asking entrants to stomp their feet out on the mat) will trap moisture and salt residue so it doesn’t actually come in contact with your hard flooring or carpet.
Don’t cut corners here. Longer mats work better than short ones. Each shoe needs several steps of contact to shed what’s stuck in its traction. Clean these mats throughout the day (or have replacements on hand).
Even daily sweeping or mopping may not cut it during harsh winter weather. You might need to do a quick cleanup twice a day during snowstorms - halfway through the day and then again before you close up for the evening.
How you clean can make or break your commercial flooring. We mentioned sweeping and mopping above - those two methods have always been the go-to. But they really just spread the mess around rather than actually picking it up.
It’s worth investing in a good commercial floor sweeper to pick up salt crystals and grit before they get ground into the finish. Then, you can follow up with a floor scrubber to lift away the residue that has dried into your flooring. There are even floor sweeper scrubber machines that handle both tasks in one pass, saving you time, money, and storage space.
Use a neutral pH cleaner, as acidic or alkaline cleaners might react with the salt and leave streaks or haze on the surface. Our team here at SweepScrub can not only help you pick the right cleaning equipment for winter floor care, but also safe, effective chemicals.
We spoke to the risk of slips and falls earlier. Snowmelt puddles are an accident waiting to happen. Ideally, your floor mats would catch these, but they can form around coat racks as well.
Salt spills are even worse - or salt-laden water messes. These can start eating away at the finish on your flooring and leave it vulnerable to damage.
Really, any spill on your floor should immediately become the top priority. This prevents the mess from working its way into the flooring surface and forming a stain. Post wet floor signs until the area is dry.
Our advice on how to care for a commercial floor during winter is very different from hard flooring. A heavy-duty commercial vacuum cleaner is just one piece of the puzzle, as salt and road grime get trapped deep within the fibers.
Keep a carpet extractor on hand for periodic maintenance. This should be scheduled once a month, if not once every two weeks. We have some really great commercial carpet extractors to choose from here at SweepScrub.
We know you came here to learn how to care for a commercial floor during winter - and we hope these tips help you keep your facility pristine all season long. But it’s not a bad idea to look ahead to warmer weather this spring. Because even with the best winter floor care routine, winter takes a toll.
VCT might need a full strip-and-recoat. Concrete could benefit from resealing. Hardwood floors will probably require screening with a fresh finish coat. Begin planning (and budgeting) for these expenditures now.
We hope you feel confident in caring for your commercial flooring. Our team at SweepScrub has both the equipment and expertise you need to maintain impeccable conditions all year round.
Connect with our customer service team today for one-on-one guidance. We’ll talk about your facility layout, your flooring, and the types of messes you encounter. Then, we’ll point you towards the equipment and supplies you need, with tips on making the most of them.
It all starts with a conversation. Reach out today and take the stress out of winter floor care!
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It is unfortunate that my original pump failed within a year after purchasing the scrubber; however, the replacement pump worked great
Excellent service and good products!
Cleaner Floors had the exact part I needed for our floor cleaner we use at our memory care facility. Excellent service and fast shipping. I would recommend them and definitely order again from them.
