Hard Surface – Floors – Salt It’s a Problem

The past week have seen snow and ice disappear from the cold snap that gripped the Lower Mainland following Christmas. But not everything has disappeared; salt residue remains on a number of hard surface floors and common hallway carpet. Although, it is somewhat ironic given the lengths residents went to obtain the stuff several weeks ago, now the residue can be extremely difficult to remove by normal cleaning solutions. Mopping with soap or other sanitizers are basically useless on hard surface floors, and may only serve to spread the discolouration around. Carpets face a different issue. There the salt, as well as mud and sand get into the carpet matrix, which requires significantly more work to remove.

The essential problem is that the residue has a very high Ph. that needs to be neutralized before it can be removed. Basic chemistry suggest you can use an acidic solution, but this presents a number of potential challenges that make it a less than desirable approach. We have several products that can neutralize the residue that can then be mopped up. For carpets this requires more subtle changes to the carpet cleaning approach. Our staff are trained to recognize the proper solution and approach to dealing residue, and can make quick work of the problem. So if you want to remove the last reminder of the cold winter weather, give us a call.