Dirty deeds of floor cleaning

[Bryce C]

This place was disgusting. Didn't realize just how filthy it was until we got into it. A mentor of mine strongly encouraged me to stay away from dirty restaurants. Now I know why. We got stuck at this place way longer than expected. And didn't charge nearly enough for it. Such is life as a newb. But it's super local and we are friends with the owners so I figured we'd go for it. Good learning experience.

They have LVT floors which seems like a dumb choice for a greasy diner. I recommended afterwards that if he ever gets the floor replaced to go with synthetic carpet or tile and grout as they can be cleaned and maintained much more easily. We used Biobreak at 9.5 to 10pH, blue brushes on our crb, and 400 psi with Mike's hard surface wand. First pass looked unacceptably streaky with grease so we gave each section a final spray, scrub, and wet mop to level it out.

Spent 30 minutes cleaning the filth off of our hoses, cords, and everything after midnight to go back into residential the next morning.

 

[Bryce C]

How would you clean the wet nasty grease off of a hundred feet of hose connected to your tm to be prepared to go service residential afterwards? For us it worked out because we use a 15 ft solution/vac hose connected to our portable. Just coiled it up in their kitchen sink and blasted it with hot water, along with everything else. Felt like I was violated after we cleaned the place. Seemed like stellar results with our puny setup though...

 

[Mikey P]

Ahh young grasshopper, you must clean into the building not out of the building..

 

[Mikey P]

Next time put on a gas mask and pour down some purple power from your auto parts place and use a dark green pad under your soon-to-be in your possession 175, make sure to use a sling ring and wear your worse shoes...

 

[Mikey P]

These are fantastic jobs for you to learn on by the way and almost worth doing for free...


Which you probably did...lol

 

[Bryce C]

Ahh young grasshopper, you must clean into the building not out of the building..

Yep that makes a ton of sense. If only I did this the conventional way and spent time working under a pro before heading out on my own. I can't help it, I'm an unconventional barely intelligent enough cowboy...

 

[Mikey P]

Yep that makes a ton of sense. If only I did this the conventional way and spent time working under a pro before heading out on my own. I can't help it, I'm an unconventional barely intelligent enough cowboy...

Even if this was all you learned it would have been worth coming to Texas for....lol


Your head's going to pop at this event.

 

[Bryce C]

I charged our standard .27/square foot com rate because I had no idea. Came to $370. Funny though. The owner messaged me the next day and said "you guys killed it!......" I told him I'm very happy to hear you like the work we did, to be honest we got spanked and were there until 2am.

When we spoke on the phone later in the day he was concerned we may never come back, he wants and needs us desperately. I told him we have to go up on our price, and his crew needs to shift all the furniture to one half of the diner before we begin. We'll shift it to the other half midway through cleaning, and then his crew can reassemble it the next morning. He's into it. He's also giving us much more money than we quoted him for this first job and free breakfast this Sunday. Earning my stripes, learning the ropes, making friends, and getting by. I'm glad we did it to be honest. I'm slowly becoming a professional cleaner through the school of hard knocks.

 

[Bryce C]

Next time put on a gas mask and pour down some purple power from your auto parts place and use a dark green pad under your soon-to-be in your possession 175, make sure to use a sling ring and wear your worse shoes...

F'n brilliant. I love you Mike.

I was going to make a post about footwear soon. New shoes getting trashed quickly these days. Aggresive cleaning procedures in com deserve some beater footwear...

 

[Bryce C]

Next time put on a gas mask and pour down some purple power from your auto parts place and use a dark green pad under your soon-to-be in your possession 175, make sure to use a sling ring and wear your worse shoes...

Purple power an inexpensive grease obliterator, makes sense. Dark green pad and sling ring... Great tips, I'll remember them. Thanks Mike.

 

[Mikey P]

Bring lots of defoamer...

 

[Mikey P]

And see if you can get his staff to convert to a flat mop system..

Here is our time proven recommendation on the best way to maintain your tile, stone, vinyl and wood floors – The Connoisseur Carpet Cleaning blog.

 

[Bryce C]

Bring lots of defoamer...

Funny, some guy gave me a 50 gallon drum of Betco defoamer a few months ago when I bought a used wand off of him. Thought I might have that stuff until I retire.

 

[Bryce C]

Next time put on a gas mask and pour down some purple power

You mention a gas mask, are purple power type degreasers mostly solvent based?

 

[Bryce C]

What can I recommend to the owner for his own maintenance? He was ill advised getting an LVT floor in a greasy diner environment, but it is what it is and I need to give him the best advice that I can moving forward.

The standard recommendation I've seen is neutral pH no rinse cleaning agents for the home owner/business owner. However without mechanical scrubbing I have a hard time believing that will really cut through the grease in an environment like that. What I've advised him on thus far is to scrub the floor in some way at least once a week before continuing with his normal wet mopping procedure to break up and emulsify the grease that can then be mopped away more effectively. I told him he can use stiff nylon brushes from a box store, or buy a small 13" used 175 machine with an appropriate pad to speed up the process and make it easier work on his crew. Then moving to flat mops rather than spaghetti mops to reduce simply spreading a greasy film around.

I guess what I'm really interested in is A)is the above advice sound and reasonable for a business owner that is genuinely trying to better maintain his greasy LVT floors? B)what is the most effective yet still safe cleaning agent I can recommend to him that doesn't require being rinsed away (can he safely use something 8 to 9 pH spiked with de-greaser with no rinsing)?

Side note we had a nice conclusion to the initial cleaning this morning. The owners were thrilled to see us at their diner for breakfast. They treated us to a free meal, several mimosas, and they wrote us a check for $500 (we only quoted him $360 for the job). They love us, we love them. What a great experience...

 

[BIG WOOD]

I don't see anything wrong with getting an LVT floor for a restaurant. I'm sure he got it to prevent a slip hazard, since tile and grout and VCT can be very slippery when wet if it's glossy enough and carpet can stink if too many drinks are spilled and get sour if it isn't properly cleaned up.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Oh you sound like the #oldpeople at churches that equate gloss shine to slick Lvt probably is more slick than vct when wet.
Lvt is still the ticket, if maintained.

 

[Bryce C]

I don't see anything wrong with getting an LVT floor for a restaurant. I'm sure he got it to prevent a slip hazard, since tile and grout and VCT can be very slippery when wet if it's glossy enough and carpet can stink if too many drinks are spilled and get sour if it isn't properly cleaned up.

Oh you sound like the #oldpeople at churches that equate gloss shine to slick Lvt probably is more slick than vct when wet.
Lvt is still the ticket, if maintained.

If LVT is fine for a restaurant, which I believe you guys, then how is a restaurant owner supposed to maintain it effectively between professional cleanings using neutral pH cleaning agents as they were recommended to by the flooring installer?

 

[Bryce C]

Will neutral pH degreasers, mild scrubbing, and flat mops be sufficient for his crew to take better care of it?

I used Biobreak at 10 pH boosted with Citrasolve neutral pH degreaser...

 

[Kenny Hayes]

So, the good news is they won’t be able to. That’s why they will actually need you to come at frequent intervals. They can mop with neutral cleaner daily and from time to time with a degreaser. THEN, you can come in a do what you do mechanically to help them out. That’s the same as vct programs that we provide with daycares, schools, and churches. Thats how I make a living Well, used to.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

The degreaser will leave a residue but obviously #deepclean the floor. But, the next day they can use the neutral cleaner to help with residue. The residue won’t be as noticeable on lvt as vct. You can still buff it off with either with a high speed buffer. That’s why I pull a trailer

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

Will neutral pH degreasers, mild scrubbing, and flat mops be sufficient for his crew to take better care of it?

I used Biobreak at 10 pH boosted with Citrasolve neutral pH degreaser...

Bio Break is NOT THE PROPER chem for this job…

1: use Prochem Ultra PAC Extreme

2: mix @ 3 oz per gallon, into the hottest water available

3: pour the required amount of mixed chem onto the floor

4: use a flat mop to spread it out

5: use the CRB to aggregate BOTH directions (north south, east west)

6: extract; (starting @ the point where you bring your hoses in), working to the furthest place you agitate.

7: use a squeegee to draw the extra water to a point where you can extract it.

8: using a CLEAN flat mop pad, go over the entire area…

Collect cheque, repeat the process on the next job.

Oh, and go to Costco, Sam’s Club, whatever, and buy a dozen off white bath towels…

You’ll need them…

 

[Bryce C]

Bio Break is NOT THE PROPER chem for this job…

1: use Prochem Ultra PAC Extreme

2: mix @ 3 oz per gallon, into the hottest water available

3: pour the required amount of mixed chem onto the floor

4: use a flat mop to spread it out

5: use the CRB to aggregate BOTH directions (north south, east west)

6: extract; (starting @ the point where you bring your hoses in), working to the furthest place you agitate.

7: use a squeegee to draw the extra water to a point where you can extract it.

8: using a CLEAN flat mop pad, go over the entire area…

Collect cheque, repeat the process on the next job.

Oh, and go to Costco, Sam’s Club, whatever, and buy a dozen off white bath towels…

You’ll need them…

Thank you this is all super helpful

Prochem Ultra PAC Extreme has a rtu pH of 12. I was under the impression that high pH cleaners could damage vinyl flooring.

I was seeing streaks of grease after my first scrub and extraction, do you think that may have been because I didn't scrub in a cross hatch pattern like you recommend?

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

Thank you this is all super helpful

Prochem Ultra PAC Extreme has a rtu pH of 12. I was under the impression that high pH cleaners could damage vinyl flooring.

I was seeing streaks of grease after my first scrub and extraction, do you think that may have been because I didn't scrub in a cross hatch pattern like you recommend?

The streaks were prevalent because you used a chem that was not suitable for the job.

If concerned about the elevated PH, add a little acid rinse to the equation…

That floor is not going to look new whether or not you neutralized it…

Will it look better? Of course!!

Wii it look new?

No.

Lack of maintenance is the clients problem, not yours.

 

[BIG WOOD]

I agree

It’s not your job to tell him how to maintain a floor in a situation like that. Because to properly maintain a restaurant floor, he’d need two mop buckets and two different mops he’d need to rotate very frequently to try to pick up as much funk as possible without spreading it, in which he won’t do. So it’s just your job to be the superhero to make it look new again

As for your comment on the ph being too high. Yes it is. But it’s not normal soiling like you would clean in a clean house that just needs a cleaner with a ph7. It’s an abused floor with heavy grease where tables and chairs have already damaged it from sliding on it. So the rules don’t apply to this sutuation

But for homes…yes. Stick to the rule book or you’ll have visible footprints in the finish of the floor that are nearly impossible to remove

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

EVERY commercial job I do, inevitably, they use a SHYTE string mop to ‘clean’ the floors.

It’s always the same ‘Rasta’ mop, plunked into the bucket after they clean.

They never clean or replace the head.

Do me a favour, and check out the janitors closet….

First thing you need to do, is smell the air..

If it smells like an old dish rag, THEY ARE NOT maintaining it as they should. All they are doing, is spreading last night’s funk around….

 

[rubber city stripper]

I charged our standard .27/square foot com rate because I had no idea. Came to $370. Funny though. The owner messaged me the next day and said "you guys killed it!......" I told him I'm very happy to hear you like the work we did, to be honest we got spanked and were there until 2am.

When we spoke on the phone later in the day he was concerned we may never come back, he wants and needs us desperately. I told him we have to go up on our price, and his crew needs to shift all the furniture to one half of the diner before we begin. We'll shift it to the other half midway through cleaning, and then his crew can reassemble it the next morning. He's into it. He's also giving us much more money than we quoted him for this first job and free breakfast this Sunday. Earning my stripes, learning the ropes, making friends, and getting by. I'm glad we did it to be honest. I'm slowly becoming a professional cleaner through the school of hard knocks.

i just had a very similar experience myself. "nothing worth doing comes easy or cheap", ive heard people say.... but has anyone bothered to check the credentials first before disseminating information as wisdom?! haha.... best of luck man. i usually learn the hard way... makes future difficulties easier to shrug off and seem less serious at least. aaannndddd- satisfying a client only helps establishing a good reputation, which in turn leads to referrals and returning clients- both are much more valuable than a few hundred or even few thousand dollars when your struggling to establish yourself, at least i think?! my situation was very similar, including the part where they offered more money, except i was offered just a little more money, and a very old 13" low speed, that has a strong motor, but everything else needed fixed ir replaced, and the added money was instantly given back to pay the painters to cover up 2 wall patches that got sprayed with slur after my vac filter turned to mush, and i was told thst i only had to provide stripper, then found out there was a misunderstanding and had buy a case less than an hour before everywhere closed, so the 300 that was briefly dangled before me had actually turned into 400 w/ enexpected expenses... but i finished with a good learning experience and also exceeded clients expectations. pretty sure endless commercial jobs are in the future, and now i know what assert in my bid. not mad at all!

 

[hogjowl]

Ahh young grasshopper, you must clean into the building not out of the building..

Amen

 

[hogjowl]

If LVT is fine for a restaurant, which I believe you guys, then how is a restaurant owner supposed to maintain it effectively between professional cleanings using neutral pH cleaning agents as they were recommended to by the flooring installer?

Face it. There are no good options in flooring for the environment you describe. There’s no flooring that can be maintained by the customer. That’s why God made professionals. Of which, a few are carpet cleaners.

 

[rubber city stripper]

im currently providing my own fir the time being at least.... employer gave me a metric s$&t ton(ne) when i first started, and that was the only time i got mop heads. since then ive been machine washing my rinse mops and tossing solvent mops cuz it was drilled into me on day one. for some reason now the basic standard kit(a flat mop and strainer bucket, clean mops, air movers, dollies) are luxury items! i bought all that stuff on my own dime to do it right( i an using it for independent side work so not a total loss) but i cleaned out the last free dollar from my account and was rewarded with petty drama. when a company gets to a certain size and level of profitability it seems like theres a phenomenon of mental illness where great success and financial gain doesnt have value- the priority becomes $$$$$ at any expense. it's really motivating me to do whatever it takes to break free. 2025 lookout!
QUOTE="Sierra Clean Care, post: 44015, member: 54032"]
EVERY commercial job I do, inevitably, they use a SHYTE string mop to ‘clean’ the floors.

It’s always the same ‘Rasta’ mop, plunked into the bucket after they clean.

They never clean or replace the head.

Do me a favour, and check out the janitors closet….

First thing you need to do, is smell the air..

If it smells like an old dish rag, THEY ARE NOT maintaining it as they should. All they are doing, is spreading last night’s funk around….
[/QUOTE]