The easiest way to keep your floors dry?
Entrance matting!As the i-team HQ is based in Eindhoven (the Netherlands), we are very familiar with bad weather and wet floors. But whether you’re living on the Northern or Southern hemisphere: we’ve all experienced rainy days and wet or muddy floors. Obviously, dirty floors don’t do much for your company image. But it can also be quite dangerous as it poses slip and fall hazards. But no worries! There’s an easy solution and it’s called: entrance matting.
Does a building really need entrance matting?
No. Not if you love spreading dirt all around your building. All kidding aside: yes, we would strongly recommend that you place entrance matting. There are many benefits to entrance matting and we’ve listed the most important ones.
1 A cleaner building
This one may be pretty obvious, but are you aware of the amount of dirt people can carry inside, without even being aware of it? On average, 1.000 people can carry in about 11kg of dirt in a timespan of only 20 days! This dirt ultimately ends up on a variety of surfaces, which will require (thorough) cleaning. With proper entrance matting, all this dirt could have stayed right at the entrance.
2 Better indoor quality
You may well know that we’re a strong advocate of clean and healthy indoor air (as shown here and here). Once dirt is inside your building, some of it will most likely end up in the air as particulate matter (PM). Some airborne particles are unseen to the naked eye and can enter the human respiratory system. PM2.5 and PM10 (particles with a diameter of 2.5 and 10 micrometers or less) are so small that they can enter the lungs and may even cause respiratory issues. The more dirt that can be prevented from entering a building, the higher the IAQ is likely to be.
3 It’s cheaper
It’s simple math: the more dirt is in a building, the higher the cleaning costs will be. Dirt that is tracked onto a polished floor, such as a granite or terrazzo, will gradually dull the appearance of the floor. This means that it must be restored either through stripping and sealing or grinding and restoration (neither of which are cheap). Dirt on carpet means more frequent carpet cleaning. This can be extended with better vacuum technology such as an upright or “beater brush” vacuum heads, but they're not on the cheap side either. And how about the dust and soil that settles on other surfaces and fixtures in the building? Take a look at an air-conditioning vent that hasn’t been cleaned in a while and you know what we mean. You’ll need a deep clean sooner than later.
4 Reduced risk of slips and falls
Almost every hard floor will be more slippery when wet. Entrances to many commercial buildings often have beautiful high gloss flooring surfaces, but that high gloss appearance can be an enemy, having poor slip ratings when wet. A good quality entrance matt will be highly absorbent, drawing volumes of water away from the surface and dispersing it through the fibers of the matt.
5 An improved image
As with everything in life, first impressions matter. Simply put, a commercial facility with an appropriately sized, good quality entrance matt presents well to visitors. Without matting, entrances quickly get dirty and give a poor impression. A well-placed matt captures and hides dirt until cleaned, maintaining a good look between cleaning routines.
How to choose the best entrance matt
Consider all physical attributes of a floor matt: a thick matt with a high edge profile could actually increase trip hazard. Other rubber backed mats are susceptible to having “rippling edges” over time, also increasing trip risk. Do your research. Check the height profile and ensure any matt you install has a good blend of moisture absorbency without adding trip risk hazard. Then also keep the following in mind:
- A matt that can be cleaned with normal commercial floor cleaning machines will be particularly beneficial as dirt is regularly removed from the matt.
- Choose the right sized matt for the space. Not only will it be more aesthetically pleasing, but it will win you points when visitors notice that a responsible level of investment is being made in building care & maintenance.
Discover i-matt: a high-quality entrance matt that can be cleaned with i-mop
i-matt is an extended duration, clean-in-place walk-off mat that vastly improves floor safety and ease of cleaning. i-mop’s superior cleaning performance can be applied seamlessly to the i-matt.
All benefits at a glance:
- Stays in place when cleaned with i-mop
- Interlocking fibers trap dirt to prevent it from being tracked in
- Doesn’t ripple or shift
- Adding i-protect HDD with aXonnite® to your cleaning protocol gets your entrance matt even cleaner and helps prevent recontamination
- Use it for up to 12 weeks