Home

Floor Care Tips

Info courtesy of www.Enviro-Solution.com.

Why Green?

Our cleaners offer specific benefits in the care and the maintenance of institutional and consumer floor coverings.

  • Floors, especially ones not maintained with modern acrylic floor polishes, have presented maintenance staff and building managers with unique challenges.
  • The routine in most floor cleaning operations is to dilute a cleaner and wash the floor with a mop and a bucket or automated equipment. Floors usually do not get rinsed with clear water; therefore, detergent residues remain on the cleaned surfaces. On floors such as ceramic tiles, the grout lines tend to become discoloured as accumulated soil and diluted cleaning solutions accumulated, eventually become visually discoloured.
  • Refinished vinyl floors can become dull and unattractive. Much of the persistent problems are associated with accumulated soils and detergent residues.
  • Many manufacturers have developed specialty floor cleaners sometimes referred to as neutral cleaners, relating to the specific pH of the cleaner. The thinking is if you remove the builders such as phosphates, NTA or soda ash, etc., you decrease the amount of surface dulling. Formulations usually replace builders with chelating agents such as EDTA to improve hard water tolerance and to remove salt and calcium deposits in winter months.
  • The benefits of using Enviro-Solutions’ Floor Cleaners are that they do not use NTA or EDTA, thereby being more environmentally sound. Secondly, by removing builders, the traditionally cleaners give up muscle to remove soil. Our cleaners clean very well.

Cleaning & Maintenance Tips

  1. Always read safety instructions on MSDSs and chemical products labels prior to use of any chemical product and always comply totally with all safety requirements.
  2. Always affix workplace labels to containers that cleaning chemicals are decanted into. Ensure that the WHIMIS/HMIS information listed on the workplace labels is legible and accurate.
  3. Always follow directions on chemical labels to ensure that the full benefits of the product(s) can be realized.
  4. Never mix two different types of chemicals as this practice could result in the poor performance of both chemicals and the mixture may result in a potential health hazard or damage to the surface(s) that they come in contact with.
  5. Always check inventory levels of all products required for any cleaning procedure well in advance of their possible use, be it for routine maintenance or for major cleaning projects.
  6. Always use Wet Floor Signs in all areas to be cleaned or finished with a liquid to protect against slip/fall accidents and to avoid liability claims.
  7. Wear cotton gloves inside rubber gloves if rubber gloves cause excessive perspiration of the hands and/or for improved overall comfort.
  8. Always use safety, non-slip shoes, boots or stripper slippers when working on wet floors.
  9. Always allow cleaners/strippers the recommended dwell times listed on labels to achieve the maximum results.
  10. Use a 14” to 16” floor squeegee with handle to wind-row cleaning solutions away from base boards, corners, edges, in and around check-outs and in congested areas for efficiency, ease and speed. When pulling solutions sway from baseboards, place squeegee at a 60-degree angle to the wall and pull the squeegee quickly along the baseboard to pull the solution into an easy access area.
  11. Use a putty knife or floor scraper to remove foreign material from floors and other surfaces while dust mopping, glass cleaning, etc. Carry putty knife in the rear pocket for easy access and convenience. If more convenient and to reduce the requirement of continually bending over, use a scraper with a long handle.
  12. Detail sweep edges, corners and hard to reach areas with a suitable light weight synthetic bristled upright broom with handle, prior to dust mopping or sweeping large areas.
  13. When dust mopping larger floor surfaces, select a number of drop points so that swept soil does not begin to release from an over loaded dust mop head. Select areas that are out of the way, to avoid soil being tracked back onto previously cleaned floor areas. Pick up soil at drip points with a dustpan and suitable broom or brush.
  14. Use a suitable vacuum, push broom or upright broom to remove soil from recessed grout areas to ensure that loose debris is removed from recessed areas. Dust mopping may not completely remove soil from this type of area. Dust mops can push soil from the surface into the recessed areas.
  15. Use walk off mat(s) at the exit from planned carpet cleaning and finishing procedures. Seal and floor finish mops should never be used for any other function. When a rinse mop discolours or shows signs of wear, down grade it to a wash mop. When a wash mop discolours or shows signs of wear, down grade it to a stripper mop, etc.
  16. Never jump the brush, or drive pad assembly, onto a floor machine by activating the starting switch while the machine is over the brush, or drive pad assembly, to engage the clutch plate to the floor machine drive lugs. Lay the floor machine on its back, turn one of the drive lugs on the bottom of the floor machine to the 12 o’clock position. Slide the brush or dire pad assembly clutch plate opening over the drive lug, twist the brush or drive pad assembly a quarter turn and secure the brush or drive pad assembly to the floor machine.
  17. Always clean equipment and custodial hardware immediately after use. If cleaning solutions, seals or floor finish is allowed to dry; they will be far more difficult to clean than if attended to immediately.
  18.  Always check electrical cords, plugs and switches on cleaning equipment to ensure that equipment functions properly and that it is safe for use. Special attention must be given to cords that may come in contact with moisture. Check cords for breaks, cracks or cuts in the insulation covering the electrical wiring. If a potential hazard is noticed, do not use the equipment. Have the cord repaired before using. Do not simply tape over the potential hazard. Never ‘snap the cord’ to remove the lug from the wall receptacle.
  19. Always clean floor pads before they dry. Place pads in a plastic bag and seal the bag to keep built up residual moist if pads cannot be cleaned immediately after use. When cleaning pads, immerse pads in a suitable cleaner and allow soaking, overnight if necessary. Never abrade pads with minerals, resins and binders from the pads and cause the premature reduction of the performance and life of the pad. After soaking pads with built-up residual, if necessary, agitate residual with a soft brush or other less aggressive device until residual has been removed. It may become necessary to repeat the cleaning process several times.
  20. Always clean natural or synthetic cloth filter assemblies frequently to remove excessive dirt and dust that adhere to the surface. Brush filter surface with a soft brush over a lined waste receptacle. Remove dust and debris from canister tanks frequently before they are full and cause the vacuum to reduce its efficiency. Replace disposable filter bags before they reach the full line.

Broom Sweeping

  1. Always choose the correct size and type of broom for the job to promote good performance, productivity and conveniences.
  2. Use metal or nylon tipped broom handles for use with push brooms to reduce breakage and wear.
  3. Always use small broom braces on push brooms from 12” to 18” and large broom braces on push brooms from 24” to 48”.
  4. Rotate push broom handles to the alternate hole in the broom blocks to get more even wear of bristles and to maximize performance of bristles.
  5. When selecting push brooms, take into consideration value and performance over price. Horsehair, bristled, push brooms as an example – although more costly initially – will out-last and out-perform dyed black Bassine bristles by a wide margin. Synthetic bristled push brooms perform well on rough surfaces such as concrete, and solvent resistant bristles, such as PVC, will function well in the presence of oils and grease. Flagged-tipped synthetic bristles are less costly than horsehair and they work well on fine dust and have good solvent resistance. Natural grass fibre bristled push brooms, such as Bassine; do not work well in wet applications.
  6. Some local health and government authorities demand the use of synthetic broom blocks bristles and handles for use in food service areas.
  7. Broom handles are generally available in an assortment of lengths, 54” and 60” being the most popular. Consideration should be given to the height of the user when choosing the length of broom handles. Handles come in a variety of styles; however, the most commonly used are threaded-tipped or taper-ended handles.
  8. To secure taper-ended handles more securely, dip the tapered end of the handle in floor seal or finish and while wet, force the taper-ended handle into the receptor and allow drying. Never secure taper-ended handles in a block with a nail or a screw. Lubricate wooden-threaded broom handle tips by rubbing a bar of soap on the threads.

Wet Mopping

  1. Assemble all chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning procedures. Read safety instructions on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  2. Move all moveable objects from areas(s) to be wet mopped.
  3. Dust Mop floor with a synthetic untreated dust mop to remove loose soil. Use scrapper to remove gum, etc. Dispose of litter.
  4. Place Wet Floor Signs at access area(s) to foot traffic.
  5. Clean base boards if necessary.
  6. Mix ES84 with cold water in a clean bucket with wringer.
  7. Immerse clean, dedicated, daily cleaning wet mop in solution and press mop lightly in wringer to remove dripping.
  8. Flood cleaning solution on to a manageable area of the floor framing in edges and filling in centre using figure-8 pattern.
  9. Wring out cleaning mop thoroughly and pick up cleaning solution previously applied. Remove any abrasions or black marks from floor, while making final pick up, with an abrasive pad attached to the mop handle or by dragging an abrasive pad beneath one foot.
  10. Flush out mop and recharge bucket with clean solution as necessary and continue wet mopping procedure.

Floor Finishing

  1. If floor has been stripped, ensure floor has been neutralized and clear water rinsed properly prior to finish application procedures. If floor has been scrubbed, neutralizing is not necessary, however, a clear water rinse is required. Check pH of floor.
  2. Assemble all equipment, chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning procedures. Read safety instruction on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  3. Place Wet Floor Signs at access area(s) to foot traffic.
  4. Pour in a bucket with wringer lined with a plastic bag. Immerse clean, pre-broken in, lint free, dedicated floor finish mop fully in finish. Wring out bottom half of mop.
  5. Apply your choice of an Enviro-Solution’s Floor Finish. Apply 5 or 6 medium coats depending upon porosity of floor, desired appearance, traffic conditions, etc. If Sealer used, 4 or 5 medium coats should be adequate. Start each coat in a different area of the floor.

NOTE: Sealer is optional when using Enviro-Solutions’ Floor Finishes unless floor is extremely porous, when preparing a new floor, or when traffic is extremely heavy. However, a sealer is highly recommended for all floor set-ups, as it will greatly enhance the floor finish and increases its durability.

Interior Concrete Seal

  1. Assemble all equipment, chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning preparation and application procedures. Read safety instruction on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  2. Move all moveable objects from area(s) to be prepared and sealed.
  3. Detail vacuum or sweep all edges, corners and difficult to reach areas. Remove all loose soil from open areas using a suitable push broom or dust mop. Scrape off all dry accumulations of debris from the surface to be cleaned using a suitable floor scraper and/or steel wire brush and/or strata grit brush, etc. Pick-up and dispose of litter.
  4. Equip an auto scrubber with aggressive, strata grit-type brushes and fill clean auto scrubber solution tank with clean cold water. Add ES75 or ES70 to solution tank. If an auto scrubber is not available, equip a floor machine with a strata grit type brush and fill a separate bucket with water and ES75 or ES70.
  5. Pre-spray all oil, grease and any other heavy accumulations of foreign matter liberally and allow 5 to 10 minutes contact time.
  6. Apply mechanical action to pre-spray, heavily soiled areas using an auto scrubber or rotary floor machine equipped with an aggressive, strata grit type brush. Do not pick-up solution, as it will continue to work until next procedure takes place.
  7. Scrub on ES75 or ES70 solution liberally to a manageable area of the surface and allow 5 to 10 minutes contact time. Do not pick-up solution on first scrubbing pass.
  8. Inspect the surface to ensure all soil has been completely removed. If and where required, repeat necessary procedure(s) as previously noted.
  9. Scrub and then clear water rinse surface with auto scrubber picking up solution on the first pass. If using a rotary floor machine, after wet pick-up, apply rinse water liberally with a dedicated neutralizer mop and pick-up solution with a wet vacuum.
  10. Check pH of the surface to ensure that it in the neutral range. If surface is still alkaline or acidic, repeat the neutralizing procedure.
  11. Dispose of solution in sanitary sewer and clean equipment. Never dump any chemical solution in storm sewer.
  12. When the surface is completely clean, neutral and relatively warm and dry, apply the first coats of ES89 using a clean, pre-rinsed, lint-free, wax mop, a pre-rinsed, lint-free, lambs wool applicator, or a suitable sprayer.
  13. When the first coat of ES89 is cured and dry to the tough, usually in 30 to 60 minutes depending upon the porosity of the surface and the relative humidity, apply the second coat.
  14. Additional coats of ES89 or top coat with your choice of Enviro-Solutions Floor Finish, if the porosity of the floor warrants, if additional film thickness is desired such as in heavy traffic areas, or when increased gloss is desired.
  15. Clean all remaining equipment and supplies and return to storage.
  16. To re-coat worn areas or to restore the entire surface, follow the same preparation and application procedure previously noted.

NOTE: Other preparation and application procedures may be used, however, always ensure that the surface(s) are properly cleaned, neutral and free from any foreign matter. ES89 may be applied over existing seals provided that they are stable and porous enough to accept ES89. If sealed with coatings, such as moisture curing urethane, screening followed by a separate rinse procedure will likely be required. The pH of the surface must be checked to ensure that it is in the neutral range before applying ES89. If and when in doubt, prepare and apply ES89 to a small test area before hand.

Daily and Periodic Cleaning Maintenance

  1. Dust mop or sweep surface(s) daily or as required.
  2. Spot mop spills and marks using a solution of ES84 with cold water.
  3. Wet clean as required using auto scrubber equipped with nylon scrub brushes and ES84 with cold water.

Sealing Grout

Protecting your polished or unpolished floors is vital today. One common mistake is to treat the main tile surface while forgetting about the grouting. Mould, mildew, stains and foul odors are a few side affects from unsealed grout. If your grout and flooring is new you are ready to seal.

Older grout must be cleaned up before applying the Sealer. Cleaning up stained grout requires aggressive scrubbing for best results. Usually, muriatic acid is used for this procedure. Although it is inexpensive to purchase, we find the Health and Safety aspects can outweigh the price and your health. We suggest using our ES-10002 Acid Cleaner. It does cost more; however, it is highly concentrated and safer.

Once the floor and grout has been thoroughly stripped and cleaned, you are now ready to flood seal the grouting.

  1. Use ES82.
  2. Apply liberally to floor similar to that of applying floor finish, ensuring that you completely fill the grout line to the top. Keep in mind that grouting is similar to the surface of a sponge and will soak up a lot of sealer.
  3. Take a new synthetic wet mop, dip in clear cool water and damp mop the top surface as if you were damp mopping. Try not to dig in to the grouting. This will remove most of the sealer from the tips of the tiles. You can allow the sealer to wear off the tile tops if not time is allowed. You may wish to use a floor squeegee for this procedure depending on surface of floor tile. Draw the squeegee and wet mop diagonally across the tile surface to prevent pulling too much sealer out of the grout lines. A second coat may be required to completely fill the grouting; depending on much of the sealer saturates the grout.

Stripping

  1. Assemble all equipment, chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning procedures. Read safety instruction on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  2. Move all moveable objects from area(s) to be stripped.
  3. Dust Mop floor with a synthetic, untreated dust mop to remove loose soil. Use scrapper to remove gum, etc. Dispose of litter.
  4. Walk floor prior to stripping to identify any problem areas and form a plan to cope with any special problems before or during the procedure.
  5. Mask off entrances to adjacent floor areas that are to be stripped to avoid the possibility of the stripping solution making contact with the floor surface(s) not to be stripped.
  6. Place Wet Floor Signs and a 3’ x 5’ absorbent mat to serve as a placement mat for the materials and equipment and to clean workers feet prior to entering area at access area(s) to foot traffic.
  7. Pre-clean baseboards if necessary.
  8. Mix ES85 or ES90 Stripper with cold water in a clean bucket with wringer or auto scrubber solution tank at pre-determined dilution from pre-test.
  9. Apply stripping solution liberally to a manageable area of floor with a dedicated stripper mop. Floor will not be as slippery as a conventional stripper. Do not allow dry back. Re-wet floor if stripping solution begins to dry before final pick up procedure.
  10. Allow stripping solution 3 to 5 minutes dwell time. If using auto scrubber, fit with black super strip pads, turn solution on full flow, low pads full force, pads on, squeegee up, vacuum motor off. Move machine at slow speed. Use a dedicated stripper mop to apply ‘Stripper’ solution in all areas inaccessible to auto scrubber. It is recommended to then return to the starting point and double scrub entire floor in this manner with the auto scrubber.
  11. Double or triple scrub floor with 175-RPM rotary floor machine and abrasive pad (recommend a hi-productivity or super-stripping pad). If using auto scrubber, this function has already been completed. Squeeze solution away from edges and corners using a 14” or 16” floor squeegee with a 54” or 60” handle.
  12. Pick up stripping solution with a wet-pick up vacuum or if using an auto scrubber, rescrub as many times as is necessary to completely remove film and pick up solution on last pass.
  13. Check floor area(s) for missed build-up of finish. Look carefully along edges, in corners or in dips and valleys. Repeat procedures as and if necessary.
  14. Fill clean bucket and wringer with clean water or if using an auto scrubber, fill solution tank with clean water.
  15. Damp mop/rinse floor with clean, dedicated rinse mop and clean water. If using an auto scrubber, scrub and pick-up solution with auto scrubber on first pass.
  16. Change water in buckets frequently. Do not rinse floor with dirty solutions.
  17. Check pH of floor and proceed with seal/finish application if floor tests neutral. If acidic or alkaline, adjust pH accordingly before applying seal/finish. If the pH is too high, clear water rinse again and re-teat to ensure the floor is at the desired pH. If the pH is too low, rinse the floor.

NOTE: To determine the proper dilution when required to strip an area, pre-mix the Stripper at two label dilutions. As an example, 1: 6 for regular stripping and 1: 4 for heavy duty stripping. Use container cap for ease in measuring (e.g. one capful of ‘Stripper’ to 8 capfuls of water). Pour two dilutions on the floor in an area that represents the toughest stripping required. Allow 5 to 10 minutes contact time. Agitate area with the punch out of the stripping pad you will be using. Remove solution from test area(s) (a 14” or 16” window squeegee will accomplish this task quickly and easily) and examine floor. If floor finish has been successfully stripped, use the successful dilution established. If the floor finish has not been completely stripped, increase dilutions and re-test new areas. Once the proper dilution has been established, proceed using proper dilution.

Non-Mechanical Stripping

  1. Assemble all equipment, chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning procedures. Read safety instruction on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  2. Place Wet Floor Signs and a 3’ x 5’ absorbent mat to serve as a placement mat for the materials and equipment at access area(s) to foot traffic.
  3. Move all moveable objects from area(s) to be stripped.
  4. Dust Mop floor with a synthetic, untreated dust mop to remove loose soil. Use scrapper to remove gum, etc. Dispose of litter.
  5. Pre-clean baseboards if necessary.
  6. Mix ES85 or ES90 Stripper with cold water in a clean bucket with wringer at pre-determined dilution from pre-test.
  7. Apply stripping solution liberally to manageable area of floor with dedicated stripper mop. Do not allow dry back. Re-wet floor if stripping solution begins to dry before final pick up procedure.
  8. Allow stripping solution 5 to 10 minutes dwell time. Agitate solution with mop while stripping solution is working.
  9. Pick up stripping solution with a wet-pick up vacuum.
  10. Check floor area(s) for any remaining floor finish that has yet to be stripped. Look carefully along edges, in corners or in dips and valleys. Repeat procedures as and if necessary.
  11. Fill clean bucket with wringer with clean cold rinse water.
  12. Damp mop/rinse floor with a clean, dedicated, rinse mop.
  13. Change water in buckets frequently. Do not rinse floor with dirty solutions.
  14. Check pH of floor and proceed with seal/finish application if floor tests neutral. If acidic or alkaline, adjust pH accordingly seal/finish. If the pH is too high, clear water rinse again and re-teat to ensure the floor is at the desired pH. If the pH is too low, rinse the floor.

NOTE: To determine the proper dilution required to non-mechanically strip an area, pre-mix ‘Stripper’ at two dilutions. As an example, 1: 4 for regular stripping and 1: 2 for heavy duty stripping. Use dilutions on floor in area that represents the toughest stripping required. Allow 5 to 10 minutes contact time. Remove solution from test area (a 14” or 16” window squeegee will accomplish this task quickly and easily) and examine floor. If floor finish/seal has been successfully stripped, use the successful dilution established. If the floor finish has not been completely stripped, increase dilutions and re-test new areas. Once the proper dilution has been established, proceed using successfully established dilution.

Scrubbing

  1. Assemble all equipment, chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning procedures. Read safety instruction on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  2. Move all moveable objects from area(s) to be scrubbed.
  3. Dust Mop floor with a synthetic untreated dust mop to remove loose soil. Use scrapper to remove gum, etc. Dispose of litter.
  4. Place Wet Floor Signs at access area(s) to foot traffic.
  5. Pre-clean base boards if necessary.
  6. Mix ES84 with cold water in a clean bucket with wringer.
  7. Apply scrubbing solution liberally to manageable area of floor with a clean, dedicated wash mop. If using auto scrubber, scrub on solution with a red pad or possibly, a blue scrub pad. Do not pick up solution on first pass. Do not allow dry back. Re-wet floor if scrubbing solution begins to dry before final pick up procedure.
  8. Allow scrubbing solution 3 to 5 minutes dwell time.
  9. Scrub floor with 175-RPM rotary floor machine and red pad or possibly, a blue scrub pad. If using an auto scrubber, this function has been completed.
  10. Pick up scrubbing solution with a wet-pickup vacuum or is using auto scrubber, re-scrub, picking up solution on second pass.
  11. Damp mop/rinse floor with clean water using a clean, dedicated, rinse mop.

Dry Buffing

  1. Assemble all equipment, chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning procedures. Read safety instruction on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  2. Move all moveable objects from area(s) to be buffed.
  3. Dust Mop floor with an untreated synthetic dust mop to remove loose soil. Use scrapper to remove gum, etc. Dispose of litter.
  4. Place Wet Floor Signs at access area(s) to foot traffic.
  5. Clean base boards if necessary.
  6. Mix ES84 with cold water in a clean bucket with wringer.
  7. Immerse clean, dedicated, mop in solution and press mop lightly in wringer to remove dripping.
  8. Flood cleaning solution on floor, framing in edges and filling in centre using figure-8 pattern.
  9. Wring out mop and pick up cleaning solution previously applied. Remove any abrasions or black marks from floor, while making initial pick up, with an abrasive pad attached to the mop handle or by dragging an abrasive pad beneath one foot. Or, machine scrub floor with 175 to 300 RPM rotary floor machine with a red pad and pick up solution with a mop or wet pick up vacuum.
  10. Flush out mop and recharge bucket with clean solution as necessary and continue wet mopping procedure.
  11. Buff floor using a clean, dry, buffing pad or a natural hair pad and a 175 to 300 RPM rotary floor machine.

NOTE: If soil loads are low, a damp mopping procedure may be adequate. The practice of buffing a floor that has not been properly pre-cleaned will eventually lead to shading and discoloration of the film.

Burnishing

  1. Assemble all equipment, chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning procedures. Read safety instruction on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  2. Move all moveable objects from area(s) to be scrubbed.
  3. Dust Mop floor with an untreated synthetic dust mop to remove loose soil. Use scrapper to remove gum, etc. Dispose of litter.
  4. Place Wet Floor Signs at access area(s) to foot traffic.
  5. Clean base boards if necessary.
  6. Mix ES84 with cold water in a clean bucket with wringer.
  7. Apply scrubbing solution liberally to manageable area of floor.
  8. Allow scrubbing solution 3 to 5 minutes dwell time. Do not allow dry back. Re-wet floor if scrubbing solution begins to dry final pick up procedure.
  9. Wet mop or scrub area with 175 RPM rotary floor machine using a scrub pad and pick up solution with wet mop or wet pick up vacuum.
  10. Burnish floor with 1000 to 2500 RPM Burnisher using suitable burnishing pad. Do not use a rubberized burnishing pad. Dust mopping after burnishing is not required.

Base Board Cleaning

  1. Assemble all equipment, chemicals and custodial hardware prior to beginning procedures. Read safety instruction on MSDSs and chemical product labels and comply as directed.
  2. Move all moveable objects from area(s) to be cleaned.
  3. Dust Mop or sweep baseboards to remove loose soil. Use scrapper to remove gum, etc. Dispose of litter.
  4. Place Wet Floor Signs at access area(s) to foot traffic.
  5. Pre-test solutions on baseboards in an inconspicuous place to ensure that it does not harm or make the baseboards bleed their colour.
  6. Mix ES85 or ES90 Stripper with warm water in a clean bucket with wringer at predetermined dilution from pre-test.
  7. Apply solution to baseboards and 6” of adjacent floor area(s) using trigger sprayer or other suitable applicator. As an alternate, immerse cloths in stripping solution and lay cloths against baseboards and adjacent floor area(s). Keep cloths moist by spraying as required with additional solution from suitable sprayer.
  8. Allow sufficient dwell time, 3 to 5 minutes, to emulsify build up and then abrade baseboards and floor with coarse Doodle Bug pad, an abrasive edging brush, or #3 or #4 steel wool pads. These pads fit tighter into the cove base and cut the finish better.
  9. Pick up stripping solution with a clean, dedicated, stripper mop or wipe clean with absorbent cloths.
  10. Fill clean bucket with wringer with clean cold rinse water.
  11. Damp mop/rinse baseboards and adjacent floor area(s) with a clean, dedicated, rinse mop.

NOTE: To determine the proper dilution required to strip baseboards, pre-mix ES85 or ES90 at 1:8 and 1:4 using container cap for measuring (e.g. one capful of ‘stripper’ to 8 capfuls of water). Apply the two dilutions to base board with suitable applicator, allow 3 to 5 minutes contact time and abrade with coarse Doodle Bug pad, or #3 or #4 steel wool pad. Wipe solutions from baseboards and examine. If floor finish/seal has been successfully stripped, use the successful dilution established. If the floor finish/seal has not been completely stripped, increase dilutions and re-test new areas. Once the proper dilution has been established, proceed using proper dilution.

Washroom