INFORMATION BULLETIN
Heavy
cleaning in bathrooms
The most troublesome areas for cleaning in heavily used bathrooms are the areas surrounding the toilets and urinals; where urine becomes an extremely difficult odour and stain to remove, due to its unique chemistry.
Once the flooring, particularly the porous areas including unsealed resilient tile, unglazed ceramic tile and grout, becomes contaminated with uric acid salts it is impossible to remove by everyday mopping with neutral cleaners or detergent disinfectants.
The removal of this contaminant requires much stronger products and procedures than regular mopping and once done can allow the restroom to be kept odour-free and clean.
The following six-step procedure removes and neutralizes urine stains and odours, and serves as a preventive measure for future contamination:
1. Strip the floor of any existing wax or sealer by using MOMAR EXIT stripper diluted according to the directions (1:12).
2. Flood the area with BLUE THUNDER, a phosphoric acid based cleaner. Leave the solution on the floor for a minimum of five minutes in order for it to dissolve the uric acid stains and build-up. Agitate with a brush, if necessary.
3. Rinse floor thoroughly with fresh water and allow it to dry completely. Remove any leftover detergent solution or rinse water from under the edge of the toilet.
4. Flood the area with a disinfectant solution, such as SAFE! or SANIGLAS (diluted 1:100). Leave it in place for10 minutes.
5. Rinse again with fresh water and allow it dry. Make sure you check the toilet base to be sure that it seats properly on the floor; re-caulk if necessary. If you need to re-caulk, allow the caulk adequate cure time.
6. Apply three coats of CONCRETE RENEW, an acrylic-based sealer, which will resist penetration by urine and will prevent future staining.
Once the floor is dry, the restroom can be reopened for use.
This process proves to be more labour-intensive up front, however, its benefits are well worth the extra effort. The completion of the sealing job not only raises the appearance of the floor, but is a procedure that will last and save future time spent on regular cleaning and disinfecting.