Maintaining Floors and Other Surfaces

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Routine Floor Care Tasks

Topics: Removing dry dirt; Wet cleaning; Disinfecting; Buffing

Learning Objectives:

• Calculate the area of a floor.
• Explain why it is important to remove dry dirt before wet cleaning.
• Name the four methods for removing dry dirt and tell when each is used.
• Name the three kinds of mopping (wet cleaning) and tell when each is used.
• Explain how to clean a floor using an autoscrubber.
• Explain why pressure washing sometimes does a better job of cleaning floors than scrubbing does.
• Describe the process of disinfecting a floor.
• Explain how to dry buff and spray buff a floor using a floor machine.

Chapter 2: Floor Coatings

Topics: Strippers; Floor finishes; One-step floor care; Testing a floor finish

Learning Objectives:

• List four reasons floors need coatings.
• Name the two kinds of floor strippers and tell when each is used.
• Describe the precautions that you must take when using solvent-base strippers.
• Explain the purposes of floor sealers.
• Tell why it is important that a sealer and finish have the same kind of base.
• List the properties of a good floor finish.
• Explain how to test and evaluate a floor finish.

Chapter 3: Periodic Floor Care Tasks

Topics: Scrubbing; Stripping; Etching; Screening; Sanding; Sealing; Refinishing; Safety

Learning Objectives:

• List the equipment needed and describe the procedures used for scrubbing.
• List the equipment needed and describe the procedures used for stripping various floor coatings from different kinds of floors.
• Describe the processes of etching, screening, and sanding, and explain why each is used.
• Tell when to use water-base sealers and when to use solvent-base sealers, and explain how each is applied.
• Name the three basic types of floor finishes and tell how each is applied.
• Explain at least three safety points to remember when refinishing floors.

Chapter 4: Choosing a Floor Care Method

Topics: Resilient, natural hard, synthetic hard, wood, cork, iron, and steel flooring; Conductive floors; Pedestal floors; Production floors

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the procedures and name the chemicals used for routine and periodic maintenance of resilient flooring.
• Describe the procedures and name the chemicals used for routine and periodic maintenance of concrete, terrazzo, marble, and other natural hard flooring.
• Describe the procedures and name the chemicals used for routine and periodic maintenance of synthetic hard flooring.
• Describe the procedures and name the chemicals used for routine and periodic maintenance of wood and cork flooring.
• Describe the procedures and name the chemicals used for routine and periodic maintenance of iron and steel flooring.
• Describe the procedures and name the chemicals used for routine and periodic maintenance of conductive and pedestal floors.

Chapter 5: Floor Care Problems

Topics: Problems with resilient flooring, hard flooring, and wood flooring; Adjusting conductive floors; Stains

Learning Objectives:

• Identify resilient flooring problems and explain how to avoid and correct them.
• Describe problems encountered in the refinishing of resilient flooring and tell how to avoid and correct them.
• Identify hard flooring problems and explain how to avoid or correct them.
• Define warping and tell how to avoid it.
• Explain how to adjust the conductivity of conductive floors.

Chapter 6: Other Cleaning Tasks

Topics: Emptying trash; Dusting; Cleaning lights; Washing walls; Caring for wood furniture; Washing windows, mirrors; Cleaning drinking fountains; Maintaining kitchens

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the procedures for emptying trash cans and ashtrays, and tell why it is important to empty them daily.
• Describe the tools you need for dusting, and list the reasons why dusting is important.
• Discuss the cleaning procedures for lamps and lighting fixtures, drinking fountains, and wooden furniture.
• Describe the two methods for washing walls, and tell when to use each method.
• Explain how to keep a chalkboard clean.
• List the steps in cleaning a kitchen.

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