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Floor Seasons, Inc. recommends that interior floors, in residential and commercial
applications, be maintained every 3-6 months, depending upon the traffic on the floor.
The following instructions should help guide you in maintaining your floor. If there is
any uncertainty, please feel free to call Floor Seasons at (702)348-8971. Whether this is a
commercial or residential application and your maintenance is being handled by a
janitorial company, or someone of the like, please be sure that they DO NOT strip the
floor, as it could ruin the concretes’ surface. Have your janitorial company call Floor
Seasons if they have any questions on the care of your floor. The following supplies will
be needed prior to the start of the waxing process:
- 3- inch blue masking tape (3M)
- Small scraper
- Commercial mop bucket and ringer (Home Depot)
- (2) fresh mop heads that have been washed and dried in a dryer to make it lint free(no detergent)
- (1) rayon mop head for the wax which also needs to be pre-washed and dried (Waxie Sanitary
Supply (702)263-0663, located on the corner of Sunset and Pilot) *NOTE: It is very important that all mop
heads be pre-washed and dried
- (2) detachable mop head poles (Home Depot)
- (1) empty 5-gallon pail (Home Depot)
- (1) wet-vacuum with floor squeegee attachment (Home Depot)
- (1) floor machine (side-to-side) and blue pad (can be rented at Home Depot); for residential, a deck
brush would work, as side-to-sides are hard to control
- Wax : for every 1000 square feet, a 5- gallon pail of Sunglasses Wax (Waxie Sanitary Supply)
- 1- gallon of Neutral Floor Detergent (Home Depot or Waxie Sanitary Supply)
- (1) Tupperware container large enough to put your wax head in after it has been used (the wax head should be put
into a trash bag, with the air squeezed out of the bag, the bag tied in a knot, and kept inside the Tupperware container.
The trash bag keeps the wax head moist, as it will never be used for anything but wax. The Tupperware container
will ensure that the bag will not get any holes in it, as that will dry out the mop head)
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The first step in this waxing process is to remove any and all furniture, etc. that is on the
floor. If it is too large and/or too heavy, or it is in a permanent position and will never be
moved, use the 3- inch tape around the base of the item to protect it from the wax. Next,
tape off any and all baseboards, doors, doorjambs, any adjoining flooring, and anything
you do not want to get wax on. It is very important that everything be taped off prior to
cleaning, as you may have an issue with tape sticking to wet items. Remember to take
your time taping off, as it is easier to remove tape rather than removing wax off of those
items that weren’t taped off properly. Sweep floor in its entirety, making sure to get all
edges and corners, as you want to get all lose debris off of the floor. Any lose debris can
show up in the wax. If you’re using a side-to-side and a blue pad or a deck brush, have
your wet-vacuum plugged in and ready to go with the squeegee attachment close by to
where you will start. Next, fill your 5-gallon pail full of water and Neutral Floor
Detergent, if you choose to use detergent. Remember that more is not always better. Use
directions on Neutral Floor. Do not use harsh chemicals or abrasives, ie: bleach. With
your mop pole and regular mop head, put it in the 5-gallon pail and splash a little bit of
water on an area approximately 10’x10’. Let it soak for a minute or two. If using a sideto-
side and blue pad, scrub the area and suck up the dirty water immediately. If using a
deck brush, scrub the area vigorously and suck up the dirty water immediately. With
either process, go to your next 10’x10’ area as soon as you’re satisfied with the previous
section. Take your time in this process of cleaning, as whatever you do no clean will
show through the wax and be trapped underneath it. Keeping this in mind, make sure that
your edges and your corners have been cleaned and sucked dry thoroughly. Do not feel
bad of you have to clean an area 2-3 times. You will feel worse if you rush through this
process. If you have pets, you must be sure that you are sucking up ALL hair. The hair
will show in the wax and it is very difficult to remove. Please allow for extra cleaning
time. Continue cleaning the entire floor until the area to be waxed has been thoroughly
cleaned. Go back through, vacuum the floor again, looking for all puddles of water and
debris you may have missed. Using your spare mop head, mop the floor for any excess
debris. This will be the final mop before waxing. Let dry completely. You are now done
with both of your mop heads. Remove them and wash and dry them for the next time you
wax. You should have your cleaned and dried rayon mop head, mop pole, clean bucket
and ringer, and wax ready to go at this point. Pour 1-inch of wax into the bucket,
remembering that whatever wax you use, cannot be used again. The more you wax, the
more familiar you will become with how much wax it takes to do your floor. Do not pour
excess wax back into the 5-gallon pail, as it will contaminate the wax. Attach the rayon
mop head to the pole and put the mop head in the bottom of your mop bucket. Soak the
wax head, making sure all threads have wax on them, before you begin to wax the floor.
Any dry threads could result in streaks in your floor. Use your hands, if necessary, to
squeeze wax into the mop head. Now that your mop head is thoroughly saturated with
wax, you may need to add a little more wax to the bottom of the bucket. Using the mop
pole, flop the mop head from one side to the other inside the bucket. Then, SLOWLY
raise the mop head (to avoid a mess), put it into the ringer and ring it out gently, to not
cause any foam or splatters out of the back of the ringer. Push your mop bucket to the
area you want to start in, walk with the mop pole and head to an edge, outline the area
with the mop head, leaving yourself a way out. Then, using a figure-eight pattern, fill in
the area. If it begins to streak, you do not have enough wax on your mop head. Simply,
go back to your bucket, flop it from side to side, ring it out slowly, and start again. After
you begin the outline, and you notice that it looks like there is too much wax on the floor,
go back to the ringer and ring it out some more and go back to the area to finish outlining.
Then, continue with the figure-eight pattern. The excess that was on your edge will help
you fill in the middle while you do your figure-eights. Continue this process until your
entire floor is waxed. Once you begin to wax, do not stop until the entire area is
complete. Stopping in the middle could cause heavy wax lines where you stopped and
started again. As you’re moving along, keep your eyes open for areas you may not have
covered, and do your figure-eights over the empty spots. This will ensure a consistent
coat. This is especially important on the last coat. Once you’ve applied the first coat, wait
a minimum of 15 minutes to let the area dry. Use your hand to feel your way, to make
sure it is completely dry before you apply the subsequent coats. Moving forward before it
is completely dry, could cause severe rips in the wax. DO NOT RUSH! A fan or ceiling
fan during this process, pointed in the air and NOT at the floor, could speed up the drying
process, as well as having all windows and doors open. Repeat this waxing process a
minimum of 4 times (coats) and take down your tape. Do not put any rugs back into place
for 24 hours, as the wax will need to breathe so it does not yellow. Any and all furniture
can go back once the floor is completely dry. (1-2 hours) Do not ring out the wax head, as
you want it t o stay moist. Put it inside of the trash bag, squeeze the air out, tie the bag in a
knot, and make sure the bag does not have any holes in it. Then, place the bag inside your
Tupperware container. Rinse out the mop bucket and ringer, as well as the mop pole, so
that you do not get a wax build-up on your equipment.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at Floor seasons, Inc., should you have any questions
prior to your waxing process through email or by calling 702.348.8971.
You can also view the Maintenance Instructions
in printable format.
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