Maintaining Floors and Other Surfaces

Course Number: 853

This course covers the tasks involved in the daily, routine maintenance of floors. It lists kinds of floor coatings and the uses of each. It explains periodic floor care tasks step-by-step, and tells trainees which particular methods to use on the various floors and floor coverings they will work with in their buildings. The course covers floor care problems trainees are likely to encounter, and concludes with information on the cleaning of walls, windows, furniture, and other above-the-floor surfaces.

Recommended Contact Hours - 9

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.