[drivewasher]

Hi All,

As you know I do pressure washing surface cleaning OUTDOORS!

But a customer of mine who gives me most of my work want's to seal an kitchen floor, so he asked me if I would do the honours with a hired in or bought for the occasion steam cleaner. ( the whurlaway wouldn't go down very well I expect).
As it's the unknown and in an effort to wrigle out of this, I suggested a carpet cleaning company. Said they had on board machine with steam and extraction, and since my son got his carpet done for less than £50 He might want to tr this route. He says what a good idea drivewasher I'll do that.

2 weeks down the line he tells me no b*****y carpet cleaning men will return his calls, so start to get a bit suspicious. Today he eventually grabs one, then another who tell him, yes they have the machinery BUT it's a different machine for hard surfaces, and the right machine is far more expensive bit of kit than the carpet ones. Thats why no one will ring him back!

So gang is this so, cos he's going to hire the right machine for me top go and do the job, as it's an unknown I feel like the preverbial fish out of water (HSS hire at about £100 a day)

BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE

[vacman]

Hi

Does the seal not go on with a mop and bucket? I'm lost as to what machinery is needed, not least steam?

[BDCS]

I have cleaned and sealed about 240mts of Indian sandstone flooring inside. It was layed the all the other trades came in and I was left to clear up, then clean and seal the floors. I cleaned the floor with my carpet m/c with the hard floor tool, slow rotary and the under floor heating dried it, it took 2 full days to get properly clean ! I then sealed it with Libron hard floor sealer - some slabs took 9 coats to get rid of the pasty look and finally 2 coats of polish. The customer was over the moon

[Pristine Clean]

Yep you dont need a steam cleaner.

We have sealed many hard floors. Just make sure the floor is clean and grease free.

The seal can be applied using a mop or clothe depends how big the floor is. Or you could use a window cleaning applicator as the mop works a treat for us.


It is a good idea to buff the floor with a buffing machine but its not required if you dont have one get on your hands and knees and start cleaning the old fashioned way.

Dave

[drivewasher]

I am NOT sealing the floor my custy is! Please read the post in full.

There IS NEED to clean the floor as its been down years and its dirty. I don't think my custy (who is a pro sealer) would just seal the dirt in, thats just silly.

[Pristine Clean]

It does not say that your custy is sealing the floor! It reads "so he asked me if I would do the honours "

Which indicates that you are sealing the floor...correct me if I have read this wrong.

So nope at the moment there is no need for a steam cleaner! How do I know I have only been sealing floors of stone and wood and vinyl for just over 15 years commercially and residential.

Surely if a steam cleaner would be required I would have needed to hire one in all that time.

Yes we know there is a NEED to clean the floor. To clean the floor you can use a buffer, with a chemical. Or old fashioned cleaning on your hands and knees.

Steam cleaning is generally used in the Catering trade for restuarants etc.

Dave

[drivewasher]

I thought at first you had missread post as the first line states I do outdoor surface cleaning. But I can now see how taht came about. I dont seal just do all the cleaning for a  sealing company to seal afterwards

He's asked me to clean a stone kitchen floor thats well worn in with grime of a kitchen etc prior to sealing about 35sq mtrs. I assumed that carpet cleaning firms/operatives would be more suitedto indoor work as they have an extraction system.
Would a steam cleaner with extraction do it?

[Pristine Clean]

Well the steam cleaner extraction unit will work on lite grease, and dirt.

If the customer is paying for the hire of the machine and you feel that it is a requirement then get the custy to hre the steam cleaner.

I in my own experience have never required to use a steam cleaner. We use a chemical to clean the grease and dirt.

Spray the cleaning chemical on the floor or mop it over the floor.

Leave the chemical on the floor to allow to soak in.

Use a buffer (If required) to agitate that grease and dirt.

Mop again with cleaning chemical allow to dry, to speed things up, you can use floor dryer or dry mop.

Apply the sealer. Hay presto you have a shiney new looking floor.

Now, if you do have a large amount of grease the sealer may bubble but providing it was cleaned I see no reason to use a steam cleaner.

Dave