Getting Started

It is spraying a mixture of floor finish and water on scuffed floor areas and buffing those areas while they are damp. This procedure removes a thin layer of dirty floor finish, replaces the same amount of finish, and burnishes the floor.

High Speed burnishing with a soft white pad shortly after new floor finish is laid may will “melt” down the top layer. The heat will cause the top layer to become stronger, resisting scratches/scuffs longer.

Why Spray Buff? To extend the life of the finish and to smooth the finish.

Why Burnish? To get a high gloss or “WET” look to extend life of the finish

Pointers:

• Floor must be clean or you will rub the dirt into the floor
• When damp mopping use a detergent that leaves no residue
• Use very little solution when spray buffing
• Pad should be one inch larger than the pad holder to prevent damage to walls and to the pad holder
• Spray buff solution may be pre-mixed by the manufacturer or diluted by the user
• Walk in a straight line while using a high speed machine. DO NOT swing from side to side.

Equipment and Materials Needed:

• Dust Mop
• Damp mop and wringer bucket
• Rotary Floor Machine (High Speed Buffer 500 to 2000 RPM’s)
• Pads
• Spray buff solution (We offer Renu, Gelcon and Pop&Shine)

Procedure for Spray Buffing:

1.  Dust mop the area
2. Damp mop, if necessary, to remove heavy soil
3. Center the pad on the pad holder. Install pad and holder on the machine. NOTE: Machine will operate smoothly with the pad centered, if off-center the pad will make the machine difficult to control.
4. Spray SMALL amount of solution on the scuffed areas. Use machine to blend scuffed area into the unscuffed areas of the floor.
5. The pad will accumulate some dirt and floor finish. (The spray buff solution is replacing this layer of floor finish.) When the pad is filled, turn it over and then replace as necessary with a clean pad.
6. Clean Up: Wipe machine off, Clean the pads by soaking in a strip solution then rinsing under the pressure of a hose. (Pads are ready to be rinsed when dirt is loose.) Or High Pressure Washing (no soaking necessary).

Degreaser Defined

It’s murky territory between cleaners and degreasers. In the industrial and institutional cleaning world, a degreaser is defined simply as a chemical product that removes grease. However some all-purpose cleaners may also remove some grease. Degreasers are a subset of cleaners, so all degreasers are cleaners but not all cleaners are degreasers.

Still a bit blurry? Additional explanation may help clear things up.

The Simple Science of Degreasers

Cleaning chemicals are formulated to be acidic, alkaline (basic) or neutral. These designations are determined by a solution’s pH (concentration of the hydrogen ion) level, and range from 0 to 14 on the pH scale (see graphic below). A lower pH number means a solution is more acidic, while a higher pH number indicates it is more alkaline. Solutions that land in the middle around 7 are considered neutral.

Grease is an organic soil, meaning it comes from something living. Organic soils – especially tough commercial kitchen messes – are best removed with alkaline solutions since higher pH levels can more easily break down fats, oils and proteins typically found in kitchens. The more “caked-on” a grease is, the more heavy-duty or higher alkaline cleaner you will need. At the extreme end, oven cleaners are highly alkaline because they need to remove caked-on carbonized soil.

Degreasers often also contain other ingredients like a petroleum-based solvent or a natural solvent like citrus to further aid in breaking down grease. Nyco’s Citra Blaze 535, for example, is a degreaser formulated with a citrus solvent. It cuts through heavy buildups of grease and caked-on food soils quickly.

The Purpose of All-Purpose Cleaners

All-purpose cleaners are pH neutral between 6 and 8 on the pH scale. They are best suited for cleaning surfaces that are dusty or lightly soiled, or that require a general (non-greasy) cleaning. While degreasers can effectively clean non-greasy surfaces, they are “more than you need” for this type of cleaning. In general, all-purpose neutral cleaners are safer for people and surfaces.

The Cleaner-Degreaser Continuum

Some manufacturers, including Nyco, label certain products as “cleaner-degreasers.” These products reside in the in-between land – more effective on greasy soils than an all-purpose cleaner yet closer to neutral pH and safer than a heavy-duty degreaser. Think of cleaners and degreasers as falling on a “cleaner-degreaser continuum” that parallels the upper half of the pH scale:

How to Apply Floor Finish/Wax/Sealer

Why use Floor Finish? To put a protective surface on floors. To enhance the beauty of floors, without floor finish the floor scuffs easily. To increase the overall appearance level of the building because the first impression is the lasting impression.

Pointers:

• Each coat of finish should be the thickness of a sheet of waxed paper
• Always use “wet floor” signs when applying floor finish
• Check floor area carefully for trash and residue left after scrubbing and rinsing. Remove all trash, debris etc. before applying floor finish
• Apply finish to a small enough area so that edges will not dry before the next area is started. If the finish does dry, lap marks can be caused
• Work quickly from one area to another to prevent lap marks caused by drying
• To save clean-up time line bucket with plastic bag
• Use a clean, laundered mop which has been wetted with water and wrung out completely so it will not absorb too much finish
• Bucket and wringer must be clean, or to be sure, you can line your bucket with a trash liner.

Procedure

• Make sure the floor is ready for the wax. Rinse with a pH Neutralizer like our pH-ENOMENAL, and allow to dry completely
• Place approximate amount of finish necessary to do the job in the bucket
• Immerse mop in bucket of finish and wring slightly (mop should not be dripping). Wring slowly to prevent foam
• Go around the edge of the room, near the wall, about 1 foot out and then start in the far back of the room and do a figure eight pattern, this procedure eliminates lap marks.