A Pandemic within a Pandemic

Just when things seemed to go back to normal, it came Omicron. Omicron, the variant that is a mystery at the time of this writing, but what is known is not comforting. It is more transmittable, has more mutations, and is spreading like wildfire.

While we know that COVID is airborne and that masks help, not much conversation is given to what’s on or under our feet.

We know that many healthcare workers, and still many others, leave their shoes at the door when entering their homes, more so now than ever, because of the pandemic.

The First Defense Against The Pandemic

The first defence against the pandemic, including new variants, is the entry mat for property managers.

Remember that in any public space, people are tracking soil and viruses into your buildings. It is often stated that at minimum, 90% of debris, including ice and salt, are tracked in from outside.

With proper entryway matting, according to Ultimate Mats, you can cut this by around 75% on average, sometimes as much as a complete 90%.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

When people cough, sneeze, or touch surfaces, whatever is not adhering to a surface eventually falls downward. That’s a whole lot of viruses lying around.

Let’s discuss a few different mats and how they might help you reduce the viral load entering your buildings.

Scraper Mats versus Wiper Mats

Scraper mats are heavy-duty and mainly seen outside, like a landing outside a staircase at an apartment building.

Another common space is the outside entrance of a lobby of a corporate building.

Wiper mats, on the other hand, are usually placed indoors. So in the above descriptions, these would be placed just inside the front entranceways. Typically, wiper mats are seen in conjunction with scraper mats.

Scraper mats are just that; a place a person might appropriately scape their shoes to brush off debris or salt. The wiper mat helps to trap any residual soil from entering the building.

During the pandemic, in light of the more viral variant especially, it is best to use both and ensure that they are cleaned regularly.

Floor Trends

While floor trends might not be in your immediate future, it is important to understand that high-traffic areas in commercial spaces will require high-performance flooring.

Not only is construction more expensive and is expected to stay elevated in pricing, but high-performance flooring is also going to be safer flooring.

Trends in flooring are much less busy, much fewer nooks and crannies, and much smoother. Textures are now seen as places for viruses and germs to hide.

This means that there needs to be protection in place for slips and falls with smoother flooring and protection against COVID-19 and its continued variants.

What about Carpeting?

We are still seeing carpeting, and if your building already has carpet and it is in good condition, you probably won’t be lobbying to change it anytime soon.

Some property managers do not emphasize layering carpets with multiple matting, but that might need to change. It is even more critical to layer and protects the more porous carpeting. Carpet can be a haven for millions of microbes that can be trapped and released in an instant.

Extra matting that is easier to clean and disposable to serve as an extra layer of protection is vital.

Goodbye, Hardwood; Hello, Tile

Once seen as a luxury, having hardwood seemed like optimal floorings for high-end buildings. Because of heavy foot traffic, these surfaces now require cleaning several times a day with harsher chemicals.

Tile is the way to go, but even the more frequent cleaning on tile can create challenges. Again, extra matting helps.

A Surprise Benefit of Mats

Overlay rugs often add a particular atmosphere, even if they are industrial and plain. They help the acoustics by absorbing sound and can help decrease noise pollution.

They also provide safety from slips and falls, as long as the corners are not bent- which, if you are working with iRestify, your quality control point of contact can help you discover and address.

Contact iRestify today to find out how we can modernize your properties’ traditional cleaning and maintenance operations to help keep your properties consistently clean and safe.