When installing raised flooring in your office or even in your home, you probably don’t think much about what else is going to find its way in there, other than what you put there – such as cabling or whatever it is you are storing under your flooring. Like it or not though, no matter how well sealed your flooring is, it is inevitable that dirt, grime, and even vermin may find themselves there. This is why our focus this month is on what else will make its way into your raised flooring cavity and how you can keep it clean.
Why does my raised flooring cavity get dirty?
While there is much that can be done when it comes to sealing a new floor, it is not possible to seal it completely against all elements. This is because your flooring still needs to ‘breathe’, to expand and contract with changes to ambient temperature and humidity levels to prevent it from warping, buckling, rippling, or shrinking as we move from one season to the other. Ventilation is also necessary to ensure that mould and mildew do not develop which could lead to bigger problems later on if they are not dealt with in time.
What can I expect to find under there?
As with any flooring, you can expect to find dust and dirt which is completely natural as people move about and bring the outdoors in with them. Wind-blown dust all year round, mud in the winter, and even pet hair at home or on clothes and shoes can find their way on to your flooring. Where you have a subfloor, as you will with raised flooring, then that void could also attract insects, spiders, and, occasionally, vermin. Again, all this is natural within any living environment.
How do I keep it clean?
There are a few things you can do to make sure that what does find its way there, doesn’t stay for long and doesn’t get a chance to build up into something that could cause you a problem. Here are our top tips for a clean and vermin-free raised flooring cavity.
- Vacuum daily if you have high foot traffic, such as in an office, retail, or warehouse environment. If you have raised flooring at home, once or twice a week should be enough, depending on how high the footfall is over the flooring cavity. If your flooring finish is laminate, tile, or vinyl you should also mop regularly to remove any residual dirt or grime. Don’t leave any excess water on your flooring as that could cause expansion and warping, or worse find its way into your cavity area, and make sure to clean up any spills immediately.
- Get into the subfloor and vacuum regularly as well. Depending on how well used your flooring is this could be monthly, quarterly, or twice a year.
- Get some entrance mats near doors or carpet runners in entrance corridors. These will pick up excess dirt and moisture that is tracked in on shoes, trapping it in the mat or runner which will be easier to clean and reduces the chances of it finding its way into the subfloor.
- Talk to a specialist about getting humane traps laid down to catch any vermin that finds its way in before it gets a chance to nest. Get those checked and cleared regularly.
For more advice on how to keep your raised floor cavity clear of dust and vermin, talk to one of our specialists at Fieldmans Raised Floors by giving us a call on 020 8462 7100 either for a chat or to make an appointment.
