A Trusted UK Supplier Of ESD Control Products Since 1986
Caring and maintaining for an ESD floor is simple and straightforward. Understanding the correct type of products you should use to treat your floor and an adequate regime to follow is paramount to an effective and efficient ESD floor. In this article, we will guide you on the best routine to help you care and maintain for your ESD floor correctly.
An ESD floor is an integral part of your ESD control system and requires specialised care when it comes to cleaning. Not to mention, it is also a great investment in both time and money. Therefore the correct care and maintenance should be taken in order to maintain the floor’s efficiency and ESD properties for the foreseeable future.
If an ESD floor is not taken care of with appropriate cleaning and maintenance measures, then insulating residues can build-up, potentially compromising the ESD properties and performance of the floor. This could lead to expensive replacement costs of the damaged electronics and the floor itself. In order for your floor to perform its best long-term, following a good care and maintenance routine will help you stick to a schedule in protecting your floor.
As with any floor, sweeping the floor is the best way to clear away any immediate dirt or debris. An unswept floor can build-up layers of unwanted grime which can prevent the floor from working properly. If the floor is dirty and there is heavy foot traffic, static can build up quicker which could result in an insulative floor. Therefore, it is important to sweep your floor on a regular basis or whenever a build-up of litter or dirt is visible. Sweeping your ESD floor with an anti-static dust-pan and broom will help to maintain your floor’s ESD properties while effectively removing any dirt. It is better to prevent the floor from getting highly soiled than to allow conditions to get to a state that requires restorative cleaning as this can be costly.
When caring for your ESD floor, there should be good preventative maintenance in place, such as daily mopping, vacuuming and use of entry mats. It is important that your employees are aware of their actions and take preventative measures to protect the floor. For example, avoiding damage to the floor’s surface and taking extra care when moving heavy items of machinery/furniture that could cause marks on the floor. Most ESD floors are heavy-duty and can withstand heavy foot-traffic. However, it is best to take these preventative measures in case of the likelihood event of floor damage.
If you notice any spillage and marking on your floor, you should attend to these as quickly as possible before they are absorbed into the flooring. This will prevent any damage to the flooring. Sometimes the spill may only require blotting or the mark may only need a little water to remove it. If left for a sustained period, liquid spillages could cause a bubble to form on the flooring, depending on the floor’s material. This could inevitably damage the flooring and weaken its ESD properties.
If you will be handling chemicals or oils around your ESD flooring, extra care must be taken to avoid spillages and marks. Always be vigilant for accidental spillages and spots in your static controlled area.
How often you should clean your ESD floor is entirely dependent on the amount of foot traffic in your static controlled area. If there is heavy foot traffic, you should aim to clean your floor every few weeks to a month. One good way of detecting whether you need to clean your floor is to take regular surface resistance measurements of the floor itself. This can easily be tested with a surface resistance meter. If the measurements do not meet the required IEC-61340-1-5 International Standard, it is a good indicator that your floor is in need of a thorough clean.
Your floor will become dirty overtime, regardless of how often it is swept and cared for. An ESD floor can easily be cleaned and washed with the use of an effective ESD floor cleaner. ESD floor cleaners help to remove any contaminations and grime on your flooring, effectively eliminating static build-up and improving its performance.
When selecting an ESD floor cleaner to use, check to see what materials it is compatible with. Most cleaners will be suitable for vinyl or rubber materials as these are the most common flooring materials in the market. Several other factors you will want to check for is the formula type and whether it is ready-to-use or requires diluting. Never use any standard household cleaning products on your ESD floor as this can leave behind a thin layer of residue which can compromise your floor’s ESD properties and stop it from working. Cleaning with the incorrect products can impact the effectiveness of your anti-static floor. Always make sure you do your research and use the right one.
You will also want to take care not to over-wet your ESD floor. Critical grounding connections such as plug sockets can be shorted out if water gets to the sub-floor level.
An ESD floor finish can be used as a temporary measure to enhance the performance of non-dissipative floors to provide secondary grounding properties. However, this treatment should not be used as a long-term permanent ESD solution. Rather, you should opt for a properly installed ESD floor.
Now that you know how to properly maintain and care for an ESD floor, you can prepare and implement an effective maintenance routine for your flooring to best protect it.
It is important to note. Even though an ESD floor may have had excellent static dissipative properties when it was originally installed, if the floor has sustained a long period of inadequate cleaning then it will most likely become completely insulative. It is crucial that you review your cleaning regime to ensure it is appropriate to your floor and is conducted on a regular basis. You should always test the surface resistance of your floor from time to time to check whether the floor is in compliance to the IEC Standard.
Bondline’s ESD Floor Cleaner is a ready-to-use, concentrated water-based formula that has been specially formulated for effective cleaning and long-term static control of ESD flooring. It’s excellent for removing contaminations and helping to maintain the floor’s ESD properties. The floor cleaner can be used to effectively treat both vinyl and rubber flooring materials.
Maintaining an ESD floor is easy! Step up your static control routine with our best-selling ESD Floor Cleaner here.
If you would like further guidance on maintaining an ESD floor or help on setting up an Electrostatic Protected Area (EPA), please don’t hesitate to call us on 01793 511000 or email sales@bondline.co.uk.
On selected products if ordered before 1pm
Dedicated account manager to help your ordering process
Great value on premium quality products
