Top Benefits of Mats Identified

High-performing matting systems are known to help facilities stay safer, cleaner and healthier.  But many facility managers and cleaning professionals are unaware of their benefits. The following Q & A with Dennis Knapp, Director of Sales for Crown Mats and Matting, will outline some of the many benefits of mats.

How do mats help keep facilities clean?
We know that an effective matting system can prevent as much as 80 percent of outdoor soils from being walked into a facility. In fact, they play such a vital role in keeping soils and moisture outside that they are required to be installed for buildings seeking LEED certification.

Will any mat accomplish this?
No. An effective matting system requires approximately 15 feet of matting made up of three components:
1.     A scraper mat, located outside a facility
2.     A wiper/scraper mat, placed directly inside a facility
3.     A wiper mat, installed in a building’s lobby

What does the term “high-performance mat” refer to?
A high-performance mat is typically purchased, not rented, and is warrantied to last for one or several years. A rental mat, in comparison, may be guaranteed to last only a few months.
 
How do you maintain mats?
Mats should be vacuumed regularly, preferably with an upright vacuum cleaner, and in different directions. The roller brush on an upright agitates the mat’s fibers, helping to release soils stored in the mat so that they can be removed.

Mats also need to be cleaned occasionally. The most effective way to clean them is with a carpet extractor, which removes deeply embedded soils and contaminants and keeps the matting performing in a top-notch manner.

“How to purchase a high-performance mat is another question that often comes up,” says Knapp. “A distributor knowledgeable about building safety and green cleaning will know the value of matting and can typically help you select the matting that best meets your facility’s needs.”