My church's kitchen constantly smells like a bucket of dirty mop water
- if you worked in fast food (as I did as a teen) you know the smell
I'm talking about: grease and dirt and ugh.

I think the problem is the floor, that it has a build-up of grease and
years of not-so-great mopping. It's a commercial-grade no-wax vinyl
according to the buildings-and-grounds guys who (when you keep 'em on
topic) seem to remember the floor being laid in 1985.

I don't think a simple mopping with bleach and water will suffice.
Eventually we will replace the floor, but do not have the funds to do
so (especially after the phone system blew out in last week's storms).
Can anyone recommend a product or method of removing years of
accumulated ick from a no-wax floor?

Arigato!

Kyle wrote:

My church's kitchen constantly smells like a bucket of dirty mop water
- if you worked in fast food (as I did as a teen) you know the smell
I'm talking about: grease and dirt and ugh.

I think the problem is the floor, that it has a build-up of grease and
years of not-so-great mopping. It's a commercial-grade no-wax vinyl
according to the buildings-and-grounds guys who (when you keep 'em on
topic) seem to remember the floor being laid in 1985.

I don't think a simple mopping with bleach and water will suffice.
Eventually we will replace the floor, but do not have the funds to do
so (especially after the phone system blew out in last week's storms).
Can anyone recommend a product or method of removing years of
accumulated ick from a no-wax floor?

Arigato!


How about cleaning it?
Try a good grease cutting detergent.
Bleach just sterilizes the dirt, but doesn't really clean anything.
I think there probably are detergents that are made just for
vinyl floors, but if not, I have used 409, laundry detergent, and
maybe even sudsy ammonia. And you should scrub a bit.
Or you can hire a cleaning service to do a once a year thorough cleaning.

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:57:25 +0000, Kyle wrote:

My church's kitchen constantly smells like a bucket of dirty mop water -
if you worked in fast food (as I did as a teen) you know the smell I'm
talking about: grease and dirt and ugh.

I think the problem is the floor, that it has a build-up of grease and
years of not-so-great mopping. It's a commercial-grade no-wax vinyl
according to the buildings-and-grounds guys who (when you keep 'em on
topic) seem to remember the floor being laid in 1985.

I don't think a simple mopping with bleach and water will suffice.
Eventually we will replace the floor, but do not have the funds to do so
(especially after the phone system blew out in last week's storms). Can
anyone recommend a product or method of removing years of accumulated ick
from a no-wax floor?

Arigato!

Had the same problem when we rented an apartment. The floors were a black
and white check pattern about 12 inch squares. They were very dirty from
grease and dirt. So, I took some straight ammonia and poured it on and let
it sit a few minutes. Then with a pail of hot water and a sponge mop it
all came off.

Make sure you venelate really good. The ammonia can get quite strong.


--
coffee
Linux Registered User #449534

Kyle wrote:
My church's kitchen constantly smells like a bucket of dirtymopwater
- if you worked in fast food (as I did as a teen) you know the smell
I'm talking about: grease and dirt and ugh.

M Q suggested:
How about cleaning it?
Try a good grease cutting detergent.

This is what I get for trying to post questions while at the office -
I fail to include all information!

The cleaners we have at the church claim they've used good janitorial
cleaner on the floor, but it doesn't do the trick. There's a bit of
tacky/stickiness to the floor, so I suspect years' worth of build-up
that just won't come off without either a really strong almost floor
stripper (which I'm told you NEVER use on no-way flooring) or
scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing and...

I was hoping there was a simpler solution I wasn't aware of, but it
looks like I'm gonna have to recruit some members who have loads of
elbow grease to share and are willing to get on their knees for
something that doesn't involve praying (unless you count "Oh, God, my
knees hurt!").

On Sun, 12 Aug 2007 05:59:40 +0000, Kyle wrote:

Kyle wrote:
My church's kitchen constantly smells like a bucket of dirtymopwater -
if you worked in fast food (as I did as a teen) you know the smell I'm
talking about: grease and dirt and ugh.

M Q suggested:
How about cleaning it?
Try a good grease cutting detergent.

This is what I get for trying to post questions while at the office - I
fail to include all information!

The cleaners we have at the church claim they've used good janitorial
cleaner on the floor, but it doesn't do the trick. There's a bit of
tacky/stickiness to the floor, so I suspect years' worth of build-up that
just won't come off without either a really strong almost floor stripper
(which I'm told you NEVER use on no-way flooring) or scrubbing and
scrubbing and scrubbing and...

I was hoping there was a simpler solution I wasn't aware of, but it looks
like I'm gonna have to recruit some members who have loads of elbow grease
to share and are willing to get on their knees for something that doesn't
involve praying (unless you count "Oh, God, my knees hurt!").

Before you do why dont you try some ammonia (sp?) and let it sit for a few
minutes and then take a mop over it? I bet it all comes up.

Sounds like its just a build up of wax and grease. Ammonia will take it
right off for you. Look like brand new.



--
coffee
Linux Registered User #449534

coffee suggested:
Sounds like its just a build up of wax and grease. Ammonia will take it
right off for you. Look like brand new.

NickySantoro wrote:
Spic n Span and a good dose of ammonia. Do it 4 times.

OK, guys, ammonia it is. I'll have a couple of people hit it hard on
the next clean-up day, and bring the results back here. Thanks!