Gone are those days where concrete flooring was a standard in majority of spaces. Today, the ever-evolving flooring market is flooded with multiple variants of different materials and designs and it thus requires special care and attention for a longer shelf life. This also means that the cleaning practices for every flooring surface differs depending on what is best suited.

“Different flooring materials have different characteristics, and that’s why you need to know a suitable method for each type of flooring. It’s better to consult a specialist company in case of a second opinion,” says Meenakshi Sharma, Executive Housekeeper, Ramada Chelsea Hotel Al Barsha, Dubai. She adds, “Deep cleaning cannot be practiced every day but we need to ensure that an appropriate daily cleaning regime is put into practice.”

According to Leelavath Nannuru, Executive Housekeeper, Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, the challenges depend on the type of material used for flooring as cleaning procedures for wood, tiles, marble, black stones vary. The cleaning challenge may also increase or decrease based on the area and irregular maintenance.

On another note Illangendra Kandiah, Housekeeping Manager at Al Maha, A Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai says, “The housekeeping team gets only limited time to clean the floor as our suites are mostly pre-booked by our repeat-guests. Bad weather conditions like sandstorms or rain also affect our work.” He further adds, “The lobby area and guest suites in particular needs extra attention, hence the French doors are closed and small rugs are placed near the main doors to minimise the amount of sand entering the venue. We also schedule quarterly deep cleaning during the night, with a focus on spot cleaning and buffing the lobby entrance. We do have a well-trained brigade of associates in the department who are well-versed with the sequence of service procedures.”

In addition, extra housekeeping attendants are allocated for evening turndown service to ensure that the occupied suites floors are cleaned as per their standards. On asking how they ensure that the floor remains clean during extreme weather circumstances like sandstorms as Al Maha is in the midst of a verdant palm oasis, deep within the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), Kandiah says “In this situation we reschedule deep cleaning jobs like scrubbing and applying floor sealer, etc. to a low occupancy day.”