Superb results on dirty commercial quarry tiles in Bristol.

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Leanne Coelho

The Green Man team were needed to improve the appearance of some quarry tiles at several council laundries in Bristol. These tiles had been left looking dirty and chalky by a haze of tile grout. Despite previous attempts by others at standard cleaning these tiles were looking sad and not fit for purpose.

As you can see from the image on the right, the tiles were looking white and coated from the grout.

Our technician used a specialised process for quarry tiles to get these communal laundry areas looking clean and presentable again.

This process involved;

Sweeping of the floor to remove all loose debris,
Application of a tailored product designed to disintegrate the grout,
Rotary agitation using an aggressive brush to break down the grout ,
Rinsing.

Now these commercial hard floors have had a thorough deep clean and the grout haze has been removed, meaning not only do they look a lot more pleasant they are also sanitised and more resistant to future staining.

We can meet all of your commercial hard floor cleaning needs, whether it is tiles, wood, vinyl, safety floors or whatever else you may have we have the tools and experience to work some cleaning magic and bring them back to their best again.

If you would like any further information about what we can do, or to arrange a free, no obligation survey for your commercial hard floor cleaning please do use the contact us button below to see what we could do for you.

Stunning cleaning results and scorching weather in Whittington, Gloucester.

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Leanne Coelho

Despite it being a heat wave and the hottest day of the year, Pete and Joanne were hard at work with a variety of deep cleaning tasks at this stunning barn in Whittington, Gloucester.

We were asked to come and rejuvenate some beautiful limestone flooring, as well as deep cleaning of carpets and very low moisture cleaning of seagrass carpets.

The images above show how well Joanne and Pete’s hard work paid off as these limestone areas came up beautifully and looked as good as new. Using our deep cleaning methods alongside a polish and seal, this limestone has been transformed not only in looks but in terms of its longevity. The process itself will leave the floor more resistant to stains and spills. You can read more about our limestone cleaning process here.

After some refreshments in the shade in this gorgeous garden Pete and Joanne moved on to cleaning the carpets and the seagrass.

Sisal and seagrass carpets require a very low moisture (VLM) clean due to the way in which the fibres will absorb water. After a thorough vacuum, a powerful, environmentally friendly cleaning compound is worked into the fibres to lift as much dirt and bacteria as possible. Once this has been allowed to dwell it is then vacuumed up leaving the sisal/seagrass freshened and more hygienic.

The team then moved on to our standard process for cleaning the other carpets.

Pete can be seen here rinse extracting the carpets. Rinse extraction is the last step in our deep cleaning process.

The full, eco friendly process we use incorporates;

Pre-testing
Dry extraction/vacuuming
Spot/stain treatments, as necessary
Eco-sanitising pre-spray
Rotary agitation
Traditional rinse extraction (sometimes called steam cleaning)

This process ensures the carpets are thoroughly cleaned whilst ensuring no chemical nasties are left behind as we use all eco friendly products.

After rinse extracting, the carpets need some time to dry out, we usually estimate a few hours until they are fully dry. The scorching conditions for this work would have meant these carpets dried out in record time!

If you would like to see these impressive techniques and results in your own home, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We would be delighted to help you, heat wave or not!

Deep clean of stunning quarry tiles in Winterbourne Monkton.

Posted on June 23, 2022July 9, 2022 by Leanne Coelho

We were lucky enough to return to this beautiful cottage in Winterbourne Monkton that we did some carpet, rug and upholstery cleaning at last week. This time we were asked to give these beautiful quarry tiles a deep clean and a bit of TLC.

Hard floors can often be a two technician job, as this one was. There are lots of processes that really benefit from two pairs of hands!

Our process for hard flooring typically includes;

– Dry extraction/vacuuming
– Spot/stain treatments, as necessary
– Pre-spray specific to the type of flooring
– Rotary & oscillating pad agitation
– Rinse extraction
– Finishing touches (usually buff & dry)
– Sealing where necessary

Joanne hard atwork — Joanne hard at work

You can see some of these processes in the featured images, right at the top Pete is using the rotary agitator and above you can see Joanne scrubbing the harder to reach areas and rinse extracting the tiles after cleaning.

The image on the left shows these beautiful tiles prior to their eco-friendly deep clean treatment. As you can see from the image on the right, taken straight after cleaning, they really improved and are not only hygienic but are looking refreshed and bright.

For more on our hard floor cleaning processes, visit our website here.

The next day, once the floors are completely dry, Joanne reattended to seal these floors. This will give them lasting protection and increase resistance to staining and soiling. As you can see from the images below it also makes them look stunning.

Quarry tiles during sealing 1 — Quarry tiles during sealing

Freshly sealed tiles 1 — Freshly sealed tiles

These tiles have received the full deep, eco friendly cleaning service from the Green Man team, they are now restored, looking great and are more resistant to staining and soiling.

If you would like to book us for your hard floor, carpet, rug or upholstery cleaning please use the button below to get in touch.

Remarkable deep clean of tiled floor in Norton St Philip.

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Leanne Coelho

This week we were called to a cottage in Norton St Philip that is undergoing some renovations and needed a deep, green clean of this beautiful tiled floor.

After our usual process of a survey and quotation, our experienced technician Joanne went to work to revitalise these tiles.

As you can see from the image on the right, the tiles were lacking vibrancy and were soiled. Joanne got to work initially sweeping the tiles to remove any surface level dirt. The tiles were then cleaned using an eco-friendly, powerful solution to release and remove any ground in dirt. A grout brush is then used to really get in to the harder to reach grouted areas where dirt and soil can often get impacted. The slurry and dirt was extracted and then rinsed.

After allowing at least 24 hours to make sure the tiles have thoroughly dried, Joanne revisited the cottage to apply sealant. The sealing of tiles after cleaning is a crucial part of the process, it both enhances the finished look bringing the tiles back to their gleaming best but is also vital for protection for the tiles. It provides a layer of protection from dirt, water and oil that will help to keep the tiles looking at their best for longer. For your tiles at home, you can tell when the sealant is starting to break down when the floor starts to absorb more liquid, this means it is overdue for a good deep clean and reseal.

These tiles have been brought back to their best, they look colourful and, most importantly, clean again. If you have a tiled floor, or any other hard floor that is in need of cleaning, you can find out more about our processes by clicking the button below.

Hard floor cleaning

If you are interested in getting these stunning results for your own tiled floors please do not hesitate to get in touch, using the button below, and we can arrange a free, no obligation survey to discuss your requirements.

Stunning engineered wooden floor deep clean near Corsham.

Posted on May 31, 2022May 31, 2022 by Leanne Coelho

This week Jon and Joanne were called out to this stunning engineered wooden floor near Corsham for a deep clean. There were also three very large rugs in need of a deep, green clean too.

Prior to taking on this clean, we had attended to conduct a free, no obligation survey of the wooden floors. With carpets and rugs we can usually quote over the phone however due to the different variables impacting hard floors we always like to come and survey to ensure we are giving the most accurate price based on floor type and condition.

Jon and Joanne then got to work on thoroughly sweeping and vacuuming these beautiful floors.

After a thorough sweep and vacuum to get up any dirt, the floor is then cleaned using the rotary agitator with a Bona cleaning solution and a soft white pad to gently agitate any other trodden in dirt and to remove grime and grease that may be present. The slurry left behind after using this machine is then removed from the floor using an extraction machine. You can see Joanne using this equipment in the picture above, it is surprising how much slurry is produced from floors that appeared to be clean. The floor is then rinsed, this water is then extracted again and the floor is then dried using air movers.

This process brings the floors back to their best and nicely fresh and sanitised. You can read more about hard floor cleaning here.

After getting the wooden floors looking gorgeous again, Jon and Joanne moved on to cleaning three very large, traditional rugs. The process for rugs is very similar to the process we use to clean carpets, however there is additional work involved. For example, rugs require back dusting to ensure that any debris and dirt trapped in the fibres is loosened and removed. This process is labour intensive and for rugs this large it can require two technicians to be able to manoeuvre the rug to get the best results. Dye migration can also prove problematic with rugs so technicians have to pre-test carefully and monitor as they clean to ensure there are no problems. Although a rug may seem straight forward it is actually very complex and has more potential for problems!

If you have any rugs or wooden floors that are not coming back to their best using your standard home cleaning methods please use the button below to contact us and we can arrange a free, no obligation survey for you. We would be happy to assist with any of your carpet, hard floor, rug or upholstery needs using our specialist eco-friendly methods.

Beautiful Cotswold Home – Full deep-clean & seal of Wooden Floors, Limestone & Brick

Posted on May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 by GrrenManCleaning

As professional floor cleaners, the Green Man team are fortunate to be invited into beautiful homes quite often, and this contemporary farmhouse is no exception. Crafted around an English oak timber frame, this property is designed to impress.

Our task was to specify a full deep-clean of the wide range of flooring types throughout the home, then seal them to improve their visual impact and durability.

Professional wood floor cleaning near Melksham

Professional Wood Cleaning & Polishing

Wood should generally not be wet-cleaned at all. Water will gradually wear down varnishes & other finishes, and then open the grain of most types of woods. However, from time to time (or after building work), sweeping will not be enough.

When wood requires a deep-clean, we have created a way of delivering a very good level of cleanliness without over-wetting a wooden floor. This involves:

Gentle, but effective mechanical agitation using a rotary machine
Minimal application of a wood-specific cleaning solution
Immediate vacuum extraction of the slurry
Forced drying

Once the floor is dry, we can then apply a suitable polish to protect the wood and improve its appearance.

Professional Limestone Cleaning & Sealing

The limestone floors in this property consisted of black limestone installed in the large downstairs area & a lighter, more traditional limestone floor in the master en-suite bathroom. Both areas required a full deep-clean and manual scrubbing of the grout lines…

Professional limestone bathroom floor cleaning

Professional tile grout cleaning in Wiltshire

Professional Limestone Floor Sealing

The following day – once the stone & grout has completely dried – we returned to apply seals to the floor. The floor was sealed when it was installed (not that long ago), so our aim was to “top up” the pre-existing seal & add a topical seal to increase the reflectivity & surface protection of the tiles. Stone tiles should always be sealed with an impregnating seal, which is the first point of defence against spillages. After this has been carried out, it is then the aesthetic choice of the owner whether a higher gloss finish is desired.

In this case, a luxurious look was paramount, so our team applied two coats of a limestone floor gloss seal. We didn’t take many photos, but the one below gives an impression of the overall finish…

In total, we cleaned & sealed:

3 x wooden floor bedrooms, 1 x wooden floor drawing room
1 x marble bathroom floor
1 x limestone bathroom, 1 x limestone exercise room, 1 x limestone kitchen/dining/ living area
1 x herringbone brick corridor & bathroom

Here are some additional images of the job:

Professional stone bathroom floor cleaning

Professional limestone tile cleaning in Wiltshire

If you have an enquiry regarding either wood or tile cleaning & sealing, please get in touch. We offer a free survey on all this type of work & would be happy to help.

Thanks for reading!

Quarry tiles & Flagstones in a Bristol Pub – AN OUTSTANDING CLEAN

Posted on May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 by GrrenManCleaning

A few week’s back, we were asked to survey for commercial hard floor cleaning in a pub in Bristol. The floor to be cleaned was a mixture of quarry tiles & flagstone/brick – all were in very poor condition and required serious work to bring them back to an acceptable condition.

Professional restoration clean of Quarry Tiles

Quarry tiles are hard non-porous paving tiles created from ground minerals which are formed into a tile shaped and fired just like bricks. The image below shows the condition before the clean –

As you can see, the areas of damage & the grout lines have become extremely greasy. Mopping will probably have exacerbated the problem by simply spreading slurry into the lower areas. Here, it dries out and the detergent leaves a sticky residue, attracting further soiling. Beer spillages are sticky anyway because of their high sugar content.

The only way to improve things here was to use a hot solution that would break the sugary, greasy deposits & agitate using a rotary machine and a manual grout brush…

The finished result?

While the imperfections in the tiles remain, the floor here is indisputably clean and looking much more hygienic!

Professional restoration clean of Flagstones

The flagstones in the pub were arranged around the bar area & had suffered the worst of the inevitable spillages…

In order to bring this area back to its best possible potential, we needed to stretch slightly beyond entirely eco-products & introduce a small, dilute amount of plant-based solvent to “cut into” the huge amount of grease & sugar deposits in the flooring.

Our eco-friendly ethos covers nearly every aspect of our work. When it is simply not possible to deliver a satisfactory result using our default environmentally friendly solutions, we will consult with our customer & discuss the options.

In this case, all that was needed was to increase the ph of the product used & to boost it with a citrus solvent (limonene). Oh, and to then clean the floor five times !!!

The finished result here ended up being some of the most spectacular “before & after” images we’ve ever posted.

BEFORE

AFTER

Professional flagstone cleaning in a pub — Professional flagstone cleaning – AFTER

If you have a question regarding commercial or domestic tile & hard floor cleaning, feel free to use our CONTACT page or phone numbers to get in touch.

Thanks for reading

Commercial hard floor cleaning in Shepton Mallet Prison

Posted on February 26, 2022February 26, 2022 by GrrenManCleaning

The Green Man team were sent to prison – but we cleaned up our act & were let out for good behaviour…

When we heard that a tv production company required an urgent deep-clean of concrete flooring in Shepton Mallett prison, we were quite intrigued. We offer a wide range of hard floor cleaning options to the commercial sector, but this might be our first prison! Also, because we operate a 6 van team, we are often able to accommodate large scale work at short notice.

The brief:

We were required to deep-clean the concrete floors in one of the prison canteen areas, as well as the floor of one of the original large wings of this notoriously grim Victorian prison.

When we arrived, we quickly realised that neither of the floors to be cleaned were concrete!

They were both dulled down and of a dour grey appearance, so it was an honest mistake.

The initial survey revealed that they were hard-wearing vinyl floors.

During the short survey, we also learned that the prison is supposed to be very haunted… …

Preparing the surface

The floor in the canteen appeared to have been recently laid, perhaps by the Art Department of the production & was not glued to the sub-floor. There was a large amount of loose debris on the surface, which we swept & removed.

Applying a pre-spray

This type of flooring will usually respond well to an alkali cleaning solution. We mixed this but, unusually, but did not apply with a pressure sprayer…

Agitation

The level of soiling on the floors in both areas suggested that we would need to agitate the floor relatively aggressively. For this task, we used a Numatic Hurricane rotary machine with a green scrubbing pad – these type of floor pads come in a variety of colours indicating varying levels of abrasion. Because of the large area to be covered, we attached a solution tank to the machine, meaning we could apply the cleaning solution simultaneously while scrubbing the floors.

Extraction

We worked as a two-man team: one of us applied solution & scrubbed the floor, the other followed behind with a commercial Numatic wet-vac, picking up the slurry.

Commercial floor cleaning in Shepton Mallet

The result

Although we didn’t take many “before & after” images, the photos below give an indication of what was achieved. Both areas had significant amounts of loose material on top of a high level of soiling.

By specifying an efficient & effective method, we were able to restore the floors to a good level of cleanliness that would also look good on camera.

Deep cleaning of vinyl floor in Shepton Mallet

If you have any questions regarding commercial floor cleaning, please use the Contact page or give us a call.

Thanks for reading!

Parquet floor cleaning & polishing in Calne

Posted on December 5, 2021December 29, 2021 by Adrian Somerfield

Here you can see how a very dry, unprotected parquet hallway has been transformed by our team. Our process is eco-friendly, pet-safe & suitable for all types of wood that have been originally varnished, oiled or waxed.

Our initial deep-clean will remove years of built-up soil from the dirtiest of floors –

When we carry out an initial survey for wood cleaning, our technicians will offer honest advice regarding whether our process will deliver the required finish, or whether it is time to get your wooden flooring re-sanded. Many home owners are surprised to discover that sanding is not the only way to give wood floors a new lease of life.

Before and After

Sometimes, images deliver the message in the clearest terms, so here is a “before & after” of an area of our work on this project:

BEFORE
AFTER

Professional wood cleaning in Chippenham

Once clean, we then dry the wood so that it is ready to accept the new layers of polish. you can opt for a matt, satin or gloss finish to suit your taste.

If you have any questions regarding our wood cleaning & polishing service, please feel free to get in touch.

Thanks for reading!

Harlequin dance floors – full strip & seal

Posted on October 31, 2021December 9, 2021 by GrrenManCleaning

Last week, three of the Green Man team worked in this beautifully light dance studio in Gloucester. We regularly carry out stripping & sealing of hard flooring, but the two studios here combined to form a huge area to work with.

The video

We have created a short video that provides an overview of the process…

“Harlequin is the performance floor of choice for the world’s most prestigious dance and performing arts companies, theatres, venues and schools, production companies and global events.”

Our initial survey for cleaning the flooring confirmed that it would require a full strip & seal. If you look at the diagram below, you will see how the floor is constructed-

Allegro Vinyl Floor Illustrations for web

Stripping

The floor is designed to be coated with a vinyl polish to create a glossy, non-slip finish. Over time (and with repeated mopping), the floor dulls and accumulates a lot of dance-related wear & tear.

What we had not anticipated was that the owner of the floor had lovingly applied new coats of polish each year for 10 years!

This meant that an enormous quantity of polish has to be dissolved using stripping solution & weighted rotary machines.

Stripping underway
This stripping back took over 2 days!

Sealing

Once this stage was complete, we could apply the new coats of seal. As professional hard flooring contractors, we refer to the refinishing product as “seal”, although it is sometimes clearer to call it polish!

After 4 day’s work involving 3 of us in total, the floors looked fantastic…

If you have an enquiry about your own dance studio or theatre flooring, or about our commercial hard floor cleaning/ polishing services. we’d be delighted to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!

Category: Hard Flooring

Superb results on dirty commercial quarry tiles in Bristol.

Stunning cleaning results and scorching weather in Whittington, Gloucester.

Deep clean of stunning quarry tiles in Winterbourne Monkton.

Remarkable deep clean of tiled floor in Norton St Philip.

Stunning engineered wooden floor deep clean near Corsham.

Beautiful Cotswold Home – Full deep-clean & seal of Wooden Floors, Limestone & Brick

Professional Wood Cleaning & Polishing

Professional Limestone Cleaning & Sealing

Professional Limestone Floor Sealing

Quarry tiles & Flagstones in a Bristol Pub – AN OUTSTANDING CLEAN

Professional restoration clean of Quarry Tiles

Professional restoration clean of Flagstones

BEFORE

AFTER

Commercial hard floor cleaning in Shepton Mallet Prison

The brief:

Preparing the surface

Applying a pre-spray

Agitation

Extraction

The result

Parquet floor cleaning & polishing in Calne

Before and After

Harlequin dance floors – full strip & seal

The video

Stripping

Sealing

Bath

Bristol

Cotswolds

Swindon