Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Theater cleaning

This is topic Theater cleaning in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Bryan Richardson (Member # 4173) on 02-07-2007, 07:11 PM:

Hello-
I'm fairly new to this site and I hope this question hasn't been answered before (I searched pretty extensively before posting). The individual theaters in the cinema I work at are cleaned every night and mopped often, however the floors are looking dirty and there is this black-looking buildup accumulating around the legs of the seat.
The theater is old and it is starting to show. Short of getting on my hands and knees in every theater, does anyone have any suggestions on how to clean these floors better than just a mop. The flooring is that vinyl composition tile. I was thinking of getting a power washer. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-07-2007, 08:33 PM:

A floor scrubber and power washer, followed by a good sealer or wax should help. I have had pleasant results from ZEP products.

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 02-11-2007, 03:42 AM:

Definitely seal the floor after cleaning. Nothing like that artificial shine, which also helps protects the tiles and makes them easier to clean next time.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 02-11-2007, 07:46 PM:

You're looking at syrup building on the standards of the seats. This is likely cuased by not using the proper amount of clean water and degreaser/cleaner additive in the mop water..

A quick way to have this corrected is to use an electric pressure washer to power away the build up.. Something else that helps is to use adequate cleaner, such as greased lightening in the water, assuming that the floor in the auditoriums are concrete.

I was amazed at the DRAMATIC difference I saw when our cleaning service was fired an the new company came in. The new crew changed the mop water TWICE per theatre (16 screens) and used enough cleaner to break down the syrup buildup... They never even thought about using a pressure washer.. Which was fine.. given that it only took about a week to notice the HUGE difference...

A good cleaning service is well worth it... withoout question...

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 02-17-2007, 09:02 PM:

Be careful when using a pressure washer in that to much PSI could blow the tiles right off the floor.

At our theater we usually put together an in-house crew of 5-8 employees who want extra hours after close to wipe down the backs of seats with a cleaning solution and buff with a armor-all. The next evening, the crew comes back and scrubs the floor around each seat. This is mostly done in April - just before the busy season so it can be justified when doing payroll. We have nine auditoriums, so it takes awhile. Your crew size will vary depending on number of screens, but I wouldn't even attempt doing a twin without at least me and two others.

I also believe a good cleaning company is a must.