How to Stop Sand and Grit Entering Your Building

During the winter months, sand and grit is often used to overcome the problem of ice and snow causing your building entrances to be slippery. Whilst this solves one problem, another is created when the sand and grit is tracked into your premises by your visitors. Once sand and grit gets inside your building it can be difficult to remove through cleaning and it may also damage your floors and carpets which soon becomes a costly problem. The solution: Fortunately the way to stop sand and grit getting into your building is simple to implement and will not cost you a lot of money. For a relatively small outlay in the short term, you will soon reap back this cost through the savings you make in cleaning and floor replacement costs. You need to invest in a good bi-level entrance mat. The upper level of a bi-level mat will scrape and wipe footwear and wheeled traffic, so that the sand and grit is removed. This will fall to the lower level of the bi-level mat, away from the walking surface, so that it is not tracked off the mat and into the building as further people pass over the mat. An effective bi-level mat will hold onto enough sand and grit until you are ready to clean it away. Cleaning your mat A good quality mat can simply be cleaned of sand and grit with a hose or pressure washer You can ensure that you remove even more sand, grit, dirt and water by having more than one mat in place at your entrance. Ideally you would want a three mat entry system comprising of: Exterior entrance mat: To remove heavy debris, snow, mud, sand and grit. Bi-Level entrance mat: To remove any left-over sand and grit and keep it on the mat until cleaned away at a later time. Interior finishing mat: To remove any left-over smaller dirt particles and mop up any remaining moisture. How to choose the right bi-level mat: If you want a mat to last longer than one season and for it to remain effective throughout this time and beyond, then don’t just choose any bi-level mat out there on the market. You should really be looking for a bi-level mat with the following factors: The backing: Rubber backed mats will last longer in all types of weather than cheaper PVC or vinyl backed mats, which are more liable to split, crack and curl at the edges and corners with use. The bi-level construction: Ensure the upper level is well supported, so that it doesn't crush down as passed over, rendering it ineffective. A good bi-level mat will have rubber reinforced scraping nubs, rather than just raised fabric which will soon have a ‘worn path’ appearance running through the mat where people continually walk. The face fabric: Here you’re looking for a durable, quick drying fabric which is effective at removing moisture. Look for a face made from polypropylene, nylon or a combination of the two. Avoid cotton, although this is good for mopping up moisture, it takes a long time to dry. Cotton can quickly become saturated with water until it cannot hold onto it for any longer, leading to it running off the mat onto the surrounding floors.