5 ways to prevent your warehouse floors from costing you money

You may take them for granted, but your warehouse floors work a lot harder than you think. Heavy, merchandise-laden vehicles roll on them all day and pallets often fall on them. Over time, this can cause some sections to become lower than others. Unfortunately, uneven floors can compromise the stability of your racking systems and cause forklifts to drop heavy loads, potentially leading to fatal injuries as well as costly damage. To help prevent this, here are five things you can do to keep your floors in good shape.

1. Start with the right product

Never pick flooring based solely on the way it looks. For example, some types of coatings are vulnerable to chemical damage, making them a terrible choice if chemical spills are common. Choosing the right coating will save you money, as you can avoid having to replace or repair the floor.

2. Don’t overdo it

Perhaps surprisingly, doing less is more when it comes to maintaining warehouse floors. Instead of using the sweep and scrub function on your floor machine, focus on sweeping and use the scrubber only when necessary. This will slow coating degradation and protect the concrete base.

3.Remove large debris

Shrink wrap and packaging straps can damage sweeper and scrubber rollers, as can shards of wood from pallets. Removing debris will also prevent utility vehicles from rolling on them and consequently damaging the floor.

4. Think about salt

In areas that experience cold winters, chances are that salt will end up on your floor. Left alone, this can degrade coatings, which then makes it more likely that the floor underneath will become damaged. This can greatly increase the risk for accidents and shorten your floor’s lifespan.

5. Choose the right cleaners

Chemical cleaners can do a lot more harm than good, as can scrubbers if they’re using the wrong kind of brush. Not taking this into account means potentially purchasing useless products and equipment and then having to pay to replace the damaged flooring.

Your warehouse experts

If your floors need to be assessed or you need to repair or replace damaged racking or forklifts, ARPAC can help. We carry new and used forklifts, provide rentals and offer a wide selection of new and used racking. We serve businesses in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Contact us today to find out how we can help.