One Common Mistake That Makes Apartment Cleaning Costs Several Times Higher

One common mistake that makes apartment cleaning costs several times higher

Without beating around the bush: it's too short a doormat. A mat where you can take at most two steps catches only 37% of dirt, but a mat where you can take 6-8 steps catches more than 90% of dirt.

Allegedly, 80% of the dirt that enters a building comes into the apartment through outdoor shoes. If the weather is rainy, as it often tends to be in Estonia, this number can be even higher.

"As a rule, most apartment buildings do have a doormat, but many of them are not very effective because they are too short and there is too much time between cleanings or it is forgotten altogether," explains Lindström's production manager Katrin Maisa. The topic is sensitive in apartment associations because most of the dirt is released during the first few steps and the concerns of upper floor residents are irrelevant. "For residents on the lower floors, it's quite a problem. A mat works best when you can take 6-8 steps on it: this keeps 90-95% of the dirt at the threshold and it doesn't get carried further down the corridor," she says

In fact, the issue is not just about aesthetics, but also about smart management. If most of the dirt is caught at the doorway, it allows for savings on general cleaning costs. "If during dusty seasons a large apartment building would need to wash floors practically every day, then using door mats helps reduce this significantly," said Maisa. When choosing a suitable solution, one should keep in mind that the base of the doormat should be rubber – this helps keep the mat firmly in place on the floor, prevents moisture from reaching the floor and prevents moisture damage. Also, a proper doormat prevents floor wear, which would otherwise occur quickly due to sand and gravel falling from shoes.

Attention should be paid to regular mat cleaning, because if they are already waterlogged or full of dirt, they can no longer perform their function and dirt is still carried on by people's feet. In apartment buildings where many people pass through during the day, it makes sense to leave this work to a service provider who replaces the mats with the necessary regularity and brings clean mats in their place.

"The cleaning service provider or diligent association members who clean the corridor according to the schedule will certainly appreciate this as well. A doormat of the right size helps significantly reduce the time spent on cleaning rooms," adds Maisa.