🧽 Floor Care

• air mover AIR MOO-ver ▶ EN
  ventilador de piso ben-tee-lah-DOHR deh PEE-soh ▶ ES

  The snail-shell floor fan that speeds drying of finish, carpet, and spills.

  Set two air movers on the extracted carpet overnight. — Deja dos ventiladores en la alfombra lavada toda la noche.

• auto scrubber AW-toh SKRUB-er ▶ EN
  fregadora freh-gah-DOH-rah ▶ ES

  The walk-behind or riding machine that lays down solution, scrubs, and vacuums the floor dry in one pass.

  Charge the auto scrubber overnight or it dies halfway through the route. — Carga la fregadora toda la noche o se apaga a media ruta.

  Also: autofregadora (general) · la máquina (MX)

• auto scrubber squeegee AW-toh SKRUB-er SKWEE-jee ▶ EN
  jalador de la fregadora hah-lah-DOHR deh lah freh-gah-DOH-rah ▶ ES

  The rear rubber blade that leaves the floor dry; a nicked blade leaves a wet stripe every pass.

  The scrubber is leaving streaks — flip or replace the squeegee blade. — La fregadora está dejando rayas — voltea o cambia la hoja del jalador.

• backpack the edges BAK-pak thee EJ-ez ▶ EN
  aspirar las orillas as-pee-RAHR lahs oh-REE-yahs ▶ ES

  Vacuum along walls and corners with the wand where the upright can't reach; where dust lines form.

  Backpack the edges in the hallway every Friday. — Aspira las orillas del pasillo cada viernes.

• baseboard stripping BAYS-bord STRIP-ing ▶ EN
  decapado de zoclos deh-kah-PAH-doh deh SOH-klohs ▶ ES

  Removing the wax splash built up on baseboards during past jobs; what separates a clean strip job from a sloppy one.

  Do the baseboard stripping before the floor gets its first coat. — Haz el decapado de zoclos antes de la primera capa del piso.

• black marks BLAK marks ▶ EN
  rayones negros rrah-YOH-nehs NEH-grohs ▶ ES

  Heel and wheel scuffs on finished floors; most buff out, the rest get a tennis ball or a doodlebug.

  Get the black marks in the cafeteria before the floor gets judged by them. — Quita los rayones negros de la cafetería antes de que juzguen el piso por ellos.

• bonnet cleaning BON-et KLEE-ning ▶ EN
  limpieza con bonete leem-PYEH-sah kohn boh-NEH-teh ▶ ES

  Surface-cleaning carpet with an absorbent pad on the rotary machine — an interim clean, not a substitute for extraction.

  Bonnet cleaning in the halls monthly, full extraction twice a year. — Limpieza con bonete en los pasillos cada mes, extracción completa dos veces al año.

• buff BUF ▶ EN
  pulir poo-LEER ▶ ES

  Polish the finished floor with a rotary machine and pad to bring the shine back.

  Buff the lobby before the doors open at 7. — Pule el lobby antes de que abran las puertas a las 7.

  Also: abrillantar (general) · bufear (MX)

• burnish BUR-nish ▶ EN
  abrillantar a alta velocidad ah-bree-yahn-TAHR ah AHL-tah beh-loh-see-DAHD ▶ ES

  Polish with a high-speed machine (1500+ RPM) for the wet-look shine.

  Burnish the main hall twice a week on this account. — En esta cuenta se abrillanta el pasillo principal dos veces por semana.

• burnish schedule BUR-nish SKED-jool ▶ EN
  calendario de abrillantado kah-len-DAH-ryoh deh ah-bree-yahn-TAH-doh ▶ ES

  How often each area gets the high-speed machine; gloss is a schedule, not an accident.

  Lobby is on a nightly burnish schedule, halls twice a week. — El lobby tiene abrillantado diario, los pasillos dos veces por semana.

• carpet spotting KAR-pet SPOT-ing ▶ EN
  quitar manchas de alfombra kee-TAHR MAHN-chahs ▶ ES

  Treating individual carpet stains with the right spotter — blot, never rub, and coffee is not the same chemical as ink.

  Carpet spotting kit on every night cart — hit spills before they set. — Kit de quitar manchas en cada carrito de noche — atiende los derrames antes de que se fijen.

• clean to dirty KLEEN too DUR-tee ▶ EN
  de lo limpio a lo sucio deh loh LEEM-pyoh ah loh SOO-syoh ▶ ES

  Always work from the cleanest area or surface toward the dirtiest — never drag restroom water into an office.

  Clean to dirty, top to bottom — that order is the whole trade. — De lo limpio a lo sucio, de arriba para abajo — ese orden es todo el oficio.

• coat KOHT ▶ EN
  capa KAH-pah ▶ ES

  One thin layer of finish; floors get several, each dry before the next.

  Four coats on the main hall, two on the closets. — Cuatro capas en el pasillo principal, dos en las bodegas.

  Also: mano (general)

• doodlebug DOO-dul-bug ▶ EN
  tallador de mano tah-yah-DOHR deh MAH-noh ▶ ES

  The small pad holder on a handle for edges, corners, and baseboards the machine can't reach.

  Doodlebug the edges while the machine does the field. — Talla las orillas con el tallador de mano mientras la máquina hace el centro.

• dry time DRAY taym ▶ EN
  tiempo de secado TYEM-poh deh seh-KAH-doh ▶ ES

  How long each coat needs before the next, and before traffic; rushing it traps moisture and dulls the shine.

  Thirty minutes dry time per coat with the fans running. — Treinta minutos de secado por capa con los ventiladores prendidos.

• dust mop DUST mop ▶ EN
  mopa MOH-pah ▶ ES

  The wide dry mop run before any wet work to pick up loose dirt and grit.

  Dust mop the whole gym before the auto scrubber goes out. — Pasa la mopa por todo el gimnasio antes de sacar la fregadora.

  Also: mopa seca (general)

• dwell time DWEL taym ▶ EN
  tiempo de acción TYEM-poh deh ak-SYOHN ▶ ES

  How long a chemical has to sit wet on the surface to do its job before you wipe or scrub.

  The disinfectant needs ten minutes of dwell time — spray it and move on, come back to wipe. — El desinfectante necesita diez minutos de tiempo de acción — rocíalo, sigue con otra cosa y regresa a limpiarlo.

• extract ek-STRAKT ▶ EN
  lavar la alfombra lah-BAHR lah al-FOHM-brah ▶ ES

  Deep-clean carpet with the machine that injects solution and vacuums it back out.

  We extract the office carpets the last Friday of the month. — Lavamos las alfombras de las oficinas el último viernes del mes.

  Also: extracción (general)

• figure eight FIG-yur AYT ▶ EN
  en forma de ocho en FOHR-mah deh OH-choh ▶ ES

  The overlapping S-stroke that mops a floor evenly, working backward toward the exit.

  Figure eight, work backward — don't mop yourself into the corner. — En forma de ocho y de espaldas — no te trapees hasta la esquina sin salida.

• floor pad FLOR pad ▶ EN
  pad PAHD ▶ ES

  The round pad under the machine; color is aggressiveness — black strips, red buffs, white polishes.

  Put a black pad on for stripping, red is not enough. — Ponle pad negro para decapar, el rojo no es suficiente.

  Also: disco (general)

• floor sealer FLOR SEE-ler ▶ EN
  sellador de piso seh-yah-DOHR deh PEE-soh ▶ ES

  The base coat on porous floors that finish goes over; some specs run seal plus finish, some finish-only.

  New VCT gets two coats of floor sealer before the finish. — La loseta vinílica nueva lleva dos capas de sellador antes de la cera.

• gum removal GUM ree-MOO-vul ▶ EN
  quitar chicles kee-TAHR CHEE-klehs ▶ ES

  Freezing or scraping gum off floors and carpet; part of detail nights.

  Gum removal under every cafeteria table tonight. — Quitar chicles debajo de cada mesa de la cafetería hoy.

• high traffic lane HAY TRAF-ik LAYN ▶ EN
  zona de mucho paso SOH-nah deh MOO-choh PAH-soh ▶ ES

  The path where everyone walks — it wears first, gets the extra coat, and tells you when the floor needs service.

  Lay an extra coat in the high traffic lanes by the registers. — Ponle una capa extra a las zonas de mucho paso junto a las cajas.

• lvt el-vee-TEE ▶ EN
  vinilo de lujo bee-NEE-loh deh LOO-hoh ▶ ES

  Luxury vinyl tile/plank — the wood-look floor that must NOT be stripped or high-speed burnished; neutral clean only.

  That's LVT — stripper will destroy it; neutral cleaner and an autoscrub only. — Eso es vinilo de lujo — el decapante lo destruye; solo limpiador neutro y la fregadora.

• mop MOP ▶ EN
  trapear trah-peh-AHR ▶ ES

  Clean the floor with a wet mop; damp for daily cleaning, figure-eight strokes, sign out first.

  Mop the break room last, after the trash goes out. — Trapea el comedor al final, después de sacar la basura.

  Also: pasar el trapeador (general)

• mop head MOP hed ▶ EN
  mechudo meh-CHOO-doh ▶ ES

  The replaceable cotton or microfiber head; laundered or swapped before it turns gray, dedicated per chemical.

  That mop head is black — new one, and put this one in the laundry bag. — Ese mechudo ya está negro — pon uno nuevo y este a la bolsa de lavandería.

  Also: cabeza del trapeador (general)

• polished concrete POL-isht KON-kreet ▶ EN
  concreto pulido kohn-KREH-toh poo-LEE-doh ▶ ES

  Ground and densified concrete floors; no wax, no stripper — clean with neutral and burnish per spec.

  The warehouse floor is polished concrete — the auto scrubber with red pads, nothing else. — El piso de la bodega es concreto pulido — la fregadora con pads rojos, nada más.

• recovery tank ree-KUV-er-ee TANK ▶ EN
  tanque de recuperación TAHN-keh deh rreh-koo-peh-rah-SYOHN ▶ ES

  Where the auto scrubber's dirty water goes; emptied and rinsed at the mop sink every night or it grows a smell.

  Dump and rinse the recovery tank before you park the machine. — Vacía y enjuaga el tanque de recuperación antes de guardar la máquina.

• rinse RINS ▶ EN
  enjuagar el piso en-hwah-GAHR el PEE-soh ▶ ES

  The clean-water pass after stripping that removes residue; finish laid over stripper residue peels.

  Rinse twice after the strip — the finish is only as good as the rinse. — Enjuaga dos veces después del decapado — la cera queda tan bien como el enjuague.

• scrub and recoat SKRUB and ree-KOHT ▶ EN
  tallado y recapado tah-YAH-doh ee rreh-kah-PAH-doh ▶ ES

  Deep-scrub the top of the finish and lay fresh coats without a full strip — the mid-cycle service that stretches strip jobs.

  This floor doesn't need a strip yet — scrub and recoat with two coats. — Este piso todavía no necesita decapado — tallado y recapado con dos capas.

• slurry SLUR-ee ▶ EN
  el caldo del decapado el KAHL-doh ▶ ES

  The soup of dissolved finish and stripper on the floor mid-strip; picked up with the wet vac before it dries back down.

  Pick up the slurry before it dries — re-stripping dried slurry is double work. — Levanta el caldo antes de que seque — volver a decapar caldo seco es doble trabajo.

• spray buff SPRAY buf ▶ EN
  pulido con spray poo-LEE-doh kohn es-PRAY ▶ ES

  Misting restorer ahead of a buffing pass to clean scuffs and bring back gloss between recoats.

  Spray buff the elevator lobby, it scuffs up by Wednesday. — Pulido con spray al lobby del elevador, para el miércoles ya está rayado.

• strip STRIP ▶ EN
  decapar deh-kah-PAHR ▶ ES

  Remove the old floor finish down to bare tile with stripper solution and a low-speed machine.

  We strip the cafeteria tonight and lay four coats tomorrow. — Hoy en la noche decapamos la cafetería y mañana ponemos cuatro capas.

  Also: quitar la cera (general) · stripear (MX)

• stripper STRIP-er ▶ EN
  decapante deh-kah-PAHN-teh ▶ ES Safety-critical

  The strong alkaline solution that dissolves old finish; gloves and ventilation, and never mixed with anything.

  Let the stripper dwell ten minutes before you run the machine. — Deja que el decapante actúe diez minutos antes de meter la máquina.

  Also: removedor de cera (general)

• terrazzo teh-RAZ-oh ▶ EN
  terrazo teh-RRAH-soh ▶ ES

  The stone-chip floor in old lobbies; polished or waxed per the account spec — acid cleaners etch it.

  No bowl cleaner anywhere near the terrazzo — it burns white rings into it. — Nada de limpiador de taza cerca del terrazo — le quema anillos blancos.

• vct vee-see-TEE ▶ EN
  loseta vinílica loh-SEH-tah bee-NEE-lee-kah ▶ ES

  Vinyl composition tile — the 12x12 commercial tile that takes the whole strip-and-wax cycle.

  The hallways are VCT, the lobby is LVT — only the VCT gets stripped. — Los pasillos son loseta vinílica, el lobby es vinilo de lujo — solo la vinílica se decapa.

• walk-off mat WAWK-awf MAT ▶ EN
  tapete de entrada tah-PEH-teh deh en-TRAH-dah ▶ ES

  The entrance matting that traps dirt before it reaches the floors; vacuumed daily, swapped when saturated.

  Rain week — extra walk-off mats at both entrances. — Semana de lluvia — tapetes de entrada extra en las dos puertas.

• wax WAKS ▶ EN
  cera SEH-rah ▶ ES

  The floor finish laid in thin coats after stripping; what gives the floor its shine and wear layer.

  Thin coats of wax — thick coats never cure right. — Capas delgadas de cera — las capas gruesas nunca secan bien.

  Also: acabado / sellador (general)

• wax applicator WAKS AP-lih-kay-tor ▶ EN
  aplicador de cera ah-plee-kah-DOHR deh SEH-rah ▶ ES

  The flat microfiber or rayon head used to lay finish in thin, even coats.

  New wax applicator for the finish coats — the old one has grit in it. — Aplicador de cera nuevo para las capas finales — el viejo trae arenilla.

• wood floor care WUD flor KAIR ▶ EN
  cuidado de piso de madera kwee-DAH-doh deh PEE-soh deh mah-DEH-rah ▶ ES

  Gym and wood floors take their own products and barely any water; a wet mop can cup the boards.

  The gym is wood floor care only — the tile products never touch it. — El gimnasio es cuidado de madera únicamente — los productos de loseta nunca lo tocan.

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