Entrance mats are the first line of floor protection in any commercial building. In Palm Beach County they work hard: sand from parking lots and beaches, afternoon storms in the rainy season, irrigation overspray and heavy foot traffic during winter season all arrive at the front door. A mat that is full of sand or soaked with water stops protecting the floor and starts spreading grit and moisture into the building. Clean, well-placed mats cut down on scratched hard floors, worn carpet traffic lanes and slippery entries.
Where entrance mats should go
Facility managers often think about matting in three zones:
- Outside the door: a coarse scraper mat that knocks off sand, mud and leaves.
- In the vestibule or just inside: a scraper and wiper mat that removes finer grit and some moisture.
- Inside the entry: a wiper mat that absorbs remaining moisture before people reach the main floor.
Not every building has room for all three, but the goal is the same: give people enough steps on matting to leave most soil and water at the door. Also check side entrances, loading doors, elevator lobbies and employee entrances. They often have no mat at all.
How often to clean entrance mats
- Daily or each cleaning visit: vacuum mats thoroughly, including the edges, and straighten them so they lie flat.
- During rain: check entrance mats more often. When a mat is saturated, it should be swapped or extracted, and the floor around it should be dried and marked with wet-floor signs.
- Periodically: deep clean mats with extraction or another method suited to the mat's construction, and lift them to clean the floor underneath, where sand and moisture collect.
- Before season: many Palm Beach County buildings plan deep cleaning before the busy winter months, along with carpet and hard floor work.
Rubber-backed mats need their backing and the floor under them checked for trapped moisture, especially on stone, wood-look vinyl and coated floors.
Owned mats vs. rental mats
If your building owns its mats, your cleaning provider can vacuum, spot clean and periodically deep clean them as part of the janitorial scope. If your mats are leased from a mat service, that vendor usually swaps and launders them on a set schedule. Your cleaning crew vacuums and spot cleans between swaps, and you can ask the vendor for more frequent swaps in the rainy season. Either way, write down who is responsible for each mat so it does not fall between vendors.
Mats as part of floor care
Mats work with your floor program, not instead of it:
- On hard floors, sand that gets past the mats acts like sandpaper on finish and stone, so dust mopping and scheduled scrubbing or recoating still matter.
- On carpet, soil that gets past the mats settles into the first traffic lanes, so entrances usually need interim cleaning more often than the rest of the floor.
- Worn, curled or torn mats are a trip hazard and should be replaced.
Frequently asked questions
How often should commercial entrance mats be cleaned? Most should be vacuumed at every cleaning visit, checked more often during rain, and deep cleaned periodically based on traffic. Busy entrances need more attention than side doors.
Can our janitorial company clean the mats we own? Yes. Vacuuming, spot cleaning and periodic deep cleaning of owned mats can be added to a janitorial scope.
Should mats be removed during floor stripping or carpet extraction? Yes. Mats are lifted so the floor under them is cleaned and finished, then put back once the floor is dry.
Why does the floor near our entrance look worse than the rest of the lobby? That area takes the most sand and water. It is often a sign that the matting is too short, saturated or overdue for cleaning, and that the entry needs more frequent floor care.
Next steps
See how we handle commercial hard floor cleaning and commercial carpet cleaning, and read our rainy season commercial cleaning plan and pre-season carpet cleaning guide. For buildings that need entrances checked during the day, see day porter services. Ready to talk? Request a free quote or call 561-469-8795.