FOUR THINGS AN ENTRANCE MAT SHOULD DO

Using just any mat does not necessarily result in a cleaner building. An entrance mat should do at least four things:

1. Stop soil and water by providing a proper combination of scraping and wiping.
2. Store soil and water on the mat in a manner that will allow easy removal when cleaning is scheduled.
3. The most important feature of an entrance mat should be that it soil, water and other contaminants will not be allowed to track into the building from the mat. This is best accomplished by a PERMANENT BI-LEVEL construction that keeps soil and water away from the surface and out of the building.
4. Finally, an entrance mat should provide a safe surface for walking. Proper mats minimize movement and lay flat when in use. They also contain water on the mat surface away from foot level and off the floor improving traction and protecting the floor.

Keep in mind that mats can be one of the most important components of a Green Building program.

Entrance Mats

An Integral component of a Green Building

Soil is everywhere. It is a part of the earth we live on and managing it is a vital part of our everyday existence. The U.S. Green Building Council has developed a rating system for new and existing buildings to encourage building owners to earn credit for meeting certain housekeeping criteria. Strategies include the creation and maintenance of entrance systems and mats that prevent particles from entering the building. Recommendations include a minimum of 10-12 feet of quality matting products at entrances. At the heart of an entrance system is prevention of contaminants from entering a building. 85% of all soil enters a building on the feet of people entering the building. Of this, at least 80% is dry soil and the rest is oily. The dry soil can range from large particles to powder-like dust. Over the years, many products have been developed and sold to help keep soil at the door and out of the building. The key to the success of a mat’s performance is whether it will do what an entrance mat should do.

How should an Entrance Mat perform?

In a Green Building an entrance mat is the first line of defense against contaminants and particles entering the building. As such, there are four things an entrance mat should do:

• Stop soil and water. 85% of all soil enters a building on the feet of the building occupants. High performance mats are more effective at stopping soil from entering buildings.
• Store soil and water for removal at a convenient time. Storing means that a high performance mat contains soil in a place where it can be removed effectively and safely with minimum impact on the building. A building with minimized contaminants reduces the amount of cleaning chemicals required. This reduces airborne contaminants and volatile organic contaminants (VOCs) from cleaning chemicals, thereby improving a building’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).
• Minimize tracking of stored soil and water into the building. A mat with a permanent bi-level construction will store soil and water below shoe level to prevent it from being transferred into the building. This is perhaps the most important thing an entrance mat should do. Mats with a non-re-enforced surface will crush flat and once soil is deposited on these mats, it can reattach to the shoe of another person and be tracked further into the building.
• Provide a safe surface for traffic. Entrance mats should contain contaminants within the structure of the mat and not allow them to seep onto the floor causing a potential slip/fall accident. Mats without a rubber reinforced permanent bi-level construction become saturated with water that can cause a loss of traction on the mat or the floor adjacent to it.

The best performing entrance mats provide a safe, effective, and attractive surface. These are the features of an Andersen WaterHog® entrance mat. Soil and moisture control are provided by the permanent rubber reinforced bi-level construction with a durable textile face. Soil and water are scraped off and held by the mat away from foot traffic. Safety is provided by a water dam around the perimeter to prevent water seepage onto the surrounding floor thereby protecting against slip/fall accidents WaterHog® mats are the toughest, most attractive mats available. With a variety of product types and an extensive array of sizes and colors, they are an integral part of a green building entrance.

What is Green Cleaning?

The concept of Green Cleaning began with Presidential Executive Order 13101 dated September 14, 1998 titled “Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition”. In the order a policy was established to prefer pollution prevention, recycling and safe disposal in government facilities. Over the years, this has expanded to the commercial market. Green Cleaning now means the best use of products that reduce indoor pollution as well as reduce environmental pollution and favor sustainable materials.

What is the Green Cleaning Market?

During a recent ISSA meeting, representatives from the EPA, Green Seal, US Green Building Council and other organizations defined the market as "a broad scope of concerns including products (i.e. chemicals, janitorial paper products, MATS, equipment, etc.), processes, and the safety and health of building occupants and cleaning professionals."

What Products are sold to the Green Cleaning Market?

The obvious products that come to the forefront of the Green Cleaning marketplace are chemicals and paper due to their potential toxicity and/or recycle/disposal properties. Other products such as mats play an important role in improving indoor air quality. For example, in discussing mats, these organizations (EPA www.epa.gov, Green Seal www.greenseal.org, US Green Building Council www.usgbc.org, etc.) have referred to them as “…the first line of defense”. In addition, they call for a minimum of 10-12 feet of mats at the entrance of a building as a way to keep dirt and moisture contained thereby reducing the need for cleaning and reducing the quantity of chemicals required for that purpose. LEED-EB, the nationally recognized voluntary standard for green existing buildings sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) also recommends entryway systems as a way to improve IAQ.

Where Do Andersen Mats Fit in the Green Cleaning Market?

75 to 80% of contaminates that enter a building come through entryways. A quality matting system stops these contaminates at the door. Stopping these contaminates not only reduces cleaning labor costs and reduces wear on floor surfaces but it also substantially reduces the need for cleaning chemicals that might be harmful to the building occupants and the environment. Quality matting systems like the Waterhog construction pioneered by Andersen provides the maximum performance for preventing soil and water from entering a building and therefore helping to keep a building “Green”. The BI-level construction that provides an upper surface for walking and a lower area where soil and water are stored until removed by cleaning accomplish this capability. Waterhog mats utilize this permanent rubber reinforced BI-level construction, thereby, trapping large quantities of moisture and dirt, minimizing the effects of soil and water being tracked further into the facility. Low performance mats such as those with unsupported ribbed or square patterned face yarn will not hold up under foot pressure, thus allowing more water and dirt to reattach to shoes and be tracked into facilities. A permanent BI-level construction extends the performance life of a mat reducing the need to dispose of mats frequently. Lower quality mats must be replaced 4 to 5 times more often than Waterhog mats contributing significantly more waste to our landfills. Another common problem with lower quality mats is the fact that users of these products do not always understand when the product has reached its useful life. In these cases the lower quality mat is left in place after it stops performing it function. Contaminates are then allowed to enter the facility with all of the ill effects outlined earlier.

Related Sites:www.epa.gov ,www.greenseal.org , www.usgbc.org.