How to Clean and Maintain Vinyl Back Coir Matting

Coir matting is charming and eco-chic. It brings about a warm tropical elegance and vintage sophistication to your commercial spaces. And coir matting is versatile to boot, so you are not restricted to using it for just your entrance! Use it as an entrance mat, of course, but you can also use it as a wall-to-wall area mat, in recessed wells, as runners on stairs…they just lend themselves beautifully to all of these uses. Moreover, you can get logos and branding printed on these coco mats, which is just yet another reason to get them for your commercial spaces.

Most coir matting for commercial spaces comes with a vinyl backing that helps maintain its form, gives it longevity, and makes it easy to clean. Like every other kind of matting, coco matting required good care for it to last long and continue looking great. In this post, we’ll talk about how to care for and maintain vinyl backed coco mats.

Regular Cleaning 

Vacuum the mat with a commercial grade vacuum (motorized head with brushes recommended) to remove all dirt and debris.  It’s important to do this regularly and is the best way to maintain the mats appearance and performance over time.

Tip:  A slow pass instead of multiple quick passes of the vacuum will provide optimal results as it gives the brushes time to effectively rotate through the face the coir fiber so it can extract the dirt and debris.

Periodic Cleaning 

Absorbent powder is recommended for interim cleaning.  The powder contains a carrier, which incorporates a solvent and detergent so that oil and water debris can be absorbed by the powder. 

Spread the powder on the mat allowing it to absorb dirt and moisture from the mat. 

Vacuum the mat with a commercial grade vacuum (motorized head with brushes recommended) to remove all powder that has absorbed the dirt and grit. 

Deep Cleaning  

Depending on the amount and type of traffic experienced a deep clean may be required.  The most effective method for deep cleaning is hot water extraction. 

1. Prepare the Area

Any furniture or fixtures on the mat should be removed to expose the entire surface. The mat should also be vacuumed to ensure that any loose dirt is removed to allow the extractor to be as effective as possible.  For safety purposes you will want to block off the area and put up a “Wet Floor” sign.

2. Operating the Floor Extractor

There are different makes and models available on the market.  Please refer to the manual for your device to properly operate it.  You will achieve best results by slowly pulling the wand

towards you during the wetting and extracting processes.  It is important however to work quickly and not leave area section wet without extraction as it can cause size variation of the backing overtime.  When finished with the extractor allow the carpet time to dry completely and vacuum it again. 

Spot Cleaning

In certain situations, there may be a tough stain on a small section of the mat.  In these cases, you would want to use one of the described methods in the following table.  Each method number corresponds to the type of stain chart.

Caution:  No mat fiber is stain proof.  Hot liquids, bleaches and products containing naturals dyes such as curry, mustard, herbal tea etc., may cause permanent discoloration. These 2 tables given below will help you determine which type of stain requires what type of cleaning agent and how it should be used. 

 Cleaning Agents and Method of Use

 Type of Stain 

The numbers mentioned in this chart correspond to the cleaning agents in the table above. 

We hope this post has helped you with in-depth knowledge about the care and maintenance of vinyl back coir matting. If you have any queries get in touch with us on [email protected] or call on 866-362-2053.