Soiled with grease, the fibers of the walk-off tiles at a St. Paul pizza restaurant were nearly unrecognizable. In this XLN case study, Mike Becker, Operations Manager with CFS Interiors & Flooring, describes how using two XL North Products – XL Grease & Oil Remover & XL Nylon Pre-Spray Advanced – helped his team to […]
Case Studies
Dining Facility Carpet Case Study
Unhappy with the appearance of relatively new carpet, the staff at a dining facility in Chicago reached out to Steve Starcher and the Timco team for assistance. Steve and his crew performed an impressive demo to show how easily and effectively carpet can be cleaned and maintained when equipped with the proper chemistry and floor […]
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Discover the Difference that Foam Makes When Cleaning Carpet
XL North is always on the lookout for new advancements in the commercial floor care industry that can help our customers achieve better results. While using foam detergent as a cleaning method has been around for quite some time, the chemistry and process used to create foam has changed greatly over the decades. Recent improvements […]
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White Papers
Extractor Terminology
Get the basics on extractors and extraction! In this white paper, we review extractor terminology – common words, abbreviations, and phrases used when discussing the extraction process.
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Floor Maintenance Professionals: Prepare Your Techs for the Hard Questions
If you are a floor maintenance service technician, supervisor, manager, director or contractor, then you have been asked questions that may go beyond your scope of knowledge. It has been my experience that when someone hires you in any capacity, they are not just hiring you to do the job, they are hiring you to […]
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Guides & Checklists
Flooring Pre-Maintenance Checklist
Job site evaluations are crucial before beginning any floor care project. By getting answers to as many questions as possible, your team’s effectiveness and efficiency will improve, positively impacting overall job performance. The answers can determine the chemicals used, the cleaning procedures, and/or how many technicians are needed for the job. Do not ever assume […]
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Get IICRC CCMT Certified at a Discounted Rate!
Need IICRC CCMT certification for your team? Join XL North’s Bill Luallen on November 14th & 15th in Columbus, OH where he’ll be instructing the newly-overhauled Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician course and exam. Don’t miss this opportunity to get certification at a discounted rate of $125 per person. Exam certification is an additional $80 made […]
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How to Remove Releasable Sticker & Adhesive Residue from Floors
XL North’s Bill Luallen is back with a quick tip on how to remove the adhesive residue that stickers can leave on floors. More and more businesses are using way finding stickers throughout their facilities to direct traffic according to social distancing guidelines. While these stickers help promote safety in the workplace, adhesive can be […]
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Ice Melt in July: The Science of Wicking
Are you familiar with this carpet cleaning scenario? The last snowfall melted a couple of months ago, summer’s here, and your crew is performing second quarter contracted cleaning of local bank branches. At the first location they inspect the facility, bring in equipment, pre-spray, scrub, and extract. They take photos of a job well done […]
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Interview with Jeff Cross, Executive Editor, Cleanfax
Jeff Cross is a very recognizable name and face in the world of floor cleaning and restoration. A prominent industry icon, Jeff’s most notable role as executive editor of Cleanfax magazine normally has him on the other side of an interview, as the person asking the tough questions. Not surprisingly, investigative journalism became Cross’s professional […]
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Interview with Mark Warner, Education Manager, ISSA
Training As a Passion Mark Warner is currently the education manager for ISSA‘s Cleaning Management Institute. His extensive background in floor care spans over three decades, with two of those spent in training and education. “Being involved with training and sharing information, I learn every day as well as try and teach others every day,” […]
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Interview with The Moisture Testing Guy, Carl Bredl
Carl Bredl has been in the flooring industry for 35 years and the depth of his experience is impressive. Beginning as a union installer in 1985, he started with carpet, and eventually ventured into hard surfaces, including vinyls, rubber, wood, laminate, concrete repair, epoxy mitigation systems, and resinous flooring. He’s known as “The Moisture Testing […]
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Is Commercial Carpet Poised for a Comeback?
Modern workplaces are evolving to “flex,” as Jessica Chevalier highlights in this month’s Floor Focus article “Trends in Corporate.” Flooring in today’s corporate spaces must do more than simply cover a surface; it needs to support acoustics, wayfinding, cleanability, and aesthetics while aligning with the broader strategy of the space. Reflecting on the trend of […]
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Join Bill Luallen for IICRC RFMT Certification Course & Exam
Need IICRC RFMT certification for yourself or members of your team? Don’t miss this opportunity to get certified! XL North’s Bill Luallen will be the instructor for the upcoming IICRC Resilient Flooring Maintenance Technician course and exam hosted by Restoration Academy in March in Indianapolis. RFMT training isn’t just for floor care technicians. The education […]
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New Update on IICRC Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician (CCMT) Course Revisions
We previously announced that the IICRC Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician (CCMT) Course and Certification Exam was in the process of being revised. Our own Bill Luallen is serving as chair of the Technical Advisory Committee overseeing the process and he recently provided an update. “Great news from the CCMT committee! We have completed the initial […]
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Pile Distortion
This won’t come clean. Or is it clean? Look closely at the trafficked areas. This is an example of extreme pile distortion. This is multilevel tufted carpet tile. The higher tuffs became susceptible to distortion from foot traffic and rolling loads as they weren’t supported by the lower tuffs. As you look closely you can […]