Dirt might sound like a mundane challenge—but in a warehouse environment, it can cause major disruptions to workflow, equipment performance, and safety. Dirt tracks into the facility on footwear, accumulates on conveyor systems, and interferes with automation. In this blog, we’ll dive into why dirt matters in a warehouse, and how you can leverage solutions from A Plus Warehouse to get ahead of it—specifically via their dirt-conveyors and entrance mat systems.
Why Dirt Matters in Warehouse Settings
Before jumping into solutions, let’s consider three key problems that dirt introduces:
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Operational efficiency & downtime
Dirt and debris get into moving parts—rollers, belts, bearings—and accelerate wear. Over time, this means more maintenance, more downtime, and lower throughput. -
Safety risks
Slippery entrance zones, conveyor infeed areas with dust, and small debris around pallets all increase the risk of slips, trips, and falls. In high-pace warehouse operations, even small delays or incidents can cascade. -
Product & equipment cleanliness
For many warehouses—especially those handling sensitive goods (electronics, food packaging, cleanroom prep)—the cleanliness of the environment matters. Dirt entering the facility along with workers, materials or pallets can cause defects, contamination or additional quality control processes.
Given all that, investing in proactive dirt-handling systems is wise. Let’s look at how A Plus helps with two key areas: entrances and within-conveyor systems.
Entrance Zone: The First Line of Defense
When people and materials enter a warehouse facility, the entrance zone is the first place dirt enters. Proper matting can reduce the amount of soil brought into your operations.
The A Plus entrance-matting solution
A Plus offers a selection of entrance mats under their “Entrance Mats” category. These mats include options such as:
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Economy outdoor scraper mats
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Indoor carpet-type mats (Decalon indoor carpet mats)
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All-in-one entrance mats that combine scraping and absorption
Best practices for using entrance mats
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Place mats outside and inside each exterior door: An outdoor scraper mat picks up heavy grime (mud, snow, large particles), and an indoor absorbent mat catches finer dust and moisture.
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Choose the right size and thickness: Make sure the mat covers full foot traffic width. A narrow mat means people will step around it, negating its benefit.
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Maintain the mats: They need regular cleaning (vacuuming, shaking out debris) so they themselves don’t become dust traps.
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Train staff: Encourage employees to wipe feet and equipment wheels when entering. If material delivery vehicles bring in debris, consider a wheel-wash or dock-scraper.
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Monitor performance: Look at how much debris accumulates on the mat after a shift; if it’s heavy, you may need a more aggressive mat or additional steps at the entrance.
By reducing the volume of dirt entering your facility, you relieve downstream systems (floor surfaces, conveyors, pick zones) from excess contamination.
Conveyor Systems: Handling Dirt After It’s In
Once dirt is inside, and especially when materials move on conveyor systems, you need solutions that can handle the debris without sacrificing throughput.
Dirt conveyors at A Plus
In the “Dirt Conveyors” section of the A Plus website, you’ll find conveyor-equipment specifically suited to handling dirt, debris, and less clean materials. These are part of their Power Conveyors line, which indicates that they are motorized/automated conveyor types (roller, belt or live-roller) designed for heavier duty conditions.
Key considerations and tips
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Choose conveyors with open beds or easily cleanable components: Dirt conveyors often need more access for cleaning.
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Use dust covers or integrated scrapers: For conveyors receiving materials that carry soil (e.g., pallets coming from outdoors, raw materials in sacks), built-in scrapers or belt cleaning systems are beneficial.
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Zone the conveyor system: Separate “dirty” material inflow areas from clean processing zones. If raw pallets or outdoor stock come in, run those through a dedicated “dirt conveyor” so contamination doesn’t spread everywhere.
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Scheduled cleaning & maintenance: Dirt conveyors accumulate debris quickly. Set a cleaning schedule to remove built-up grit, check rollers, bearings, etc., so that the system continues running smoothly.
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Floor-to-conveyor interface: At the point where forklifts or carts load onto the conveyor, ensure that any debris from wheels or material is captured or cleaned to prevent transfer onto the conveyor bed and downstream equipment.
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Integrate with upstream matting and dust control: The conveyor is “downstream” of the entrance matting. The better you stop dirt at the entrance, the less you’ll have to handle later in the conveyor system.
Putting It All Together: A Dirt-Control Workflow
Here’s a simple workflow you can adopt for your warehouse operations:
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Entrance control: Place high-quality scraper and absorbent mats at all entrances (as offered by A Plus). Train staff to wipe off wheels, feet, carts.
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Inbound material staging: For pallets, trucks and carts arriving from exterior or dirty zones, stage them in a defined “dirty” staging area. Use a dirt conveyor for movement from staging into the rest of the facility.
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Conveyor transit: Use A Plus dirt-capable conveyors in these dirty zones: robust, maintainable, and designed for heavier debris loads.
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Transition to clean zone: Before materials enter the primary processing or storage zone, implement a cleaning checkpoint if needed (e.g., vacuuming, brushing).
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Ongoing maintenance: Clean mats regularly, inspect conveyors, remove accumulation of dirt and grit, lubricate bearings, replace components as needed.
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Monitor metrics: Track downtime caused by conveyor issues or cleaning requirements, count slip/trip incidents, measure floor cleanliness improvements.
