Epoxy floors are a durable, resilient, and tough type of floor coating that can be used in multiple rooms; they are typically used for garage floors and warehouses. Epoxy floors are ideal for areas that have high foot traffic, machinery, and large tools, even when large items are moved around the floor often. Unlike laminate floors, epoxy flooring will remain a high lustre. Epoxy floors are fairly easy to maintain, and with these cleaning tips, your epoxy floors will remain durable for years to come. Routine cleaning of your floors will keep them strong and shiny, this article will tell you the best ways to clean your epoxy floor.
How To Care For Epoxy Floors
For epoxy floors to stay in perfect shape, they require minimal maintenance. However, common sense must prevail in taking care of them – here are the best practices in caring for epoxy floors.
Keep Floors Dirt And Grit Free
If you’re moving machinery and vehicles, you shouldn’t allow dirt and grit to remain on an epoxy floor as it will embed or scratch the floor. Remove all sand and dirt regularly; although epoxy floors are durable, they can begin to show the damage of multiple scratches over time. The best thing to do is use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment. How often you need to vacuum depends on how often dirt and grit are tracked on the floor. When moving machinery on the floor, take precautions to ensure the surface is free from dirt and grit.
Spot-cleaning
Spot-cleaning goes a long way to keeping any area of your epoxy floors clean. Epoxy floors are water and liquid-resistant, which makes cleaning any liquid spills quite easy. You can use a wet/dry vacuum to clean up liquid along with dirt, then mop the area with warm water. If the area is small then you can use a soft sponge to wipe the liquid. If you need to scrub, be mindful that you don’t scrub too hard and risk scratching or de-glossing the epoxy floor.
How To Clean Heavily Soiled Floors
For cleaning dirty epoxy floors, follow this method:
- Sweep the floor thoroughly, followed by vacuuming, to get rid of any dust on the floors.
- Once grime, dirt, and sand have been removed from the floor, grab a mop and some hot water and mop the floor to get rid of any dirt that may have been walked onto your epoxy floor.
- Then, take your mop and dip it into an epoxy floor cleaner mix and mop the floor with it.
The Best Way To Clean Stains From An Epoxy Floor
The best way to clean epoxy floors is with diluted ammonia. You can make this solution by mixing half a cup of ammonia with a gallon of hot water. This cleaning is the safest for your epoxy floors.
Rust and other such stains can be a bother when it comes to epoxy floors. To get rid of such stains, scrub the floors gently with a dish scrubbing sponge and any other sort of soft brush together with warm water. Avoid scrubbing with steel wool or harmful cleaning products.
Do not use cleaning products with citrus or acid in them as these compounds will gradually break down the epoxy coating and may cause the epoxy to fade.
A useful DIY cleaning solution is Windex. Mix 1 part Windex with 3 parts water – this is ideal for breaking down residue without leaving any sort of film on the epoxy floors.
You’ll first want to remove furniture from the area, then remove dirt with a broom before vacuuming the remaining dirt and dust from the floors. Next, apply the solution to the floors with a mop or a microfiber cloth and use clean water to rinse off the residue. Then leave the floors to air-dry or use a clean dry towel to do so.
Oil, Car Chemicals, And Others.
It’s important to dispose of paper towels used to wipe oil, antifreeze, and other car-related chemicals from epoxy floors. Don’t let car spills or tire marks sit on the floor for too long; even engine oil has chemicals that could be hazardous to an epoxy floor. You should clean up spilt gas right away, as it will damage your floors if left for too long. Paints and other household cleaners and abrasive liquids must be cleaned immediately – you can wipe them with paper towels as they happen.
How To Maintain Epoxy Floors
You should treat your epoxy floors like you do the floors in your home. Consider using a welcome mat at the entrance of your garage – this will collect dirt and sand from under your feet which will also save you from cleaning the floors all the time.
Also, you should use pads underneath the motorcycle and bicycle kickstands, even a computer mouse will work.
Use A Welding Mat
If you weld in your work area, garage, or home, a welding mat will help you to prevent damage to your epoxy floors. Take extra care of your floors by placing heavy equipment and tools on pieces of plywood to ensure not too much pressure is applied to the floor. Your epoxy floors will be more durable if you stick to these epoxy maintenance practices.
Avoid Cleaning Floors With These Products
You should avoid using citrus cleaners or vinegar as they are acidic and can de-gloss the finish on your epoxy floor coatings. Soap-based cleaners should also be avoided, as they will leave residue or streaks on your floors. Soap-based cleaners can also dull the shine of the floors which makes them incredibly slippery when wet.
Epoxy floors are much easier to clean than other types of floors. For instance, carpet cleaning requires much more effort. Simply sweeping epoxy floors at the end of each day will be enough to maintain and keep them clean, and this will also help your floors to last for longer. If you’re too busy to take on cleaning your epoxy floors yourself, you can always book a trained, professional SweepStar from SweepSouth to come and clean your epoxy floors.
