Epoxy flooring is amazing stuff. It’s known for its extreme durability and versatility, which makes it a sought after flooring solution in most industries. In fact, the industrial sector loves epoxy flooring. Everyone from your hairstylist to your mechanic is getting onto the epoxy bandwagon because it’s so great. If you’re wondering what the cleaning looks like for epoxy, you’ll be relieved to know it’s rather easy. So, whether you’re on the fence about investing, or if you’re just trying to figure out the best way to preserve the flooring you already have and clean it, we’ve got a few tips for you.
Maintenance Is Easy
One of the best parts about having epoxy flooring is how low maintenance it is. But, as with any flooring material, you’ll have to keep it clean for a variety of reasons such as public health of the people in the area, keeping everyone safe from spills, and making your space look nice and neat. If you want your epoxy to keep it’s beautiful shine and appearance of texture, you’ll need to keep it clean and cater to its needs from time to time, but it’s still far easier than taking care of wood floors or a similarly high-maintenance flooring material.
Granules Are The Main Concern
If your epoxy flooring is in an industrial area, you’re only going to be able to prevent this so much. It’s going to be similar to how people with fresh hardwood flooring make you take your shoes off at the front door. They do this because tracking sand and granules of dirt actually sands away the protective layer on the top of the flooring. Epoxy works in a similar way, though it’s less prone to being sanded away. If you’re good about sweeping up refuse on a pretty regular basis you’ll be fine. We recommend sweeping your epoxy or vacuuming it really well at the end of the day. This will keep your flooring’s exposure to granulated substances that could start to sand away layers at a minimum. The dirt and sand that’s tracked in by shoes and such will simply have to be dealt with later. Remember though, epoxy is very durable and while it can get worn away slightly by dirt, it won’t be nearly as noticeable on wood and it shouldn’t be overly visible without repeated neglect.
First Step To Clean Epoxy Floors
The best recommendation we can make is that you invest in a proper dust mop while we’re pouring your epoxy flooring. We recommend taking a jaunt to your local home improvement store to find these, as it’s always good to support the local Orlando economy, but you can get a good mop off of Amazon.com as well. We tend to recommend a 36” dust mop as it’s got a lot of surface area and makes it easy to keep cleaning fast and efficiently, but if you’re planning on having to get into nooks and crannies, invest in a smaller head to make that a little easier instead. This mop will keep your epoxy flooring cleaner than anything else and will ensure that your cleaning duties are limited, at least when it comes to the flooring. Dust and dirt can’t stick very well to epoxy, so you’ll be able to sweep everything up quite easily and ensure that it’s not grinding into the layers of your epoxy. If you have seen cuts or joints in your flooring, some of the dust will inevitably collect in these, just be diligent about vacuuming those out every once in a while. We like to recommend vacuuming around once a month, but depending on your industry you might have to do that more often.
Spot Clean Fast
It’s entirely unlikely that anything will really be able to stain your epoxy flooring. But in the event that you get a bit worried about it if it’s a particularly strong chemical, go ahead and just spot clean it sooner rather than later. If you’re in the mechanic industry, fluids dropped from cars should be easily lifted off epoxy with just some Windex and a paper towel. If you notice the spill is kind of filmy and is separating on the floor or has left a residue on your epoxy flooring, Windex is probably your best bet. Use your best judgment about what liquids you’re going to worry about, as most can’t do anything to your epoxy flooring.
Ready For A Deep Clean?
If your epoxy flooring sees quite a bit of dirt and grime despite your best efforts to keep it clean, it might be time to do a deep cleaning and start with a fresh slate. If you’re not sure when you need a deep cleaning, we recommend one for epoxy flooring around every 4 months, give or take a couple of weeks in either direction. Deep cleans help you keep the flooring cleaner overall and lessens the amount of maintenance you’ll have to do on the flooring in the future, should anything bad happen to it (like getting sanded down). Invest in a microfiber mop when you’re ready to get cleaning, as it won’t leave a streaky finish and they’re easier to scrub at stubborn stains and spots without it falling apart in your hands. Your mop will need to effectively pick up dirt and debris while leaving very little in the way of pooling soap and water on your flooring. This ensures a faster mopping time and makes it so your deep cleaning project won’t take up too much time at once.
You can’t use several bottles of Windex as your cleaning solution, so instead, we’ll recommend a few other options. Mix half a cup of ammonia with a gallon of hot water in a bucket. If you still have spots leftover after you use the ammonia, spot treat again with Windex individually. That should be able to pull anything stubborn up while still sanitizing the flooring. If you really need one, you can use a soft, microfiber scrub pad to get at the stain. Please avoid using a brillo pad though as that will scrub too hard. Epoxy flooring is poreless and so shouldn’t absorb any substances, in fact, most things will gloss right over the top. However, if you use a brillo pad or steel wool to try and lift the stain, you’ll create pores and crevices in the floor where it can start to absorb various staining liquids and grime.
Cleaners To Avoid Using on Epoxy
Although it’s hard to break through the protective layers, some cleaners aren’t well suited to epoxy flooring and should be avoided. Don’t use anything that’s citrus-based when you’re cleaning your floor as the acids that are associated with citrus are known for being able to degloss a floor over time. Preserving the look of it shouldn’t be overly complicated though, simply wipe up lemon juice quickly and avoid citrus products if you can. The other cleaner to avoid using on epoxy is one that most people associate as a totally harmless cleaning alternative to chemicals: vinegar. It performs similarly to citrus on epoxy flooring and will actively dull the floors.
Invest In Low-Maintenance Epoxy Flooring in Orlando Today
Convinced you need a flooring that’s this low maintenance? Reach out to PPI Epoxy Flooring today. We’re always happy to explain the maintenance methods we favor and how to keep your flooring clean. We’re also always prepared to talk about what sort of epoxy flooring you’d need and if it’s a good fit for your commercial or residential space in Orlando. We’re eager to answer all of your questions and shed light on how to best care for your flooring. Reach out out to us today to schedule an initial consultation where we can discuss finishes, designs, and more for your new epoxy flooring installation.