Gas, oil, antifreeze and other contaminants cannot go through the surface of epoxy floors, since these floors are nonporous. These contaminants will therefore stay on top of the coating, which makes cleaning epoxy flooring extremely easy.
Like most surfaces, the better you maintain your epoxy flooring, the longer it will last. Dust, dirt and debris should be removed regularly from epoxy floors, because although the floors are nonporous, these substances will act as abrasives. They may cause scratches on the floor when traffic goes over them if you don’t clean them away often.
Depending on the size of the floor, you may need professional help, but most epoxy can be cleaned very easily if you follow the steps below:
1. Spray or sweep all debris off the floor. You can pre-rinse the floor with a hose and clean big pieces of debris like leaves and clumps of dirt if you’re working in a garage or on a deck that will drain easily. Sweep the debris out with a broom instead if you’re not cleaning a floor with good drainage. You can also use a blower to get rid of dirt and leaves.
Epoxy floors can then be mopped with any household detergent or dish cleaner at a ratio of ½ cup to a gallon of hot water. Rinse often to clear your mop of all the dirt and your flooring of the soap scum. Use a rayon mop or any other synthetic fabric: mops made from natural fibers tend to stick to epoxy flooring, leaving bits of themselves behind and leading to problems later on. Steam mops also do an outstanding job.
2. Use coldwater degreaser. Sprinkle a coldwater degreaser and spread it around with a deck brush for complete coverage. The brush should be soft, with non-abrasive bristles. Leave the degreaser on the floor for the length of time recommended by its manufacturer. Don’t leave the degreaser on too long, since the chemical compounds in it can damage your floor after a certain length of time. Dirt and grime will start to bead up due to the properties of the epoxy floor, making it easy to remove.
3. Rinse and repeat. Rinse the entire floor with clean water to get rid of the scum left by the degreaser and the dirt you’ve scrubbed off. Rinse the floor a second time to make sure there is no leftover residue. Remove all of the water and dry your epoxy floor with a wet/dry shop vac. You can use a squeegee if you don’t have a wet/dry shop vac, and just push the water into the drain of your deck or garage. Ensure that you remove all the water, because leaving your floor wet can cause it to become slippery, and it also gives mildew and mold a place to grow.
Epoxy floors are superior to other types of flooring when it comes to durability and looks. Epoxy is also very easy to clean, once you use the tips given in this article.
