Tips on How to Maintain Your Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy flooring is one of the most popular choices for commercial and industrial properties. It’s durable, hard-wearing, and looks great. But for your epoxy floor to retain its features and perform as it should, you need to clean and maintain it regularly. Here are some top tips on how to treat your epoxy floor to make sure it lasts and doesn’t suffer unnecessary damage in the workplace.

Perform Routine Maintenance 

When you invest in an epoxy floor, it’s important to perform regular maintenance to keep it in great condition. And routine maintenance is all about removing dirt and debris from the floor every day. This is because dirt, and particularly grit, will scratch and damage your epoxy floor. 

To protect your epoxy floor, you should brush it daily with a soft bristle brush and vacuum it carefully. Although small scratches are to be expected over time, it’s vital that you regularly clean and maintain your epoxy floor daily so it doesn’t deteriorate in quality or become damaged. 

Schedule Heavy-Duty Cleaning 

In addition to daily sweeping and regular maintenance, you will also need to schedule semi-regular heavy-duty cleaning of your epoxy floor. The good news is that heavy-duty cleaning doesn’t require any special cleaning tools or products. Rather, you can use a foam mop, hot water and clear ammonia to get the job done. 

Some people hose down and then squeegee their epoxy floors, which is also another viable cleaning method. While you don’t necessarily need to perform heavy-duty cleaning every day, it’s important to develop a cleaning schedule that your employees follow to protect the quality of your epoxy floor.

Avoid Using Soap-Based Cleaners 

Soap is damaging to epoxy as it can leave a residue on the flooring that causes it to become slippery when wet. It’s also important not to use various other acids and certain cleaning products, as they can create a haze on the epoxy, which is likely to ruin its aesthetics. 

But helpfully, you don’t actually need to use any cleaning chemicals to get your epoxy floor sparkling. As mentioned above, hot water and ammonia are more than sufficient to clean epoxy; you just might need to use some elbow grease to remove the most stubborn stains and patches of dirt on your floor! 

Remove Any Stains as and When They Appear 

This isn’t just good advice for maintaining epoxy flooring but should be followed when you’re cleaning any type of commercial or industrial floor. Leaving stains untreated presents your employees with a slip hazard and is dangerous to their workplace wellbeing. So, it’s really important to clean up any stains as and when they appear from a safety perspective. 

Equally, if you leave harsh chemical stains or oil spills untreated, they can damage the integrity of your epoxy flooring. When you notice a stain, wipe it up with a cloth and mop the area if required – it’s as simple as that! 

Protect the Floor with Mats

Once your epoxy floor has been laid, be sure to place mats at all entry and exit points in your building. This is particularly important during the autumn and winter seasons, as snow or water from shoes can cause your epoxy floor to become slippery. 

Consider adding signage on the external doors to remind employees and visitors to wipe their feet before entering the building. It would help if you also thought about increasing your cleaning routine during the day to prevent any water from pooling. 

Be Careful When Moving Heavy Equipment 

Perhaps the biggest threat to the surface of your epoxy floor is the potential damage caused by moving heavy equipment. For instance, if you regularly operate heavy equipment at the same location, it can result in wear and tear on your epoxy floor. 

What’s more, if you move heavy equipment when the floor is dirty, you risk scratching or damaging the surface. This is why it’s important to sweep and clean your epoxy floor regularly so you don’t damage it with heavy equipment. 

Treat Oil and Chemical Spills Immediately 

If you operate a warehouse or manufacturing plant, it’s super important that you treat any oil or chemical spills right away. This is because oil consists of chemicals that may be hazardous to an epoxy floor. 

The same is true for gas, paint, household cleaners, and abrasive materials, and they all need to be treated as soon as possible. Helpfully, treating stains on epoxy floors is easy. You should wipe the affected area with a towel or rag and leave it to dry. You can then mop the area whenever you plan to clean the rest of your epoxy floor.

Establish Cleaning Guidelines for Your Employees 

To ensure your employees know how to clean and maintain your epoxy floor, you need to establish cleaning guidelines for them to follow. The guidelines should include the following: 

• Daily cleaning rota 
• Explanation on how to correctly maintain and clean an epoxy floor 
• Details of the equipment and cleaning materials to use 
• List of what you shouldn’t use to clean epoxy 
• Guidance on how to treat stains and spills 
• Any other relevant health and safety details 

When you’ve invested in a durable epoxy floor at your commercial or industrial property, you mustn’t compromise the floor’s integrity by cleaning it incorrectly. These employee guidelines will ensure that the floor is treated as it should be. 

Final Thoughts on Maintaining Epoxy Flooring 

Just like any other type of flooring, you need to make sure you regularly clean and maintain epoxy to ensure it will last as long as you expect. And given the unique composition of epoxy, you need to be careful when cleaning it and avoid using particular cleaning materials and chemicals, as explained above. 

If you have any specific questions about cleaning or maintaining your epoxy floor, feel free to drop us a message, and we’d be delighted to advise you.