Five Tips for Cleaning and Maintaining Epoxy Floors in the Garage

Maintaining Epoxy Floors in the Garage

After going through the process of either having someone install epoxy floors or doing it yourself, you might wonder how to care for them going forward. Like most things, epoxy floors will last longer if regular care is taken in maintaining them. There are a few things you’ll want to avoid when tending to your floors. In this article, Rock Star Coating Pros are going to discuss some of the tried and tested ways of cleaning and maintain epoxy floors in five simple tips.

Epoxy floors will collect dust due to high traffic from people and machinery. Spend a few minutes each week to use a soft broom to remove this dust and debris from the floors to ensure it remains a slip-free space. A dampened dust mop is also a good option for those smaller particles or things like pollen that can coat the surface of your floor.

A simple hose and squeegee can be used to remove debris from the garage floor. Use the squeegee to wick water from the floors and allow them to air dry. As time passes, take note of how long you can go before needing a deep clean. As a general rule of thumb, consider a full deep clean on your floors once a quarter. To do this, remove as many items off the floor as possible and break out the shop vac or yard blower. From there you can use a simple water a dish soap solution to clean the floor rinsing well with pressured (a hose) water.

While epoxy can handle a good bit of wear and tear, you’ll still want to take care of any oil or chemical spills as soon as possible. These products or materials can discolor or eat away at your floors if ignored. Wipe these spills up with a dry cloth or paper towel quickly and chances are you won’t need additional cleaning agents.

For spills that have gone unnoticed, try using a simple household cleaner like Windex to lift the products from the floors. This combined with a bristle style brush will likely lift the products and any debris that has gotten into it. Try to avoid rough abrasive pads to clean your floors if possible. These types of products can dull the epoxy or clear coat on your floors leaving it looking cloudy.

We cannot always catch a rusted nail or a minor hard water leak when hidden from daily sight. Unfortunately, these kinds of hidden issues can impact your epoxy floors depending on how long the problem has persisted. You’ll need to use a more abrasive tool (a scouring pad) and a cleaning agent to get these kinds of elements up.

You can use ammonia and water in equal parts to try and get the rust or calcium to lift. If this doesn’t work, try using a product like CLR that is designed for these sorts of stains specifically. Rinse the spot with water thoroughly after cleaning it with these kinds of products.

To keep wear at a minimum, you can opt to add a floor mat in high traffic areas like the door into the house, or in your hobby space. These mats can collect everything from debris, moisture, winter salts, or chemicals that may find their way into your garage. These areas tend to show wear faster and may result in losing color or luster on your floor.

Create a hot zone for footwear and wet clothing to make clean up easier so these dirty wet items don’t sit on your floors. In your hobby spaces, mats can work to capture spills and falling tools which will prevent gouges, scrapes, and stains on your epoxy floors. For example, you can use a bleacher pad or mouse pad under your motorcycle kickstand to prevent dents in the epoxy.

Cleaners with citrus or vinegar will do more harm than good when it comes to epoxy garage floors. The acids in these kinds of products will break down epoxy finishes faster and dull or fade your floors. You might opt to use chemical cleaners to spot treat instead of these acid-based options, just be sure to rinse with water immediately after using them.

Further, only use soap that is deemed a degreaser. Regular soaps or even car was soaps can have waxes in them that will leave a film or dull coating on your floor. This film will also become super slippery if the floor gets wet which will be dangerous for you or especially for those with kids running around.

Epoxy garage floors add a ‘next level’ look to your home. Not only will it appear polished and more organized but it will also add value to your home. The trick is keeping the floors looking this way day after day. By adhering to some of these tips, you’ll be able to enjoy your floors for years to come without worrying about replacing or repairing them before their time.