Cleaning polished concrete floors doesn’t need to be difficult or complicated. That’s one of the great things about concrete floors: they are very low maintenance in comparison to other types of flooring. Most spills won’t ruin concrete, unlike an un-polished surface. They can take a heavy abuse from machinery or dropped objects, unlike epoxy or VCT. They don’t peel up or need replacement over time, unlike…pretty much every other type of flooring out there.
But yes, concrete floors do require some attention and cleaning. Beyond these incredibly basic needs, you can essentially forget about them. For durability and ease of cleaning, concrete floors are hard to beat. However, don’t be tempted to completely take them for granted; they do need some attention from time to time. Now might be a good time to ask yourself if you make these polished concrete floor cleaning mistakes:
Not cleaning your concrete floor at all.
You might think it’s unnecessary to clean sealed concrete floors; after all, it’s a concrete warehouse floor, for crying out loud! But your concrete should be dust mopped each day it is used in large plants ride-on sweepers are common, and it should be mopped or auto-scrubbed with clean water at least weekly.
Using common floor cleaning products on your concrete.
This is a big mistake. If you are going to use any detergents on your concrete floors, make sure they are pH-neutral. Using harsh cleaning chemicals will reduce the durability of the materials used to seal your concrete floors. Then your floors will have to be re-sealed sooner than they should. The floors will be etched and lose their luster and more importantly their cleanability.
Not placing floor mats at high-traffic spots, such as entrances and exits.
This simple step can help keep your floors uniformly shiny for many years. It’s also a good way to remove foreign substances from shoes before people walk on the polished concrete. It can also help avoid slip and falls by drying shoe soles before people tread on the polished floor surface.
Titus Restoration has been sealing and polishing concrete floors for decades. Having sealed and polished millions of square feet of concrete, we have seen nearly every mistake one can make when it comes to maintaining and cleaning polished concrete floors. We always advise our clients to invest in very basic cleaning equipment to help extend the life and maintain the luster of their polished concrete floors. Depending on the size of the facility good dust mop and wet mop of appropriate size or a ride-on sweeper/scrubber are just about all you need to get the job done.
Have a spill clean-up policy.
When the inevitable spill does occur, be proactive in cleaning them up (again, pH neutral cleaning agents only), and this will reduce the likelihood of a stain from penetration to the concrete. Making sure everyone in your building adheres to this policy will extend the life and beauty of your polished concrete floor.
After you make the investment in sealing and polishing your concrete floors, it’s up to you to take it one step further and maintain good cleaning habits for your concrete. Just a little effort can make the difference between resealing the floor in five years versus ten years.
Click to ask your questions about extending the life of your polished concrete floors.