Concrete coating is a great way to improve the appearance of your concrete floors. It’s also a great way to protect your flooring against wear and tear. Although your concrete floor is sealed, it is essential to remember that regular cleaning is recommended to help keep it looking great. Below are some helpful tips on how to maintain and clean your concrete floor coating.
WEEKLY CLEANING
For weekly cleaning, we recommend light maintenance for your floors. Sweep or vacuum floors daily, as needed. Use a push broom, dry dust mop, or leaf blower weekly to thoroughly clean dust and debris. A Swiffer with dust pads works great for light spots as well. A 3:1 Windex to water diluted mix works wonders as a quick cleaning solution.
We do not recommend using any cleaners that contain bleach or acidic agents as they can damage your coating and break down sealers over time.
QUARTERLY CLEANING
We recommend a deeper cleaning at least once every quarter (3 months), depending on how much dirt and debris collect on your floors. If it is a high-traffic area, you may need to deep clean more regularly every month.
To deep clean your floors, first, start by using a stiff push broom or leaf blower to get any debris off the surface. Then, grab some Dawn dish soap (1oz per gallon max) with a mop and water to scrub the floor. Next, use a floor squeegee to get the excess water off the floor. It is important to give the floor a rinse of just water after cleaning with dawn dish soap to prevent seeing streaks of residue from the soap.
FOR RUST STAINS
Concrete can develop rust stains from a variety of causes. In every instance, a piece of metal (particularly iron) that has been outside exposed to the elements and comes into contact with your floor is to blame.
If you have spotted rust stains on your floors, we recommend using CLR on the stain (1:1 ratio with warm water) using a scrub brush. It is important to note to not let this solution sit on the floor for over a minute.
FOR SALT SPOTS
Salt spots are common issues in places that have snowy and icy winters. Salt damages concrete coatings over time by causing corrosion to occur under the surface. This can lead to cracking, crumbling, and discolored concrete. It is important to clean salt spots as soon as they appear.
For salt spots, we recommend using Parsons Ammonia (½ cup per gallon of warm water) you will want to get this off the floor immediately after cleaning.
FOR EXTREME CLEANING
Extreme cleaning is often necessary when there is excessive debris on top of your coating or if the coating has become worn down over time due to normal or high-traffic use. This can lead to staining and a collection of dust, dirt, or mildew.
For extreme cleaning, we recommend using Simple Green diluted 8:1 with water. 3M makes a great scrubbing tool called the “doodlebug” that can really break down dirt effortlessly. Make sure to give a simple water rinse after to ensure no cleaning agents sit on top of your floor.
CLEANERS WE RECOMMEND
When it comes to cleaning products, we generally recommend using ones that are more neutral than acidic. Always be careful when using different cleaners, and dilute the solution with water when it is too strong. Most importantly, remember not to mix a variety of cleaners together because it can create a toxic chemical reaction.
- Parson’s Ammonia All-Purpose Cleaner
- Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner and Disinfectant Spray
- Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner
- Swiffer Wet Jet Multi-Surface Cleaner
- Dawn Dish Soap
- CLR Active Clear Probiotic Cleaner
CLEANERS TO STAY AWAY FROM
You never want to use Bleach, Pinesol, or any acidic cleaner when cleaning your concrete floor coating. These can quickly damage your coating and break down the seal over time, causing more harm than good.
- Bleach
- Pinesol
- Pure Citrus Orange Cleaner
Instead, we made an amazon cart with our approved cleaners that you can look at and see if it has what you need.
TOOLS WE RECOMMEND
We also wanted to provide a few tools that we would recommend to use when maintaining and cleaning your concrete floor coating while using the products we recommend above.
- Floor squeegee
- Swiffer
- Mop and bucket
- Leaf blower
- Stiff push broom
- 3M “doodle bug”
THINGS TO REMEMBER
A clean floor is a safe floor. When a floor isn’t clean, dirt and debris decrease traction on the floor over time. Cleaning your concrete floor coating will help extend the life span of your flooring coating! Some additional things to avoid getting on your floor coating include battery acid (avoid this at ALL costs), fertilizers, oil, and round-up. Oil spills come out easily if you clean them up quickly enough but being proactive about avoiding these items will help you in the long run. Remember, maintenance is cheaper than replacement!