Concrete floors can become dirty quickly since they are porous. Grease, oil and dirt can soak deep into the concrete making it difficult to clean. How do professionals clean these floors? What benefits come from regular concrete cleaning and maintenance? How can you keep floors looking cleaner longer?

How a Concrete Cleaning is Performed

Put simply, high heat pressure washing is used to remove the oil and grime from floors. Additionally, this is done in an eco-friendly way. Therefore, it is safe and allows us achieve our industry-leading levels of customer satisfaction. After power washing is performed on concrete, we allow the concrete to dry completely. Then, we apply a concrete sealant which protects the floor in the months to come. We will go into further detail later on in this same article.

How Often Should Concrete Floors Be Cleaned?

There are many factors to consider when deciding how often you should get floor cleaning services. For example, are your floors regularly covered in oil? Do they get a high volume of dirt or other grime? Are there any other things getting your floors dirty? Also, it depends on the type of concrete flooring you have. We will provide a detailed list of some of the most popular kinds of concrete flooring. For most cases, we suggest a once a year cleaning to keep your floor looking it’s best.

How to Keep Concrete Cleaner Longer

  • Dry mop daily
  • When damp mopping, only use pH-neutral cleaners
  • Clean spills as soon as they happen
  • In high traffic areas, use mats
  • Get concrete cleaned and sealed when recommended by a professional

Different Types of Concrete Flooring

Exterior/Interior Stained Concrete– The difference between interior and exterior stained concrete floors is the feel of a “completely finished” surface- although it is a concrete floor, it will seem like you are walking on a manufactured marble or tile.

Epoxy- Epoxy floor coatings are commonly used for commercial and industrial flooring. Epoxy coatings are normally applied over concrete floors to provide a high-performance, smooth, and durable surface that can last many years and withstand heavy loads.

Polished Concrete– The most cost-effective way to dress-up large spaces is to polish the existing concrete slab. After concrete has gone through a series of grinding, polishing and several chemical treatments, a beautiful piece of flooring is the result. It is an easy way to take regular concrete to something much nicer.

5 Steps to A Clean Concrete Floor

  1. Clear the Floor– Anything on the concrete floor needs to be moved. If it’s your basement all furniture, boxes and other items need stored away until the project is completed. If it is your garage move your car and any other items on the floor.
  2. Sweep the Floor– In order to clean the floor completely sweep it and make sure you pick up any debris, dust, hair or coins. We are talking EVERYTHING needs to come off the floor.
  3. Pre-Spray the Concrete– A mild pre spay is used on concrete to break down any oils and dirt on the surface. This is an especially important step when cleaning a garage floor. In most garages you will see oil and dirt stains that will not come clean easily. Our pre-spray will help break down these difficult to clean surfaces.
  4. Use High Heat to Clean– Pressure washing is the best way to clean concrete. Only scrubbing with bleach or a mild detergent won’t clean everything completely. You need something more powerful and with more heat.
  5. Dry the Area Completely– Once the concrete flooring has been power washed and cleaned entirely, the whole area needs to dry thoroughly before putting contents back in place. In order to do this quickly and effectively large fans and dehumidifiers are placed in several places on the floor.

How to Care for Your Concrete Floors

For the most part, concrete flooring requires minimum amount of care and maintenance. However, there are a few things to keep in mind to maintain these floors and increase the length of time they last. We will discuss a few of the best tips in order to do that.

Prevent Damage

One of the best ways to keep maintenance to a minimum is to prevent damage from happening in the first place. A common mistake when it comes to new concrete flooring is the view that the concrete is indestructible. Therefore, be careful when moving furniture or anything heavy. If not, you might end up ruining your stained, or stamped concrete. Therefore, use felt padding to prevent damage.

Another tip for protecting your flooring is adding door mats, runners or other rugs. These help to reduce the amount of dust and dirt that gets tracked onto your concrete flooring. Avoid using mat with plastic backing because they can cause discoloration. One study showed that a simple rug inside the entrance of a home can pick up as much as 85 percent of dust and dirt! Just think, all that dirt would otherwise end up on the floor. Further, this simple suggestion will also help to reduce the frequency of professional cleanings, saving you money. However, when using rugs, do not use rugs with plastic backing, as they can cause discoloration, particularly with stained concrete flooring.

What Should I Use to Clean Concrete?

Cleaning is an excellent way to maintain your concrete floors. However, what tools should be used to do so? Many have found a micro-fiber dust mop is typically best. These are gentle, but also work well at trapping dirt and dust. The best way to keep your new flooring clean and dust-free is to mop it daily with a dry dust mop. Caution should be taken when using wet mopping tools, however. The cleaners that come with these mops can often damage rather than clean. If you must damp mop, simply use cool water.

When it comes to cleaning products, there are some important things to keep in mind. Never use harsh cleaning products like ammonia or bleach. Some sites may suggest using this as a replacement for hiring a professional service. However, these products are too strong for concrete floors. If you must use a cleaner, try to find on with a neutral pH level. Whatever you choose to use as a cleaner, it is always a good idea to check with a professional first.

How to Maintain Polished Concrete Floors:

When it comes to cleaning and maintaining polished concrete floors, the basics are pretty much the same as regular concrete flooring. However, let’s discuss a few added tips.

  • Protect flooring with a penetrating seal or topical guard
  • Dust mop daily with a microfiber pad to keep dust off. Since soil acts as an abrasive, it can ruin the clarity and shine of your polished floor.
  • If you decide to wet mop, use an automatic floor scrubber with nonabrasive pads.
  • When wet mopping, use a neutral pH cleaner to suspend dirt and easily remove it from the floor
  • Try to clean spills and stains from the floor as quickly as possible. If you don’t, you risk the spill absorbing into the surface.  
  • If you do use cleaner, give it enough time to break down grime and grease on the floor. Allow it to set before mopping it up from the surface. However, don’t go the other way and let the solution completely dry on the surface.

How Much a Concrete Floor Cleaning Costs

Complete Detail specializes in commercial and residential floor cleaning. Most cleaning companies will charge anywhere from $0.28 – $0.49 per square foot. Read why your neighbors choose us to help! Please call us to get an estimate today at 937-507-2927 or you may visit our Contact Us web page.

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