In days gone by we didn’t have polished concrete or even the new artistic epoxy concrete floors to worry about. It was all wood, carpet, tile or linoleum. Recently I had a my attached garage converted to a large family room. The floor which was old concrete is now polished with a high gloss sheen. I’m going to go over how I keep it clean! I paid Centric Concrete Epoxy a good sum for the concrete polishing so I want to keep it perfect.
Items Needed to Clean Polished Concrete
- Dustmop with Micro Fiber Pad
- 5-Gallon Bucket
- High Quality Soft Floor Mop
- Soft square hand sponge (big one)
The process is a simple one really. And when it comes to a polished concrete floor it’s more important what you don’t put on it. I use white vinegar a lot when brewing my old time cleaning solutions along with things like baking soda and white vinegar. DO NOT USE THESE SOLUTIONS ON YOUR POLISHED CONCRETE FLOORS!
A properly maintained polished concrete floor is a must. At least once a week I use my dust mop with a very soft micro fiber pad and go over the entire floor. Using a dust mop on a floor is a bit of an art and it’s hard for me to understand how most people can’t get this. You start in a corner and put the mop on the floor and go all the way to the other end of the run without raising the head of the mop off the floor. At the end you leave the head on the floor and turn the mop and go the other way. Do the entire floor this way. And keep your feet on the portion of the floor that’s not yet been mopped. Actually, It’s a lot like mowing a yard.
After the mopping is finished you just pull the micro fiber pad off the mop head and toss it into the trash. Step 2 is to take a bucket of plain water and a large hand sponge. Dampen the sponge and use it along the edges of the floor to get the last bit of the dust up. Stroke one way with the sponge to lift any left over dust from the edges of the floor.
What About Spills on Polished Concrete?
It’s important to get the spills up as quickly as possible. I don’t want them having a chance to penetrate of disturb the glossy sealer on my floor. Worst case scenario would call for using a very mile soap solution like simple green to remove any excess that’s been spilled onto the floor followed with a very thorough cleaning with a damp sponge. If you find yourself having to use some type of soap on your polished concrete floor make sure that you get all of the soap up with clean water. And always do a very small test spot in an out of the way area to see how it will affect your sealer. I’ve found that just a very light spraying of simple green followed with a thorough final cleaning with water works best.
Well there it is! I hope you find what I’ve shared to be useful.