How to Clean Your Epoxy Garage Floor

Epoxy garage floors are a beautiful and durable feature in your home that adds value and will look incredible for many years to come. It's created from a mix of various polymers and resins and creates a breathtakingly smooth and shiny finish.

This type of floor surface is ideal for busy families, automotive enthusiasts, crafters, or any household that wants to enjoy their garage to the fullest extent. It's far superior to standard bare concrete flooring because it's stain-resistant and lasts for many years. While they might be a tiny bit time-consuming to care for, the results are definitely worth it!

Here are a few simple tips for keeping your epoxy floor looking fresh and clean:

• Invest in some quality cleaning tools like a microfiber dust mop and a natural bristle brush.

• Use your handy shop vac with a soft brush attachment to pick up dirt and small debris trapped in corners and crevices.

• Don't use the wrong cleansers - there are better alternatives that won't leave a hazy buildup.

• Clean up spills quickly. Epoxy floors can be very slippery when wet, and certain chemicals can damage the finish.

• Protect your stunning epoxy floors from daily minor damage like tire marks and kickstands.

It's a breeze to keep your epoxy floor looking showroom new - just follow the handy guide below.

Epoxy flooring for your garage is a smart choice for many reasons - one of the big ones being the ease of maintenance.

Caring for it can be accomplished best by investing in a few utterly useful tools that everyone should have in their garage:

• A trusty shop vacuum - These things are great and can suck up everything from tiny particulates to nasty wet messes. Definitely worth the investment.

• Microfiber dust mops lovingly caress the finish while collecting pet hair and dirt.

• Natural fiber scrub brushes are made from sustainable materials and won't leave marks on your shiny floor.

• Steam mops are not absolutely necessary, but their grime-busting power is great for not only epoxy floors but also ceramic and porcelain tile.

• A quality degreaser will quickly remove tire marks and other oily messes.

It's always smart to buy a tool that has multiple uses, and a sturdy wet/dry vacuum comes in handy not only in the garage but in the kitchen, outdoors, on the boat, anywhere you need to handle a yucky situation quickly and efficiently.

For your gorgeous epoxy floor, a shop vac is killer at picking up dust, debris, and small spills, and the various attachments will make sure you can clean those hard-to-reach corners easily.

Cleaning solutions containing vinegar or citrus oils should be avoided at all costs as they can severely damage the wonderful shiny finish. Usually, these ingredients are found in many inexpensive, eco-friendly, "natural," and homemade cleaners containing acids that will etch through the epoxy coating.

Hard abrasive cleansers should also not be used, as well as brushes with very stiff bristles or any kind of steel wool. Regular soap leaves a hazy residue that will build up and cause your floor to become very slippery.

The best solution to use is a simple one you can make yourself. Angi.com recommends making a mix of 4 ounces of ammonia per 1 gallon of hot water. This magic formula and a long-handled, soft bristle brush (also called a "deck brush" for its use on boats) will take care of just about any grime and leave your floor looking shiny and brand new.

Accidents do happen, especially in the garage. The best way to deal with spills on your epoxy floor is to wipe them up as quickly as possible, and spot-clean if necessary.

Keep a supply of microfiber hand towels near your garage workstation. These economical and eco-friendly cloths cut down on waste, suck up spills fast, and can be washed and reused many times over.

Materials like oil and gasoline can also eat into your finish, so you want to get those up as soon as possible. Make a diluted ammonia mix in a spray bottle to efficiently clean these unfortunate situations.

A major way to keep your epoxy floor looking showroom ready is to use a bit of padding to protect them when needed.

The home renovation experts at Better Homes and Gardens highly recommend epoxy floors, stating that they "mimic" the luxurious feel of marble while beating the endurance and appeal of boring garage floors - but you'll want to protect them from scratches and gouges.

If you're a motorcycle enthusiast, all you need is a simple mouse pad to protect your floors from the kickstand. For craft lovers or woodworkers, it's always a good idea to lay down a drop cloth to catch paint or sawdust. And if your favorite project includes working with heavy machinery, make sure to wear ear and eye protection as well as safeguarding your floor.

Installing stunning epoxy floors in your garage is definitely a wise move - but just like any other household flooring, they need to be cleaned and cared for regularly. Just follow these handy guidelines and your epoxy floor will look great for many years to come!

• https://www.angi.com/articles/12-tips-maintaining-epoxy-flooring.htm

• https://www.bhg.com.au/epoxy-flooring