General Floor Care, Cleaning and Maintenance Guide
The following recommendations will help keep your Sherwin-Williams resinous floors looking like new. The recommended epoxy floor cleaners and maintenance programs are based on the type of floor you have.
Floors usually take the most abuse of any surface in the building. Floor maintenance is dependent upon the flooring system itself, the traffic conditions, and the type of dirt and debris to which it is exposed. Sherwin-Williams resinous floors are easily maintained because of their physical and chemical tough finishes.
In recognition of the need for regular floor maintenance, the following recommendations will help keep your Sherwin-Williams resinous floors looking like new. The recommended cleaning products and maintenance program is based on the type of floor you have.
RECOMMENDED EPOXY FLOOR CLEANING CHEMICALS
AREA DESCRIPTION | RECOMMENDED CLEANER | |
---|---|---|
FOOT TRAFFIC | AREA DESCRIPTION Public areas, health care, dining room/cafeteria, lab, institutional, retail, foot traffic area | RECOMMENDED CLEANER Neutral slip-resistant floor cleaner |
LIGHT TO MODERATE SERVICE AREAS | AREA DESCRIPTION Animal care, automotive service center, commercial kitchen/food prep area, patio | RECOMMENDED CLEANER Cleaner/degreaser |
MODERATE TO HEAVY SERVICE AREAS | AREA DESCRIPTION Bottling plant, factory floor, loading dock, manufacturing/industrial, vehicular traffic area, stadium | RECOMMENDED CLEANER Heavy-duty cleaner/degreaser |
ESD/CONDUCTIVE FLOORS | AREA DESCRIPTION Clean room, computer room, electronics production and assembly, quality control lab, surgery | RECOMMENDED CLEANER Neutral floor cleaner |
FOOD AND BEVERAGE PLANTS | AREA DESCRIPTION Dairy plant, meat & poultry plant, food processing plant, brewery, winery and beverage plants | RECOMMENDED CLEANER Cleaner/degreaser |
EPOXY FLOOR CLEANING PROCESS
The best method to clean Sherwin-Williams flooring is a five-step process using the recommended cleaning product. The process varies between small and large floors, and between smooth and textured floors.
THE FIVE FLOOR CLEANING STEPS ARE:
- Sweeping - Always sweep the floor thoroughly before cleaning.
- Application - The means to put the cleaning product on the floor surface.
- Agitation - Movement of the cleaning product, with a piece of equipment, on the floor surface to aid in the release of foreign material.
- Dwell Time - Letting the cleaning product stand on the surface to allow time for emulsifying foreign material.
- Removal - Removing the cleaning product from the surface of the floor.
Small Area (Smooth Surface) | Large Area (Smooth Surface) | Small Area (Textured Surface) | Large Area (Textured Surface) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sweeping | Small Area (Smooth Surface) Broom or dust mop | Large Area (Smooth Surface) Floor sweeper | Small Area (Textured Surface) Broom | Large Area (Textured Surface) Floor sweeper |
Application | Small Area (Smooth Surface) Synthetic mop or deck brush | Large Area (Smooth Surface) Automatic floor scrubber | Small Area (Textured Surface) Deck brush or foamer/sprayer | Large Area (Textured Surface) Automatic floor scrubber of foamer/sprayer |
Agitation | Small Area (Smooth Surface) Mop or deck brush | Large Area (Smooth Surface) Automatic floor scrubber | Small Area (Textured Surface) Deck brush or rotary floor machine | Large Area (Textured Surface) Automatic floor scrubber or rotary floor machine |
Dwell Time | Small Area (Smooth Surface) 5-10 minutes | Large Area (Smooth Surface) 5-10 minutes | Small Area (Textured Surface) 5-10 minutes | Large Area (Textured Surface) 5-10 minutes |
Removal | Small Area (Smooth Surface) Mop or wet vac | Large Area (Smooth Surface) Automatic floor scrubber | Small Area (Textured Surface) Squeegee or wet vac | Large Area (Textured Surface) Automatic floor scrubber |
EPOXY FLOOR CARE & CLEANING NOTES:
- Never use a mop to clean a floor that is greasy or oily.
- When using a deck brush, choose a medium/stiff bristle.
- When using a rotary floor machine, use a white, tan or red 3M pad or similar pad.
- When removing solution with a squeegee, use a soft, neoprene squeegee.
- Do not use a water spray to remove cleaning solution from the floor. It will over dilute the solution, causing greases and oils to fall back onto the floor surface.
- Through proper training and education, unnecessary wear of the floor, such as forklift spin and skid marks, can be avoided.
- Spills should be cleaned up immediately as a safety precaution as well as to prevent staining of the floor.
- Surfaces should be adequately protected when moving heavy equipment across the floor.
FLOOR MAINTENANCE & DAMAGE PREVENTION
Sherwin-Williams resinous floors are installed with several basic types of finish coats including epoxy, polyurethane and acrylic.
Acrylic and polyurethane floors have exceptional mar and scratch resistance while epoxy finishes are harder and will scratch when subjected to abrasive dirt.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT FLOOR CARE, CLEANING, & MAINTAINENCE?
At Sherwin-Williams, our mission is to provide you with floors that are easy to clean and maintain. If you are looking for maintenance and cleaning instructions for a specific type of flooring, check out our library of maintenance guides. Contact a Sherwin-Williams representative today with any questions or to learn more about our low-maintenance flooring solutions.
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