The use of concrete in flooring has been around for two decades now. But concrete floors actually became popular in recent years. Nowadays, polished concrete is marketed as a no-maintenance floor mostly for commercial buildings. But people also use polished concrete in houses as well. The no-maintenance part of the marketing strategy is what attracts people to it. However, you need to make a little effort in order to keep the polished concrete floor shiny and glitzy for a long time. These cleaning methods are easy and you can do them every week.
General Cleaning Methods
The everyday and general cleaning methods for polished concrete are same as any other floor. You should sweep floor everyday to clean any loose dirt or debris that is present on the floors. The main thing you need to consider is mopping.
- Mopping – you should mop the floors once every week in order to keep the shine of the polished concrete. Make a diluted solution of mild detergent or a special polished-floor cleaner with equal parts of warm water. Mop the floors with this solution using a microfiber mop. One thing you need to keep in mind is to never use vinegar, bleach, ammonia or other cleaners that are acidic or alkaline in nature. Always use neutral pH cleaning solutions. If you can’t find any neutral pH cleaners in the market, simply use warm water.
- Scrubbing – if you hadn’t cleaned your polished concert floors in a while, a hard scrubbing may be in order. A simple mopping will not clean your floors properly that’s why you need to scrub the floors thoroughly with a soft-bristle push broom. After sweeping the floors, make the solution as described earlier and mop the floors. It is better if you clean sections of the floor at a time as cleaning with a soft-bristle broom will take longer. Rinse the floor with fresh water at the end.
- Auto-Scrubber – if your polished concrete floor receives heavy traffic and gets dirty easily and frequently, then you can use an automatic scrubber, a machine designed exclusively for cleaning polished concrete floor. However, this auto-scrubber is expensive so this may not be your preferred option.
Re-Polishing the Concrete Floor
After frequent cleaning, the concrete floor is bound to lose its gloss. Also, the abrasive substances such as sand and dirt can scratch the smooth surface of the concrete which results in dullness. But not to worry, re-polishing the concrete floor is easy and efficient. There are polishing solutions present in the market which are specific for polished concrete floors. In addition to this solution, buy a high-speed burnisher.
- Spread the polishing solution all over the floor and run the burnisher at high-speed while the floor is still wet. Keep burnishing until the solution disappears.
- You can also use a buffer instead of burnisher. Keep in mind that these machines are expensive since they are mostly used by professionals.
- If you are not satisfied with the polishing of the concrete floor, you can always call a professional cleaning company.
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