Avoid using steel wool or harsh chemicals such as kites, as they are too abrasive. Use a mild scrub and a moderately abrasive scouring pad or brush. Never use any cleaning compound that contains citrus or acids. Citrus cleaners and vinegar break down the epoxy catalyst and should be avoided.
The cleaning solution that works best for epoxy and other garage floor coverings is ammonia. Use ½ cup of ammonia in a gallon of hot water in a bucket. Most of the time, scrubbing the epoxy floor in the garage will clean it. However, if large dirt deposits aren't released with warm water, you'll need to attack them with a squeegee or a soft-bristled brush.
If possible, avoid using a squeegee with a metal frame. If there's no other option, make sure it has rounded corners. Otherwise, it could damage the floor. Avoid scrapers with metal blades, as they can also damage the finish.
If you have a floor covering with an aggressive non-slip addition or if you don't like dust mops for any particular reason, then a soft-bristled broom works well. Epoxy floors exhibit excellent water resistance, and this makes it very easy to clean up liquid spills from floors. If you move vehicles to and from garage floors or use a lot of heavy equipment, dirt is more likely to be scratched. If you recently had an epoxy floor coating applied to your garage or are considering investing in an epoxy garage floor, it's important to know how to clean it.
These types of cleaners contain acids that can slowly decay the finish of epoxy and other floor coverings over time. This is especially true when you're always moving heavy machinery or cars on the epoxy floors of your garage. If you let dirt and sand remain on the epoxy floor, they can become embedded in the epoxy and scratch the floor covering over time. To quickly dry the floor and ensure that there are no stagnant pools of water, use a squeegee for floors (18 or 24 inches to speed things up) or a clean street broom to remove water from the garage, following the same routine from back and side to center.
Always clean the epoxy floor so that these chemicals do not discolor and possibly reduce the performance of the floor. If that doesn't eliminate bleaching, then there's not much more you can do besides taking steps to coat the floor with a clear coat. Although it's easy to maintain, there are a few things you shouldn't do when cleaning garage floors with epoxy that you should keep in mind. As resistant as garage floor coverings are to dirt and stains, they require routine cleaning maintenance to maintain their shine.
Just like sweeping the kitchen floor or walkway, sweeping the epoxy floor helps keep it clean and free of debris. For epoxy garage floor coverings that withstand a lot of traffic and dirt, it's a good idea to clean the floor thoroughly once every 3 or 4 months. Vinegar is acidic and should not be used on floor coverings or it may discolor (white spots and stripes).
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