If you have rubber flooring anywhere in your home or business, it is important to provide proper care and maintenance to help the rubber floor maintain its best qualities.  Rubber flooring is commonly used as gym flooring for basketball courts, tennis courts, weight rooms, and indoor tracks by schools and health facilities.  It may also be used in your home and for a wide range of commercial applications that require durable flooring.  Durability and easy maintenance are the most attractive qualities of rubber flooring and good maintenance will help maintain the floor’s color and responsiveness to help it last even longer.  The following tips will help you clean and maintain all types of rubber flooring in any setting.

Cleaning Rubber Floors

Rubber flooring for the fieldhouse at Albion College.

The condition of your rubber floor is affected by how the floor is used.  Rubber flooring in commercial settings experiences a high volume of daily foot traffic that can lead to a buildup of dirt and debris while sports flooring may experience scuff marks from athletes.  The good news is that rubber flooring by its nature is very resilient and can withstand heavy foot traffic and impacts.  It is also moisture resistant which reduces the risk of injuries as well as the risk of mold or bacteria growth.  However, dirt can get caught in the textured surface of rubber floors and make it appear dull or discolored.  That is why it’s important to clean your rubber flooring.

Cleaning Materials

Keeping rubber floors clean is relatively easy and only requires a few materials; a vacuum, mop, and mild detergent.

Permanent Rubber Flooring/ Sheeting

It is recommended to develop two different cleaning routines for your rubber floor; a daily or weekly routine and a periodic routine.

• Daily/ Weekly: Vacuuming rubber flooring regularly will help remove dirt and debris from the surface. You can vacuum rubber floors in your home once per week, but rubber flooring in gyms and commercial settings should be vacuumed daily.  These floors should also be mopped daily or weekly depending on the amount of foot traffic they experience.  It is important to use a moderate amount of water mixed with a mild detergent and avoid harsh chemicals that can cause erosion of the rubber.  Change the water often and avoid using abrasive scrubbers.
• Periodically: At least once every month or two, it is beneficial to clean your rubber floors with a wet-vac. Start by mopping the floors and allowing the cleaning solution to sit on the floor for about 10 minutes.  Then go over the floors with the wet-vac to rinse them.  Make sure you use mild detergent for the water in the wet-vac and always use the softest brush setting.

Rubber Squares/ Tiles/ Floor Mats

Rubber floors that consist of tiles or floor mats should be vacuumed and washed regularly like permanent rubber flooring.  You should also swap rubber tiles in high traffic areas with those in low traffic areas from time to time to prevent the high traffic areas from wearing out faster.

• Daily/Weekly: Vacuum the rubber tiles on medium setting daily or weekly depending on the foot traffic. You should also use the hose attachment to vacuum between the tiles.  Do not mop rubber flooring tiles, they should be washed individually by hand.  Use a solution of water and a mild detergent and try not to use too much of the cleaning solution on the floor.  Wet-vacs and other machines should not be used on rubber floor tiles.

Rubber Flooring Maintenance

In addition to the regular cleaning described above, these maintenance tips will help you preserve the look and the life of your rubber floors:

Rubber floors are used in commercial settings including medical clinics and retail stores.

• Clean all spills: Even though rubber flooring is water resistant, too much moisture can ruin the adhesive that holds the floor in place. Make sure you clean up all spills immediately.
• Avoid harsh chemicals: Rubber flooring is so easy to clean that no chemicals are needed. In fact, you should avoid using any types of chemicals on these floors.  The chemicals and waxes used in floor seals could change the color of the floor and harsh cleaners with solvents or acids can cause the rubber to erode.

Rubber flooring is already extremely durable, but with these simple cleaning and maintenance tips, you can help your rubber floor last a long time and maintain its appearance.  If you are interested in having a rubber floor installed in your home or building, contact a flooring installation professional like Kiefer U.S.A. to learn about the options available for synthetic rubber flooring.  Rubber floors are available for a wide variety of applications and they come in many styles and colors to suit the application.

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About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.