You know that soft, cushiony textured rubber flooring you have in places like your home gym, kids’ playroom, or garage workspace? It feels so nice underfoot and looks awesome when it’s new, but keeping it clean can be a chore if you don’t know how.
Well, don’t sweat it! This article will give you the inside scoop on keeping that textured rubber floor looking fabulous for years to come.
How To Clean Your Textured Rubber Flooring
Step 1. Start With A Good Sweep
- Before doing any heavy-duty cleaning, it’s smart to give the floor a good once-over with a broom or dust mop.
- This will lift up any loose dirt, dust bunnies, pet hair, bits of paper, and other debris that might be hanging around on the surface.
- Get into those little textured grooves, too. You’d be amazed at how much junk can collect there over time.
- Sweep everything up nice and tidy into a dustpan and toss it in the trash.
Step 2. Break Out The Vacuum
- Now it’s time to bring in the big guns: your vacuum cleaner. This bad boy will extract all the finer particles that your broom couldn’t capture.
- Make sure you’ve got the right vacuum for the job, too.
- Your run-of-the-mill upright probably won’t cut it since the textured top means lots of nooks and crannies for dirt to hide.
- A powerful handheld vacuum with a hose and crevice attachment is ideal for this kind of floor.
- To really get your textured rubber floor crumb-free, you need to vacuum slowly and systematically.
- I like to work in a grid, doing an up-and-down pass followed by a left-to-right pass until I’ve covered the entire floor.
- Get that vacuum crevice tool deep into the grooves and textures.
- You’ll have to empty the canister or bag a few times since textured floors hold a ton of dirt.
Step 3. Give It A Good Scrubbing
Sweeping and vacuuming were just round one.
Now let’s get this floor really clean! It’s time to scrub away any ground-in dirt and grime.
For rubber floors, I recommend using a gentle, pH-neutral cleaner. Harsh alkaline or acidic cleaners could damage or discolor the floor over time.
Step 4. Water Alone May Do The Trick
- If your textured rubber flooring isn’t too dirty, plain old water might be enough to get it looking like new again.
- Just use your mop with warm water and no added cleaners.
- The texture gives the floor a lot of surface area to capture dirt, so a good mopping with water can pull up plenty of grime all on its own.
Step 5. Add Some Cleaner For Really Dirty Floors
- Water alone not cutting it? Squirt a little latex-safe, pH-balanced cleaner into your mop bucket.
- Check the dilution rate and don’t go overboard with the cleaner – more is not necessarily better here.
- Swish it around and get that floor nice and soapy, making sure to get into the texture.
- Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing so the cleaner has time to do its thing.
Step 6. Mop, Rinse, and Repeat
- Get your mop ready for some serious scrubbing action. Use a microfiber mop head on textured rubber floors since microfiber really gets into the grooves.
- Get some elbow grease into it and push that mop all around to dislodge stuck-on dirt and grime from the floors.
- Once you’ve gone over the whole floor, it’s time to rinse. Get fresh water and mop up all that dirty cleaner.
- Be sure to rinse until the water runs clear – you don’t want any soap residue left behind. Repeat the wash and rinse cycle as needed to get the floor completely clean.
- It might take 2-3 good moppings on a very dirty floor.
Step 7. Let It Air Dry
- When your textured rubber floor is squeaky clean, avoid the temptation to wipe it dry with towels.
- You could end up just pushing dirt around. Instead, let the floor air dry.
- Place fans nearby to speed up the drying process.
- The texture gives it lots of surface area, so it may take a few hours to fully dry. Keep people and pets off of it until then.
Step 8. Finish With A Rubber Floor Conditioner
- Here’s one last step to make your textured floor look brand new: use a rubber floor conditioner and protector when it’s totally dry.
- This protective liquid will keep the floor from getting damaged and help prevent dirt from bonding on it as easily next time.
- Apply it with a microfiber mop and let it dry. Your floor will look freshly polished!
Extra Tips For Keeping It Clean
Now that you know how to deep clean textured rubber floors, here are my tips for keeping it looking great day-to-day:
- Shake out doormats frequently
- Ask people to remove shoes
- Sweep often
- Deal with spills as soon as possible
- Consider chair mats under rolling chairs
- Re-clean high-traffic areas weekly
- Reapply floor conditioner monthly
Time For A Pro Cleaning
Even if you stay on top of cleaning your textured floor, there may come a time when it needs professional cleaning. Some of this may include:
- Dull, faded appearance
- Stains you can’t remove
- Lingering odors
- Grimy texture that feels rough
For the above sign, look for a professional cleaning service that properly cleans textured rubber flooring. For one thing, their powerful equipment and specialty cleaning solutions can get the floor pristine once again.
Bottom Line
There you have it – the basics on keeping textured rubber floors lookin’ good! Cleaning a rubber floor might not be the most exciting task, but seeing your floors looking like new again is satisfying. So, get your mop and vacuum ready, and go tackle that textured rubber floor!
