How to Clean Epoxy Floors Without Dulling the Coating: Daily, Weekly and Machine Scrubbing

How we made this guide: picks, prices and specs come from our catalog and the makers' published specs, owner quotes come from customer reviews on our product pages and every guide is checked and edited by Trevor Hall.

To clean an epoxy floor, sweep or dry-mop the grit off, wash with a pH-neutral cleaner and a soft mop or pad, then pick the solution up before it dries. It is an easy job: a mop, bucket and squeegee handle a garage that is not oily, and a small battery scrubber such as the Dapper Supply 16 in at $1,400 washes and picks up a shop or showroom floor in one pass.

On warehouse aisles, a larger machine such as the Tornado 18/11 at $6,148.24 carries 11 gallons of solution. Whatever the machine, run the lightest pad or brush that gets the floor clean.

What you need

The hand tools cost little. The machines below are for floors where a mop would take hours. Browse every floor scrubber we carry or start with the lighter walk-behind scrubbers.

• A wide dust mop or soft push broom, or a sweeper or dry vacuum on larger floors.
• A pH-neutral floor cleaner. Mix it at the label rate; more cleaner does not clean better and can leave a film.
• A soft pad or soft-bristle brush. On a machine, the lightest pad or brush the machine accepts.
• A soft neoprene floor squeegee (the type Sherwin-Williams calls for), a microfiber mop or a wet vacuum to lift the solution.
• Clean rinse water and clean towels for spills.

Step 1: Remove the grit first

Sand, gravel and tire grit are what scratch a coating, and a wet pad or brush drags that grit across the floor. Dust-mop or sweep before any water touches it. On a large floor, a wide-area sweeper vacuum does the same job faster. The Powr-Flite Quasar lists a 26 in cleaning path, a 9 gallon (40 liter) debris bin and a 67 dB(A) noise level, with a height-adjustable chevron main broom and non-marking rear wheels.

Armorpoxy notes that dirt, dust and debris act as abrasives and cause minor scratches over time, and Sherwin-Williams says epoxy finishes will scratch when subjected to abrasive dirt. For a small garage, a soft push broom or a dry vacuum is enough. For machine sizing, see our auto scrubber buying guide.

Step 2: Wash with a pH-neutral cleaner

Coating makers agree on the basics. Sherwin-Williams' epoxy floor care page lists five steps: sweep, apply the cleaner, agitate, let it dwell 5 to 10 minutes and remove it. It calls for a neutral slip-resistant floor cleaner in foot-traffic areas and a cleaner/degreaser where oil and grease build up. Armorpoxy, an epoxy coating maker, says a pH-neutral cleaner helps keep the gloss and warns that citrus-based or acidic cleaners can break down the epoxy over time. Your own coating maker's care sheet comes first, because each maker publishes its own cleaner list.

Mop or scrub one section at a time and work in overlapping passes. If the floor is greasy or oily, do not mop it: Sherwin-Williams says never to use a mop on a greasy or oily floor and lists a cleaner/degreaser for those areas. Soak up fresh oil first (Armorpoxy suggests absorbent materials like cat litter), then scrub with a deck brush or scrubber and pick the solution up with a squeegee or wet vac.

Keep the solution light. A floor that looks cloudy after drying often has cleaner left on it; Armorpoxy says to rinse with warm water after cleaning to remove any residue.

Step 2a: Dish soap on epoxy

Armorpoxy, an epoxy coating maker, says mild dish soap and warm water are ideal for regular cleaning, and to rinse with warm water afterward to remove any residue. Use it by hand, in a bucket, never in an auto scrubber: dish soap foams, and both Powr-Flite's Phantom manual and Tornado's 18/11 manual call for non-foaming or low-foam detergent. If your coating maker names a cleaner, use that one.

Step 3: Pick the water up

Do not let wash water air-dry on the coating. Dried solution leaves a haze and water spots on a gloss floor, and Sherwin-Williams says not to use a water spray to remove cleaning solution from the floor. Pull the solution with a squeegee, a microfiber mop or a wet vacuum. The Minuteman Tsunami does this without a scrubber: it pairs a 24 in front-mounted squeegee with urethane blades to a 16 gallon tank, with Minuteman listing 125 CFM of airflow and 95 in of water lift. It weighs 65 lb empty and 240 lb with a full tank, and draws 13 A on a 15 A circuit.

Step 4: Use an auto scrubber on larger floors

An auto scrubber lays solution, scrubs and squeegees the floor in one pass, which is why it is the usual choice past a few thousand square feet. It also means the pad, brush and solution flow decide what happens to the coating, so set them conservatively.

1. Sweep first, as in step 1.
2. Fit a soft pad or the least aggressive brush your machine takes. Sherwin-Williams lists a white, tan or red 3M pad or similar for machine scrubbing its resin floors. Never start with a stripping pad.
3. Use a pH-neutral cleaner labeled low-foam, at the label rate, with the solution flow set low. Powr-Flite's Phantom manual says to use only non-foaming detergents, and Tornado's 18/11 manual says to always use low foam detergent at the minimum percentage, because excess foam can cause problems for the suction motor.
4. Run the lightest brush pressure that cleans. On the Tornado 18/11 you can set it: Tornado's manual describes a wing nut by the front right wheel that raises or lowers brush pressure. Powr-Flite's Phantom manual lists 88 lb as its maximum brush pressure and describes no adjustment, so on a fixed-pressure machine the pad or brush you fit is your control.
5. Overlap passes and keep the squeegee down so the floor is dry behind the machine. Tornado's 18/11 manual says to check in the first few feet that the solution flow is right and the squeegee dries the floor; if it leaves streaks, adjust or turn the blades.
6. Do not let the brush spin while the machine stands still. Tornado's 18/11 manual warns against it to protect the floor.
7. Empty and rinse both tanks and the squeegee after the job.

Brush speed means different things on the two machine types. A disc scrubber turns one or two round pads or brushes flat on the floor, while a cylindrical machine spins roller brushes on a horizontal axis (the Tornado 18/11 has two, 3.75 in across, per its manual). Compare machines by pad or brush type, tank size and pass width, not by RPM alone.

The four scrubbers we picked for epoxy

All four are walk-behind battery or corded machines. Pick by floor size and by how much floor you clean at once.

The Dapper Supply 16 in is the entry-level pick: two 100 W brush motors, a 130 W suction motor, up to 13,000 sq ft per hour and a 2.5 hour recharge. Its small tanks (1 gallon of solution, 1.5 gallons of recovery) suit a few rooms, not a warehouse. The 300 RPM setting is the one to start on for a coated floor. Skip it if you clean more than a few thousand square feet at a time, because you will empty the tanks often.

The Tornado 18/11 has an 18 in cleaning path, a 31 in squeegee and a 24 V battery: wet-acid on the $6,148.24 model, TPPL on the $7,388 model. Tornado's manual lists 157 lb without batteries plus 163 lb of batteries, and its brochure lists 66 dB and rates productivity at 17,969 sq ft per hour. Its two cylindrical brushes scrub across the full 18 in path. Tornado's brochure says it comes standard with white brushes for daily cleaning and lists a Super Soft Scrub Brush and an oil-resistant rear squeegee as replacement items; ask your coating maker which brush suits your topcoat. Skip it if your coating maker calls for a flat pad.

The Minuteman E20 scrubs with one 20 in disc at 180 rpm and a vacuum rated at 65 CFM and 45 in of water lift. Minuteman lists theoretical productivity of 15,000 sq ft per hour on brush drive and 27,280 on traction drive. The corded E20115BD ($6,633.64) runs on 115 V with no batteries to maintain. A disc deck takes a flat pad, which suits the lightest-pad approach on a coated floor. It weighs from 312 lb corded to 372 lb with batteries on traction drive, so plan the ramp and the storage. Skip it for a one-car garage.

The Powr-Flite Phantom lists a 20 in cleaning width, a 34.5 in natural rubber squeegee, a 180 rpm brush and a rated 20,000 sq ft per hour. It weighs 339 lb with batteries and 187 lb without. Powr-Flite's manual lists 88 lb as the Phantom's maximum brush pressure and says it ships with a pad driver and a red pad, one of the pad colors (white, tan or red) Sherwin-Williams lists for machine scrubbing its resin floors. Skip it if your floor is mostly tight aisles, where a smaller machine turns easier.

Spills, oil and tire marks

Armorpoxy says to clean up spills immediately with a soft cloth or paper towel, and to put absorbent materials like cat litter on oil or grease before wiping it up. For built-up oil, Sherwin-Williams lists a cleaner/degreaser, scrubbed in and picked up rather than mopped. For tire marks and dried paint, use the method your coating maker lists and test it on a small corner first.

Cleaning schedule by setting

This schedule is our suggestion, built on Armorpoxy's advice to sweep or dry-mop daily and Sherwin-Williams' cleaning steps. Adjust it to traffic.

For the other floors in the building, see tile and grout scrubbers, buffing and polishing concrete and burnishers, buffers and scrubbers. For a concrete floor without a coating, see the commercial concrete cleaning guide.

Common mistakes

• Scrubbing before sweeping, which turns grit into sandpaper.
• Using too much cleaner, then leaving it to dry as a film.
• Reaching for a citrus-based or acidic cleaner (vinegar is acidic). Armorpoxy warns these can break down the epoxy over time, and Tornado's 18/11 manual says never to use pure acid in the machine.
• Running an aggressive pad or brush at full pressure on a coated floor.
• Leaving oil, brake fluid or chemical spills on the coating.
• Letting the squeegee blade wear until it leaves streaks.
• Hosing the solution off. Sherwin-Williams says not to use a water spray to remove cleaning solution from the floor; squeegee or vacuum it up.
• Letting the brush spin while the machine stands still. Tornado's 18/11 manual warns against it to protect the floor.

Frequently asked questions

How easy is it to clean epoxy floors?

Easy when the floor is sealed and sound. The coating is non-porous, so most dirt sits on top and a sweep plus a pH-neutral wash handles it. The work is mostly in removing grit and not leaving cleaner on the floor.

What is the best cleaner for epoxy floors?

A pH-neutral floor cleaner mixed at the label rate. Sherwin-Williams lists a neutral slip-resistant floor cleaner for foot-traffic areas and a cleaner/degreaser for oily service areas, and Armorpoxy says a pH-neutral cleaner helps keep the gloss. In an auto scrubber, choose one labeled low-foam. Your coating maker's care sheet lists the products it allows.

What is the best way to mop a garage floor?

Sweep or dry-mop the grit off first, then mop with a pH-neutral cleaner in warm water, rinse and squeegee or wet-vac the floor dry. If the floor is greasy or oily, skip the mop: Sherwin-Williams says never to use a mop on a greasy or oily floor, so scrub with a cleaner/degreaser and a deck brush and pick the solution up with a squeegee or wet vac.

How do I bring back the shine on an epoxy floor?

Armorpoxy says a pH-neutral cleaner helps maintain the gloss and to rinse with warm water to remove residue. If the floor is still dull after a clean rinse, the topcoat is likely worn or scratched; ask your installer about a recoat.

How do I polish an epoxy floor?

Do not buff a coated floor with a stripping or aggressive pad. Ask the coating maker or installer whether a buffing or burnishing step is approved for your topcoat. See our floor burnisher vs buffer vs scrubber guide for what each machine does.

How do I clean latex paint off an epoxy floor?

Wipe it up while it is still wet with a damp cloth. Dried paint is best handled with the method your coating maker lists, tested first on a small corner, because solvents and scrapers can mark a coating.

Can I use an auto scrubber on an epoxy floor?

Many coatings are cleaned this way, with the softest pad or brush, a pH-neutral cleaner and a squeegee pass. Confirm the pad or brush type with your coating maker. Our battery scrubbers and sweepers cover the cleaning and pickup sides.

Related guides

• Best Floor Scrubber for Tile and Grout: 8 Machines by Floor Size and Grout Condition
• How to Use a Floor Scrubber: Auto Scrubber Setup, Squeegee and End-of-Day Care
• How to Buff and Polish Concrete Floors With a Floor Machine (Not Grinding)
• How to Clean Concrete Floors in Warehouses, Shops and Garages