Man walking on a terrazzo floor

Signs Your Team Is Cleaning Terrazzo Flooring All Wrong

From busy office buildings and airports to hotel lobbies and even the Hollywood walk of fame – terrazzo flooring is everywhere we look.

Terrazzo or epoxy terrazzo flooring is sophisticated and hardwearing, making it the perfect choice for many types of commercial spaces. It offers both durability and style and is a very affordable flooring option. In fact, epoxy terrazzo has the lowest life cycle cost of any flooring material available today.

With a good maintenance plan and regular cleaning routine, terrazzo floors will look as good as new for many years to come.

But when it comes to maintaining and caring for terrazzo floors, janitorial teams can make several common mistakes, which can harm terrazzo's delicate surface and cause significant, long-term damage. If your team is currently employing any of the following methods, it may be a sign that they're not correctly cleaning terrazzo flooring and may need some help.

Let's take a look at the common errors and the best practices for cleaning and maintaining terrazzo.

Here are 4 ways your terrazzo flooring is being cleaned incorrectly

1. Using all-purpose cleaners

All-purpose cleaners such as bleach should be avoided when cleaning terrazzo floors.

These types of cleaning products are too harsh for your terrazzo floor's delicate surface and can cause significant damage if used too often.

Even though all-purpose cleaners may remove dirt and grime, the residue they leave behind can attract more dirt, which leads to a need for more frequent cleaning and a greater risk of damage to your floors.

2. Using vinegar-based cleaners

With sustainability integral to many companies' cleaning routines, vinegar-based cleaners have started gaining popularity. Vinegar is a natural ingredient that cleans many items and surfaces around your commercial space.

But vinegar is also acidic, which can damage delicate surfaces like your terrazzo floor.

Terrazzo's marble chips are calcium-based, making them susceptible to etching by any acidic liquid.

Avoiding vinegar in your cleaning routine is especially important if your terrazzo floor has a polished finish. Vinegar can dull your terrazzo's beautiful polished look and make it look stained and uncared for, which can let down the overall appearance of your commercial space.

3. Scrubbing it with abrasive materials

When lifting stubborn stains, spills, dirt, and grime from your terrazzo floor – abrasive cleaning materials won't solve the problem.

Not only do coarse materials like scrubbing pads or steel wool cause scratching or etching on terrazzo floors, but they can also remove or damage the floor's coating.

Along with giving your terrazzo a shiny and smooth finish, a surface coating is important for maintaining your floor long-term and preventing slipping.

The ‘harshest' material you should ever use on your terrazzo floors is a neutral pH cleaning and a microfiber cloth or microfiber mop.

4. Spills not being cleaned quickly enough

Another sign terrazzo floors are not being correctly cared for is that spills are not being cleaned up quickly enough.

Accidents happen every day, and spills are almost unavoidable. Although you shouldn't panic over spills, taking care of them as soon as possible is essential. If not, you risk long-term staining and the removal of your floor's wax.

By not letting spills sit for an extended period, you can keep your flooring's shine lasting longer and avoid restoration costs in the long run.

How to clean & maintain terrazzo floors

Now that we know some common cleaning mistakes that can damage terrazzo floors, let's look at our top 3 tips for cleaning them correctly.

1. Remove surface dust

Dust and grit can quickly build on the surface of your floors, letting down their sleek and polished appearance and causing scratches on the surface.

Remove any surface dust with a soft material, such as a dust mop or microfiber cloths, to kickstart your cleaning routine.

2. Mop with water or a neutral cleaner

To remove stubborn dirt from your flooring, you'll need to use a neutral cleaner with neither acidic nor alkaline properties.

Use a mop to wet your floor's surface and let the cleaner or plain water sit for several minutes, so it has a chance to dissolve any dirt.

It's vital that the entire floor surface remains wet during this time. Otherwise, the loose dirt will simply dry back onto the floor.

3. Dry with a soft material

It's important not to let your floor dry naturally, as this allows dust and dirt to cling to the surface.

We recommend drying your terrazzo with a chamois-type cloth since it will dry your floor quickly and buff the wax at the same time. To avoid streaks, use strong strokes.

Terrazzo floor maintenance & restoration

Every terrazzo floor is unique and needs an individual care plan to keep it in great shape long-term.

When properly cared for, terrazzo floors can last a lifetime. Daily cleaning is essential for keeping your floor looking clean and attractive to customers.

But over time, many terrazzo floors require deep cleaning, polishing, and even restoration using professional-grade equipment and expertise, which is the key to keeping your terrazzo looking as good as new and eliminating the need for costly replacements.

There's no doubt terrazzo is a durable, cost-effective, and long-lasting flooring option that's ideal for a wide range of public and commercial spaces.

If you've found that you're making common mistakes in caring for your terrazzo floor, we hope this blog has helped you understand how you can fix them.

Restore your terrazzo floor's brilliance with Corporate Care

Do you need a professional and reliable service to restore your terrazzo to its original luster?

At Corporate Care, our certified technicians understand the complexities of terrazzo floor care better than anyone else.

We can help you extend your terrazzo's lifespan and bring back its original shine and polish with a fully customized cleaning and maintenance plan.

It's time to wave goodbye to those annoying scratches, chips, cracks, and stains that let down the overall appearance of your commercial space.

To learn more about our services, contact us today!

 

About Corporate Care – A sustainability company

Corporate Care exists to improve the appearance, performance, and longevity of every surface in the commercial buildings you manage – reducing capital expenditures, stress, and management burden on facility managers from coast to coast.

As true surface care experts, we understand the unique properties and cleaning protocols every surface needs (or doesn’t) to look amazing and comply with manufacturer warranties. We’re here to support your existing janitorial crew with cadenced deep restorative cleaning and tailored maintenance protocols – performed by IICRC®-certified cleaning technicians.

We are firm believers in restoration over replacement. Let’s reduce waste together!