Statistics show that nearly 79% of playground injuries involve falls. A rubber floor can certainly reduce the impact of the fall due to its anti-skid and shock-absorbing properties. This is the reason rubber surfacing is becoming a popular flooring choice, not just for playgrounds but also for other public and residential facilities.
Although it is tough and hard-wearing, a rubber surface needs a little care and attention.
So, let’s discuss some simple and easy-to-follow cleaning and maintenance tips to keep your rubber floors in good condition for years to come.
What is Rubber Surfacing?
Have you noticed a soft surface underneath your feet at gyms or pool decks?
Yes, that is a rubber surface. It is one of the most durable and multipurpose flooring solutions available today. A rubber floor is crafted from natural or synthetic rubber. Hence, it absorbs the shocks and provides good traction.
Due to the above qualities, rubber surfaces are an ideal choice in high footfall places such as fitness/sports facilities, hotels & resorts, and playgrounds. It is also becoming popular among residential properties.
Rubber surfacing is an investment that will last longer if you take basic care of its cleaning and maintenance. Let’s find out how.
Cleaning Materials
You do not need to spend much on the cleaning materials for your rubber floors. You will need basics cleaning supplies:
- Vacuum cleaner or broom
- Mop and bucket
- Cleaning sponge
- Mild detergent
Set Up a Cleaning Routine
There’s no extra work. Trust us! You would anyway maintain a cleaning routine for your floor whether it is made from rubber, concrete, or any other material.
Similarly, for rubber surfaces, we recommend that you set up two different cleaning schedules.
Daily or Weekly Cleaning
If you have installed a rubber surface in the residential facility, one of the most frequent cleaning tasks you need to do is removing small particles of dirt, dust, and debris. In case you have toddlers, daily vacuuming can save them from the risk of ingesting these impurities. Otherwise, you can vacuum and mop the floor once a week if your floors tend to attract fewer dirt particles.
However, commercial settings and public facilities’ rubber floors should be vacuumed and mopped daily as they experience higher footfall and contamination. For mopping, consider a mild detergent diluted in water.
Periodic Cleaning
Just like you conduct seasonal cleaning of your home or workspace, you can consider a wet vacuum cleaning once every month or two for your rubber surfaces. Start with mopping and let the cleaning solution sit for about 10 minutes. Then, rinse the floor with a wet vacuum.
For better cleaning of large spaces, we recommend that you use a floor cleaning machine. A walk-behind scrubber should be adequate for medium-large areas such as pool decks, gyms, and sports courts. However, for larger spaces like driveways, playgrounds, stables, and barns, you should use a ride-on scrubber.
Moreover, you should deep clean the surface using a pressurized water process after three to five years of installation.
Maintenance Tips for Rubber Surfaces
How about retaining the aesthetics and adding more years to the life of your rubber surface? Read and follow the maintenance tips below.
- Use dust control mats: Place doormats at entries of your residence or commercial facilities to avoid the accumulation of dirt and dust particles on your rubber surface.
- Clean all spills: Though rubber flooring is water-resistant, too much moisture can affect its adhesive property. So ensure that you clean spillages at the earliest.
- Avoid harsh chemicals: Chemicals can erode the rubber and its color. Besides, the rubber surface is very easy to clean. Simply using a mild detergent diluted in a little bit of water should do the trick.
- Use soft nylon brushes: Do not use steel wool, abrasive brushes & pads.
- Outdoor surfaces: Install UV-stable rubber flooring, and during winter use snow shovels with plastic blades.
In addition to the above cleaning and maintenance tips, we also recommend you follow the maintenance guide provided by the manufacturer.
Wrapping Up
As we discussed, rubber surfaces are highly durable and low maintenance in nature. This makes them a worthy long-term investment for your property. All you need to do is evaluate the area where you have installed them and accordingly follow the simple cleaning and maintenance tips shared above. It should be enough to preserve them for a longer period of time.