Removal of Sweeping Compounds From Commercial Sheet and Tile

The use of sweeping compounds prior to installation of flooring material should be avoided. Many sweeping compounds contain oil. This oil can leave a residue behind that could interfere with adhesive bond. In addition, some sweeping compounds contain sand which is difficult to sweep and could abrade the floor if not completely removed.

Sweeping compounds can leave a film on the surface of vinyl flooring, making it very slippery. The floor will have to be stripped in order to remove the film.

Sweeping compounds can also stain vinyl flooring. These compounds come in different colors, much like maintenance brushes and pads…red, brown, black.

The following procedure can be used to remove the stain caused by sweeping compounds:

1. Use a standard stripper mixed at a 50/50 ratio. DO NOT use a mop-on/mop-off or a no-rinse/no-scrub stripper. NOTE: When stripping linoleum, the pH of the stripping solution should not exceed 10. Use only stripping solutions that are recommended for genuine linoleum.
2. Use enough of stripper to thoroughly wet the floor. DO NOT flood the floor.
3. Let soak for 10 minutes. Flooring should be kept wet and not allowed to dry during this step.
4. Thoroughly scrub the floor using a blue or green pad.
5. Immediately, vacuum up dirty stripping solution.
6. Rinse thoroughly with fresh, clean water and allow to dry.
7. Evaluate the appearance of the flooring.
8. If stain is not completely removed, repeat steps 1 through 6 until stain is removed or no more improvement is realized.