Stripping floor - what to use other than ammonia?

[CJ]

I have to strip my kitchen floor and am reluctant to follow the instructions which require the use of ammonia. I am concerned about the fumes causing havoc with my tank.

Melev, I hope you see this and know of a safe alternative.

Thanks

[CJ]

^

[melev]

Well this is in the wrong forum, but hopefully a moderator will move it over to the Lounge arena....

Removing Mop'n'Glo or Future is very very difficult with normal products, like ammonia and other household cleaners. It really won't do anything except penetrate a micro layer of the finish.

Cleaning residential floors are pretty much the same as commercial ones, except for a lack of space. Locate a janitorial supply in your town. Forget about the Floor Stripper you can buy at Home Depot (Zep) as it won't work, I've tested it.

You'll need one gallon of stripper, and one gallon of a quality floor finish/wax. If you have access to a low speed buffer and a wet-vac, that would be ideal. However you don't have to have these to clean a kitchen floor. You might be able to rent them though, to make the job easier.

Mix up your stripper 1:6 with cold or warm water. Don't use hot water unless the product specifies to do so, because the steam will evaporate the emulsifiers right out of the stripping solution.

Spread it on liberally all over an area with a mop. You want to flood the floor. Let it soak between 5 and 15 minutes.

Scrub the floor with a buffer and black pad, a bristle brush, or a brillo-type pad ("doodle-bug"). Using a putty knife in the corners and along edges works well, and sometimes you might even need a razor blade to remove buildup along baseboards.

Squeegee the dirty solution into a puddle and wet-vac it off. Or mop it up with a different mop in a bucket of clean rinse water. (This bucket should have about 10g of clean water, that you'll have to change out as it become polluted.)

Work your way throughout the room, always mopping behind you to remove footprints and equipment tracks.

Rinsing the floor with a fresh bucket of water is a good idea, when you are done stripping.

Finally, apply the new finish with a <b>rayon</b> mop that was made damp with clean cold water first. You can pour a "line" of wax the length of the kitchen, and using a figure "8" pattern, spread out the wax evenly. The majority of the wax needs to be in the traffic area, not along the baseboards.

Rayon mops don't streak, and don't leave fibers in your wax. Another way to apply wax is to pour it into the mop bucket (lined with a trash bag first), dunking and wringing out the mop gently, then spread it.

You'll need to put on several coats of wax to get a nice high shine. Always make sure it is dry to the touch before applying the next coat.

Using the A/C will speed up drying time, and a fan will assist as well. However, don't turn on the fan until the product has had time to settle for 5 minutes first, and don't blow the fan directly on the wax or you'll get runners. :(

The 1 gallon of stripper should be enough to do your kitchen two or three times. Stripping a kitchen is an annual event typically.

The 1 gallon of wax will coat your kitchen 2 times, maybe 3. Don't dilute the wax. Wax cured in 48 hours, but you can walk on it as soon as it is dry to the touch. Within a couple of hours it will be fine. During day to day usuage, try to avoid dripping water on the wax, as it may leave water spots. Wiping them up quickly is an easy solution. Waxing a kitchen is necessary twice a year, not more.

Both wax and stripper do have some fumes, but this is a great time of year to open the doors and windows to allow fresh air in and vent out the fumes. Your tanks should be fine.

Damp rinse mopping your kitchen with water and an onze of Windew will keep it shiny and streak free.


HTH

[CJ]

WOW

Thanks a lot Melev, I'm tired already LOL

I'm glad I can do something without using ammonia. I had done it may be 6-7 years ago using the directions with ammonia. It actually worked pretty well but the fumes almost killed me (I'm exagerating a bit). I didn't have a reef tank then so I didn't have to worry about fumes.

Damp rinse mopping your kitchen with water and an onze of Windew will keep it shiny and streak free.

I assume you mean windex?

Thanks again.

[melev]

Darn typos! Yeah, Windex is what I meant. :D And "ounce".

[CJ]

I had no idea you could use Windex for that purpose. That's a great tip, thanks