Care and Cleaning

Your floor is an investment. With proper care and cleaning, that investment will look beautiful for years to come.

Rubber Flooring Basics

To maintain your rubber flooring, vacuum often, removing any hard substances (such as gum or other sticky substances) only with a plastic or wooden scraper. Avoid any type of metal scraper as it may scratch the flooring surface. A dampened nylon scrub pad will help to rub off heel marks.

Oil, grease, and solvents should not be left on mats for extended periods of time. Wipe off as soon as possible and clean any residue with soap and water

Do not use Acids (bleach, vinegar, bathroom cleaners), Alkalis (butyl cleaners and high pH strippers), or Petro Chemicals (cleaners containing oil, grease, solvents or abrasives)

Virgin Rubber Flooring

We recommend that all or our virgin rubber flooring be damp mopped immediately following installation with My Gym Floor Rubber Cleaner and Degreaser to remove any surface waxiness on the rubber tiles from manufacturing residue. This cleaner also provides effective day-in, day-out cleaning of all your virgin rubber floorings.

For virgin rubber tiles only, we also offer the optional My Gym Rubber Floor Finish, which provides a high gloss, wet look to your floor. Note that the floor finish will crack in free weight areas or those areas exposed to high impact.

Please note that no rubber product, including our virgin rubber flooring, is completely odor free. Our virgin rubber tiles have a mild, natural odor - like rubber balls, rubber bands, and rubber boots - that is present in the product but is not a strong presence in the room. On occasion, customers ask how to further minimize the natural smell of the rubber. A product such as Prochem Fluorosil Odor Neutralizer which is a professional cleaner and deodorizer that is suitable for both virgin and recycled rubber floors may be used. It effectively helps to neutralize the smell of the rubber- an excellent choice if you are sensitive to the smell of rubber flooring. My Gym Floor does not sell the Prochem line; however it is available in both a Citrus Scent and Floral Scent from numerous on-line retailers.

Recycled Rubber Flooring

For recycled rubber tiles and mats- such as our Protector Series- we strongly recommend increasing the ventilation in the room during the first 2-4 weeks. The recycled rubber smell is strongest when you receive your tiles and opening the room's windows and circulating the air out of the room with a couple of fans will go a long ways towards helping the smell to dissipate naturally. Although simple, this is actually the first and most important step in reducing any odor in the room.

The second step is to vacuum the floor thoroughly. There are small rubber particles on the surface of the mat, and removing these- preferably with a vacuum with a beater brush- will help to clean the mats and lessen the odor.

A mild solution of Dawn's Dishwashing Liquid and water work to clean recycled rubber. Be certain that you do not use too strong a solution as you do not want it to be sudsy, of leave any residue when it dries.

If you prefer. you may also use a mild (1%- 2%) solution of either Pine Sol or Simple Green and water to clean the floor. Both of these products are effective cleaners for recycled rubber flooring, and their scent will help to mask the smell of the recycled rubber. With all cleaners it is important to rinse well and clean clean up any excess so that no residue is left behind

On occasion, fine dust or dirt may become embedded in the tiles making them more difficult to clean. When that occurs, vacuum the tiles thoroughly with a heavy duty vacuum with a beater brush to remove as much dirt as possible. Clean with a 1% Bleach solution (one capful to one gallon of water) and scrub with a soft nylon bristle brush in the direction of the diamond pattern on the surface of the tiles, clean up any excess, and rinse thoroughly

Whatever the cleaner used, we recommend a Nylon mop- not a cotton mop- as cotton will leave particles behind.

Do not use petroleum based cleaners as these can cause deterioration of the tiles.

Do not use cleaners containing a wax agent as the wax can cause a build up on the tiles.

My Gym Rubber Floor Cleaner and Degreaser and My Gym Rubber Floor Finish are used for virgin rubber floors only and are NOT recommended for recycled rubber floors.

A final option to minimize the smell of the rubber is a product such as Prochem Fluorosil Odor Neutralizer which is a professional cleaner and deodorizer that is suitable for both virgin and recycled rubber floors. It effectively helps to neutralize the smell of the rubber- an excellent choice if you are sensitive to the smell of rubber flooring. My Gym Floor does not sell the Prochem line; however it is available in both a Citrus Scent and Floral Scent from numerous on-line retailers.

Vinyl Flooring

In general, vinyl tiles are easy to clean and are compatible with normal maintenance practices, and require relatively low maintenance. We recommend our My Gym Floor Vinyl Floor Cleaner to provide safe, effective cleaning of all our vinyl flooring products. Her are a few general preventative maintenance tips for your Vinyl Floor Tiles:

To spread the weight load and to reduce indentations and limit scratches/damage, provide smooth, non-staining, rustproof, flat-surfaced metal, plastic or glass support cups two inches or greater in width beneath legs of heavy furniture or equipment.
Remove small diameter buttons from the ends of chair legs and substitute smooth, non-staining, rustproof flat surfaced metal or plasticglides with a minimum diameter of one inch.
Avoid direct exposure to lighted ends of cigarettes, matches and any extremely hot areas of any material, as these can cause burn marks and discoloration.
Be aware that scratches and damage can occur from protruding nail heads on undersides of footwear and that severe abrasion can occur from sharp projections on undersides of loads that are pulled or pushed over the flooring.
Avoid tracking asphalt or tar from driveways in and onto the flooring. A chemical reaction can occur and cause a permanent stain on the flooring.
Remove chemical spillage as soon as possible. Vinyl flooring is resistant to harmful effects from a wide range of chemical formulations, but the chance of permanent staining is directly related to the exposure time of the spillage.
Limit exposure time to direct sunlight to avoid possible discoloration. Use of sun blocking window treatments is suggested.
Hard plastic rollers of any color and black rubber rollers will stain vinyl flooring. They should be replaced with light colored, soft plastic rollers.

Yoga Mats

We offer many different options to clean your Yoga and Pilates mats, including our Yoga Mat Wash, Yoga Mat Wipes and Yoga Mat Spray.