Factory floor cleaning in Ipoh: steps, stains and schedule

01How is a factory or warehouse floor cleaned properly?

A factory or warehouse floor is cleaned in a fixed order: sweep the dust and loose debris with dust control, treat oil and grease stains, then scrub the floor with a machine that also recovers the dirty water. Nilfisk sums up the best method as dust-controlled sweeping, deep mechanical scrubbing and controlled use of water and chemicals.

The order matters. Nilfisk, a cleaning machine maker, explains in its guide to cleaning industrial concrete floors that dry sweeping without dust suppression can release fine particles into the air, and that after sweeping, mechanical scrubbing removes embedded dirt, tyre marks and grime that sweeping alone cannot.

The photograph above is the company's own: two frames from a workshop floor, labelled by the client, after on the left, shown as supplied.

02Why does the dust have to come off first?

Dust comes off first because a dirty concrete floor sheds fine particles into the air when it is swept dry, and because grit left on the floor wears the machines that run over it. Nilfisk calls dust control "the first and most important step" in cleaning an industrial concrete floor.

Nilfisk also links the dust to the forklifts: fine dust and grit left on floors can migrate into forklift wheels and bearings, contributing to premature wear. Tennant, another machine maker, says in its warehouse floor guide that regular sweeping keeps dust and loose debris at bay and prevents scratches and safety hazards.

03How are oil and grease stains removed from concrete?

It depends on the stain. A thin film of oil and grease across a large area comes off with a diluted degreaser, applied and rinsed off; a spot where oil has soaked into the concrete needs a poultice that draws it back out, because scrubbing alone will not reach it.

PROSOCO's guide to concrete floor cleaning describes the soaked-in stain: by the time someone notices a forklift leak or a vehicle drip, the oil has already penetrated the porous surface, and "pressure washing, scrubbing, and conventional cleaners won't fully remove it". For those spots it uses a poultice that dries over five to eight hours and pulls the oil out, and for widespread films and tyre marks a degreaser diluted to suit the soiling.

PROSOCO's own order is to treat the problem spots first, then degrease the wider floor. Nilfisk's method for bare concrete says the same: pre-treat oil or grease stains if necessary, then scrub.

04What does a floor scrubber dryer do?

A floor scrubber dryer puts down cleaning solution, scrubs it into the floor through brushes or pads under the machine's weight, and recovers the dirty water behind it, so the floor is scrubbed and dried in a single pass. Tennant says its warehouse scrubbers scrub and dry the floor in a single pass, and Nilfisk says combined sweeper-scrubbers also recover the water and leave floors dry.

The weight on the pads is what does the scrubbing: Tennant gives 49 kg of down pressure on a small walk-behind scrubber and up to 181 kg on a ride-on one. Nilfisk says combined sweeper-scrubbers sweep dry debris, control dust, scrub and recover the water in one go on large floors.

Kean Can Cleaning Service lists factory and warehouse floor scrubbing among its commercial cleaning services in Ipoh. How scrubbing differs from polishing on tile and marble is in floor scrubbing vs polishing.

05Does the type of concrete floor change the clean?

Yes. Bare, unsealed concrete is porous and soaks up dirt and water, so it takes more cleaning solution; polished and sealed concrete is cleaned with gentler, non-abrasive pads and controlled solution flow, so the finish is not dulled or scratched.

Nilfisk sets out the difference:

• Unfinished concrete: sweep with dust control, pre-treat oil or grease, then scrub. It often needs extra solution because the surface absorbs much of it, but flooding it increases downtime.
• Polished concrete: sweep often to remove abrasive dust, and scrub with non-aggressive pads and controlled solution flow.
• Stained or sealed concrete: sweep gently and scrub with non-abrasive pads.

So tell the cleaner what the floor is before the job: bare, sealed, coated or polished.

06How often should a warehouse floor be cleaned?

As often as its traffic needs. Tennant suggests sweeping daily, scrubbing weekly or every two weeks depending on traffic, and a periodic deep clean for high-traffic areas or stubborn stains; Nilfisk's list is the same: sweep daily, scrub regularly and schedule periodic deep cleaning for busy areas.

A factory that sweeps its own floor every day may only need an outside crew for the scrub and the deep clean. How often offices and showrooms are cleaned is covered in office and showroom cleaning frequency.

07What changes the quote for factory floor cleaning in Ipoh?

A factory or warehouse floor is priced after a site visit that looks at the area, what the floor is, what is on it and when it can be cleared. Floor work is quoted after a site visit rather than from photographs alone, and an unfamiliar floor gets a test patch in a corner before any work at scale.

Kean Can Cleaning Service asks what the floor is made of when quoting, and its equipment and chemicals are its own and sit inside the quote. The company counts more than 1,000 commercial projects and more than 50 long-term commercial accounts. Photos sent ahead show the job before the visit; they do not replace it. Scope and timing come back the same way, and a floor is priced after the site visit.

08What should you send when asking for a factory floor to be cleaned?

Send the floor area, what the floor is (bare concrete, sealed, coated or tiled), what is on it (dust, oil, tyre marks, paint), photos of the worst areas, and when the floor can be cleared, so the site visit and the quote start from the right facts.

Kean Can Cleaning Service works across Ipoh and Perak. Its commercial work is on the commercial and facility cleaning guide.

• The floor area, roughly, and how many rooms or bays.
• The floor type: bare concrete, sealed, coated, polished or tiled.
• What is on it: dust, oil and grease, tyre marks, paint or cement.
• Photos of the whole floor and the worst areas.
• When the floor can be cleared of stock and vehicles, including weekends.

WhatsApp 014-313 0767, or see all services and the common questions.

09What else do people ask about factory floor cleaning?

Four short answers to the questions that follow: pressure washing, old oil stains, wet floors, and slips. The outside facts come from the makers' published guides.

Can a factory floor just be pressure washed?

Not for soaked-in oil. PROSOCO says pressure washing, scrubbing and conventional cleaners will not fully remove oil that has penetrated the concrete; those spots need a poultice first. Indoors, a scrubber that recovers the water also leaves the floor dry.

Will old oil stains come out completely?

Not always. PROSOCO describes its poultice as working on old, deeply set stains that other methods have already failed to address. A test patch in a corner shows the result before the whole floor is treated.

How long until the floor can be used again?

Tennant says its machines scrub and dry in a single pass. Nilfisk warns that over-wetting a floor increases downtime. The time to plan for is clearing the stock and vehicles, which is agreed at the site visit.

Does a clean floor reduce slips?

Tennant says cleaner floors reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls, and Nilfisk links dry sweeping without dust control to slip hazards and poorer air.

10Where does this information come from?

Three makers' published floor care guides carry the outside facts on this page; all three make and sell the machines or products they describe. The checklist of what to send is the company's own practical advice. Sources read on 31 October 2026.

• Nilfisk, "How to clean industrial concrete floors in warehouses and construction sites" (15 January 2026): the order of work, dust control, floor types and maintenance tips.
• Tennant, "How to clean warehouse floors: a guide with scrubbers and sweepers" (31 October 2024): sweeping, scrubbing and a cleaning schedule.
• PROSOCO, "The facility manager's guide to concrete floor and surface cleaning" (Darcy Boyle, 1 May 2026): oil and grease stains, poultices and degreasers.

This page is general guidance. Follow the floor maker's or coating supplier's instructions for your own floor.

Written by the Kean Can Cleaning Service crew in Ipoh, Perak: about the company.