Swisstrax Dirt & Debris Management
Swisstrax Ribtrax Flooring laughs in the face of dirt, sand, mud, salt, gravel... You name it and the Ribtrax channels can handle it. Keep the crud out from under your feet and from tracking throughout your garage. The dirt and debris fall underneath, allowing your garage or shop to stay looking cleaner for longer with very little maintenance. Whenever you feel like the build-up is going too far, just vacuum with a shop vac. Or you can pull sections of tile out of the garage and do a thorough clean-up underneath as a yearly thing. You've never seen a floor that stays this clean.
The Dirt Gets Locked Away
The openings in the Ribtrax Pro tiles are engineered with just the right spacing between and space underneath. The ribs that make up the surface of the tile are rounded and actually encourage dirt and debris to fall down below the surface. This makes for a tile structure that locks dirt away underneath the tile, out of sight and off of all your equipment.
Many of us with OCD tendencies may be freaked out by the idea of all that dirt sitting under there, but it really becomes a non-issue. Think of it like a Grit Guard that you use in your wash buckets. The dirt gets trapped underneath and is not coming back up again without being sucked up by a vacuum. This "filter" aspect of Swisstrax Ribtrax is what holds a lot of people up. But it's actually the main selling point when you really break it down. Get ready to enjoy a floor that just stays clean all the time.
In a detailing environment, this is super helpful since you will have less dust moving around in the air and getting on the vehicles you’re working on. Debris and contamination on the paint can be killer to the results you’re looking for. Not having to deal with constantly sweeping means you won’t be kicking up dust everywhere, all while your shop stays cleaner. This is a huge productivity boost as well since you don’t have to spend so much time cleaning the floors and can keep your focus on the cars.
Ribtrax Pro vs Ribtrax Pro Smooth
While the weight limits and feature sets of these too tiles are similar, dirt and debris management is a bit different with the Smooth tile. Because the Smooth tile doesn’t have the same rounded ribs as Ribtrax Pro, dirt and debris tend to park on top a little bit easier. This means that you don’t get to take full advantage of the benefits of having a ribbed tile all the time. You will want to sweep these tiles off or vacuum a bit more often to keep them looking their best. But if you need the ability to smoothly roll items along the floor (chairs, toolboxes, etc.) then the Pro Smooth tiles may still be a good choice.
Clean Up
“I’ve got 17 wheelbarrows of dirt built up under my Swisstrax. Now what!?”
You’ve got a couple of choices here depending on if you really have that much dirt, or if it’s just a little. Once or twice per year it’s a good idea to unclip sections of your floor and pull it out into the driveway. This allows you to do a thorough clean-up under the tiles and get everything back to squeaky clean. Pressure washing and cleaning the Swisstrax while they’re out of the garage is a great idea as well.
In between the deep cleanings, just vacuum when needed. Something with some good suction works best like a shop vac or similar. But even a cordless vacuum with a brush roll can actually really do well. You’ll be shocked though how little you’ll have to do this.
Final Thoughts
Many people are worried about how Swisstrax hangs onto dirt and debris, but let that be what convinces you to jump in! Dirt gets locked down underneath and out from under your feet. You can choose a ribbed or flat tile, but choose a ribbed tile for the best results. And clean up is a rare occurrence but is easy peasy!