Cleaning wooden floor of a dry van.

Yes they can be washed. Just need to leave the doors open until it dries out. I wouldn't make a habit of washing it just when needed.

 

We run some of the dirtiest, dustiest floor loaded raw food on wood floors. Trailer will get washed once a week, maybe once every other week. The important part is making sure its dry before closing the doors. Mold will form quickly in that hot, dark, and moist area.

If you wash it yourself, there is a chemical that needs to be sprayed while washing. This is only for food grade trailers.
I can get the name of the chemical from our washbay if you dont already know.

 

I wouldn't wash it but that's just me. I'd toss some kitty litter down and sweep that out then if there was a smell sprinkle coffee grounds and leave them a day or so before sweeping out. Water makes wood expand then shrink when it dries. It won't hurt it the first time and maybe not even the first dozen times but eventually you'll see daylight coming thru small cracks in the floor from frequent washouts. And there went the structural integrity.

 

If you really want to do it right, do what the bedbuggers have done for years. Sand it down and seal the floor with polyurethane floor sealer. You can make it look just like a basketball court if you want. Yes, it can stand the day to day fork lift use, and you will know it if some jerk spins his tires on the floor. Go to any Kentucky Trailer dealer, they can sell you the correct product, it is a factory option. Some of the trailers we pick up from them are nicer than the average living room.
If anything oily or dirty gets on the floor it is any easy cleanup, doesn't seep into the wood. And you can reapply it periodically.

 

Thompson's water seal...

 

Concrete penetrating sealer works well on wood.turns it like petrified wood. Deck stains and sealer will either be oil based or water based which will eventually flake. Oil based not good for food. Be sure to spray the under side too.

 

Keep in mind sealing it will make it slick as owl ####. My trailer came with pro-lam sealant on the first 8 feet of the floor from the doors and it's really slick.