How to Clean Vinyl Flooring? Helpful Tips To Remember

Vinyl flooring is noted for its affordability and ease of installation. With vinyl plank flooring, you get the beauty and feel of real wood without the upkeep. Sheet vinyl’s patterns, wood-looks, and stone-looks are low-maintenance options for your floor. When it comes to choosing a low-maintenance flooring option, you can’t go wrong with vinyl! Cleaning vinyl floors is a different story.

As a result of this, vinyl flooring is a fantastic alternative to hardwood. It has a reputation for being easy to maintain and clean. Vinyl flooring can also be waterproof. Vinyl flooring has all of the advantages of real hardwood without the drawbacks.

While cleaning vinyl floors may not be everyone’s favorite thing to do, these products and treatments will make it a breeze!

What Is Vinyl Flooring?

PVC and other compounds are used to make vinyl flooring, which is durable and easy to clean. Colors and designs can be created by combining these components. A specific adhesive or mastic is used to attach them to the subfloor. They can be found in the form of floor tiles or sheet goods.

Vinyl was first developed as an alternative to rubber floors because it is more durable and doesn’t react to oxygen or alkaline moisture like rubber does (1).

Easy to clean and resistant to wear, vinyl floors have become a popular choice in commercial settings. Many different price points make it a viable option for those on a tight budget.

How to Clean Scuffs and Stains

Here are some pointers for thoroughly cleaning a filthy vinyl floor. Baking soda and water make an excellent stain remover for fruit juice, ketchup, tomato sauce, and wine. To remove the stain, use a soft towel to rub the paste into the surface of the floor. Vinegar and water are effective cleaners for removing baking soda residue from floors.

A soft-bristle brush can be used to remove stubborn lipstick, crayon, paint, or ink stains with rubbing alcohol. Do not use steel wool or harsher brushes on the floor, as this could cause damage. Nail polish remover works well for removing nail polish stains.

Scuffs can be removed with WD-40 and a towel soaked in the product. Get rid of the WD-40 by using the vinegar and water solution.

Vinyl Floor Maintenance Tips

Vinyl floors should not be polished using paste wax polishes. In the long run, they’ll leave a residue on the floor, which will eventually pile up. Adding luster to your floor can be done on a budget and with no effort. The vinegar and water cleaning solution we discussed before can benefit from the addition of a few drops of baby oil.

When considering how to clean vinyl flooring, don’t forget about preventative care. If you want to keep dirt and dust out of your home, place doormats in front of all outside entrances.

Maintaining the beauty and long-term durability of vinyl flooring can be achieved by learning the proper cleaning techniques.

How to Keep Vinyl Floors Clean

Plain water and a sponge mop are the best ways to clean vinyl flooring! Clean up accidents immediately and mop frequently with simple water to keep your floors looking their best. Here are a few suggestions and procedures for a more thorough cleaning:

• It’s best to start with a quick sweep of the floor with a vacuum or dry mop in order to eliminate surface grime, dust and hair before going on to wet cleaning.
• Apple cider vinegar is one of the best cleaners for vinyl flooring. Vinegar’s acidity removes filth and grime without leaving a residue of soap or wax, making it an ideal cleaning agent. Clean using a damp mop and a solution of one cup cider vinegar to a gallon of hot water. Rinse the mop periodically with hot water. If you want to disinfect while you clean, switch to white vinegar from cider vinegar. Adding a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap to the mixture before mopping the floor once with the soap mixture and again with vinegar and water may help if the floor is really unclean. Add a few drops of baby oil to the vinegar and water solution to bring out the shine in your vinyl floor.
• Scuffs that refuse to go away can be removed with the use of some oil or grease, such as WD-40, applied to a towel. Remove all traces of lubricant by carefully cleaning with a vinegar and water solution.
• Make a baking soda and water mixture and gently wipe the stain until it vanishes for food stains like grape juice, mustard, ketchup, and tomato sauce. Remove all signs of baking soda by scrubbing thoroughly.
• When used with ordinary household solvents and a soft nylon-bristle brush, many stains can be easily removed. Lipstick, hair dye, and pen stains can all be removed with rubbing alcohol. Remove crayon, paint, and marker stains with mineral spirits. Remove nail polish stains with an acetone-based nail polish remover.

Tips for Cleaning Vinyl Floors

So, without further ado, here are our best cleaning suggestions for vinyl floors.

Prevent Dirt Before it Happens

Keeping a vinyl floor clean is far easier than trying to clean it after it’s already been soiled! But I suppose we may dream.

What can you do to keep your vinyl flooring from becoming unbearably unclean before you can clean it? A few suggestions:

• Using doormats: Dirt and microscopic rock particles can be tracked into your home by your shoes, which will eventually wear down the wear layer of your flooring. Use a doormat to remove any loose particles from your shoes before entering your home, which will extend the life of your floor. Make sure your doormat doesn’t have a rubber backing so that it doesn’t degrade vinyl without a wear layer.
• When you go home, why not take your shoes off while you’re at it? If you operate in a profession where rocks and gravel can get attached to your shoes, this might be very crucial.
• Foam or felt pads under the furniture feet are a wonderful idea, especially for large or heavy pieces of furniture. Protecting your vinyl flooring from dings, scrapes, and scratches is easy with furniture pads. The best way to move furniture is by lifting it, rather than dragging it across the floor. Choosing the right furniture pads for vinyl is also vital; some furniture pads employ rubber, which can discolor vinyl without a robust wear layer.

Clean Spills Right Away

It’s inevitable that something may leak from time to time. Make careful to mop up the spill as soon as possible, and don’t freak out. Once a stain is allowed to sit, it might become one of those bothersome, time-consuming stains that you have to spend money and time trying to remove. When it’s still fresh, use a soft towel to remove it from the floor and avoid having to deal with tenacious stains.

Sweep Often

Maintaining your vinyl flooring is as simple as sweeping it once a day. Dirt, as previously said, comprises sharp edges that scuff up your floorboards as you walk across it. You may extend the life of your floor by sweeping on a regular basis.

Sweeping should be done using a soft bristle broom. Gentle on the floor, but still does its work.

Don’t Forget to Rinse

Don’t forget to rinse your mop after using soap or vinyl floor cleaners! A fresh bucket of water or even a new mop is always a good idea when it comes to rinsing your floors after you’ve finished mopping. If you don’t rinse your floors thoroughly after cleaning, soap residue can build up and become a magnet for dirt and grime. The first thing to check if your vinyl flooring is becoming dull is to make sure soap buildup hasn’t happened.

Shampoo away hair spray

Clean vinyl floors with shampoo. Shampoo your vinyl floor if you have hairspray residue. Does it work on your hair, by the way? Add one capful of shampoo to one gallon of warm water and stir well. Rinse the mop with a damp mop after you’ve mopped.

Learn low-impact cleaning techniques

Refrain from using harsh cleansers to remove stubborn grime. Avoid using harsh chemicals and instead focus on learning how to clean vinyl floors the gentlest way. It should be swept or vacuumed every night, and spills should be cleaned up immediately. Use a mop wet with warm—not hot—water to remove stubborn dirt that a broom or vacuum can’t reach. Use soap if everything else fails; however, make sure that the soap you use is specifically made for your flooring type.

Use the right cleanser

Clean vinyl floors manufactured of no-wax vinyl by following these steps: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the container when using a cleaner designed for no-wax floors. If you have vinyl that has to be waxed, use warm water and soap to clean it. Use the solution to dampen a mop or sponge and lightly rub the floor to loosen any debris. If you rub off the wax, you’ll have to redo the whole thing. Even if the soap’s label claims that rinsing isn’t necessary, you should always rinse thoroughly to avoid leaving a residue on the floor. If you’re not careful, you could end up making your home much dirtier.

Don’t drench your vinyl

Water isn’t always the greatest vinyl floor cleaner, as you should keep in mind. Cracks, joints, and edges can become clogged with water from a mop that is too moist. Once it gets there, it might cause the vinyl to come loose or the corners to curl.

Rinse well to remove all soap

When it comes to vinyl floor cleaning, soap may be a terrific option, but it leaves behind a film that actually attracts dirt. For the time being, moist mopping with just water is the best way to keep your floors clean. Use two mops when you need to clean the floor: one to wash and one for rinsing.

Preserve the sheen

What “No Wax” really translates to is “Don’t wax.” The transparent polyurethane coating on no-wax vinyl makes it shine. Using wax will only make a mess because it won’t stick to the coating and will have to be removed. Make sure you don’t use any mop-and-wax products. Use a polish or sealant specifically designed for no-wax flooring to revive a dull surface. One or two thin layers should be applied to the floor, following the instructions. At least a year of damp mopping should keep your floor looking its best. To maintain the shine of an older floor, use only the amount of wax specified on the container label. Here are 16 cleaning tips from the pros that you’ll want to steal.

Outfit your furniture and large appliances with protective “feet”

Vinyl flooring can be dented by the weight of large goods (such as tables and refrigerators) that are permanently installed in your kitchen. Keep furniture from getting dents by using floor protectors, which can be found in hardware and home improvement stores.

Forgo rolling casters

Your tile can be damaged by them as well. As an alternative, you can use felt tips on the tips of your chairs.

Can you put bleach on vinyl flooring?

Avoid using bleach to clean a vinyl floor: Corrosion and vinyl finish degradation are possible side effects of using this aggressive cleaning. This includes “mop and shine” compounds such as ammonia.

Instead of using harsh chemicals that can damage your floors, Dixon and Bell recommend making a homemade cleaning solution using baking soda and water to remove stains. The soda will also give a slightly abrasive texture for scrubbing away leftover muck. It’s as simple as using a microfiber cloth and white vinegar diluted in water to clean vinyl flooring. A paper towel or microfiber cloth should be used to remove more stubborn spots, but you may also try putting some rubbing alcohol to the area and cleaning it.

It’s a good idea to use a cleaning wipe or spray to clear up a germy mess and to disinfect your vinyl floors. Just be sure to follow the packing recommendations and give yourself enough of dwell time before drying properly.