How To Clean Vinyl Flooring
Maintaining your flooring is one of the most important ways to make sure your vinyl flooring maintains its shine and style. It’s vital you know how to clean vinyl floors, which doesn’t take much effort but should be done on a regular basis. Below we’ve given you some tips and tricks on how to clean your vinyl flooring on a daily basis, as well as removing some of those tougher stains.
General Maintenance & Upkeep
During the lifetime of your vinyl flooring, it’s certain it’ll see its fair share of dust, dirt, and other loose mess which you’ll want to clean. Luckily, vinyl flooring is the same as any other in that it can easily be cleaned using a vacuum cleaner or with a dustpan and brush. If you use a dustpan and brush though, try to be gentle as if your brush has stiff bristles it can leave scratches in your vinyl flooring.
The benefit of vinyl over wood flooring is that spillages of water won’t be able to harm your flooring if left for a short period of time; despite this, spillages should be cleaned up with a cloth or absorbed with a paper towel - especially if it’s a liquid other than water.
To try and keep your vinyl flooring in as good a condition as possible, it’s worth following a few tips and tricks to avoid scratches, stains and other problems that can occur in everyday life:
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Don’t move furniture around a vinyl floor, as this can cause scratches and leave marks
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Don’t use any chemicals that aren’t designed for cleaning vinyl - if you’re not sure check the instructions on the bottle to see if it’s suitable.
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If your vinyl flooring is near an external door, use doormats to catch any dirt and debris you’re bringing in from the outside.
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It’s good practice to clean your vinyl flooring with a specialist cleaner at least once every 2 weeks.
Removing Vinyl Flooring Stains
How to remove stains on vinyl flooring differs by what you have to hand and the severity of the stain. For some light stains, warm water and a soft cloth might be enough to remove the mark, but this, unfortunately, won’t be the case for stains caused by pen and other substances.
The best way to remove tough stains is to invest in a specialist vinyl cleaning kit which can be found in most flooring stores, as these are designed with these tricky situations in mind. With these stains, it’s important to act fast, as the quicker you can begin to treat a stain, the more likely it is you’ll be able to remove it successfully.
If you’re not having any luck with a cleaning kit or you don’t have one to hand, there are other ways of treating stains. Carefully diluted bleach or certain alcohols can help remove stains, but this should only be exercised if you don’t have a cleaning kit and warm water hasn’t quite done the job. Bicarbonate of soda is also useful, as this has properties that are well known for helping to remove stains, without harming your vinyl flooring.
How To Clean Vinyl Floors with Vinegar?
Cleaning your vinyl flooring with vinegar is as simple as it gets, and another worthy alternative if you don’t have a cleaning kit or bicarbonate of soda around. The best way to use vinegar is to dilute 250ml of vinegar in about 5 litres of warm water - this creates a mild solution which can help remove stains on your vinyl without doing any damage to the floor itself.
When it comes to cleaning your vinyl floors, being gentle is the key to success - the last thing you want is to leave more scratches cleaning a stain off your floor! Always be gentle and use soft cloths and sponges to keep your vinyl flooring in top condition. If you’re interested in more tips and tricks, check out our vinyl flooring buying guide.