Can You Use Bleach to Clean Vinyl Floor?

Using bleach on the vinyl floor isn’t recommended at all. Try not to clean a vinyl floor with bleach because it’s a cruel cleaner that can cause erosion and harm to the vinyl floor. Rather than using strong chemicals that could wreck your vinyl floor, you should try out homemade natural cleaning solutions and mops. Read this guide further for why bleach is not suitable for vinyl floors and what to use instead of bleach to clean vinyl floors.

Reasons Why Bleach is Not Suitable for Vinyl Floor

Vinyl floor is low maintenance, cost-effective, and water-resistant floor that isn’t made for bleach cleaning. There are several reasons why bleach isn’t suitable for vinyl floor cleaning.

• Bleach is a powerful chemical that can corrode vinyl planks, sheets, and tiles. As a result of erosion, vinyl floors (tiles, planks, and sheets) will flake away.
• A slight long time exposure of bleach to the floor will cause irreversible damage, and then no coating and sealer will solve your problem.
• Harsh bleach chemicals reduce vinyl floors’ shine and make them dull.

What to Use Instead of Bleach to Clean Vinyl Floor?

Baking Soda Paste

A DIY baking soda and water paste is best to lift stains. Scrubbing hard with baking soda can rough your vinyl surface, so you have to be gentle with scrubbing. Just rub the paste on the vinyl flooring with a microfiber material, and then wipe it off with white vinegar solution in water after a few minutes. While managing harder messes, you can likewise apply a little rubbing alcohol to the treated surface and clean with a paper towel or microfiber material.

Vinegar and Water Solution

To make custom-made floor cleaner, you have to mix one cup of apple cider vinegar with a gallon of warm water. You can then utilize a damp mop to clean your floor. Ensure to wash your mop with boiling water while you’re cleaning. If you’re planning to sanitize and clean your floors simultaneously, you can utilize white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.

If your floors are filthy, add a few drops of liquid dishwashing cleanser to your vinegar-water combination before you mop them. Then clean vinyl floor again with water and vinegar solution for a thorough cleaning. Moreover, if you want to add a little shine to your vinyl floors, a few drops of baby oil in the water and vinegar cleaning solution will get the job done.

Lemon Juice and Cream of Tartar (For Rust)

The first spot of rust might worry you, yet you don’t need to run out and purchase costly cleaning items. In some cases, the best things are found directly in your kitchen. A combination of lemon and cream of tartar is a straightforward solution for removing rust stains and restoring your vinyl floors. Ensure to wash your floor with water after you’re finished.

Isopropyl Alcohol 

Isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol, has amazing cleaning properties for floors and clothes. Without much effort, pen ink, indelible marker, nail remover, and hair color can be eradicated from the vinyl floor if you rub a little isopropyl alcohol on the stain. Make sure to wash the floor with water after the stain is removed.

Mops for Vinyl Cleaning 

Mops are convenient cleaning tools for vinyl floors. You can use different mops to clean laminate floors. Dry mops (brooms) are one of the best tools to clean vinyl floor dirt and debris. Ensure that your mop hasn’t any abrasive surfaces or strings; otherwise, it will damage the vinyl floor.

A microfiber mop is the best choice when it comes to vinyl flooring. It traps dirt and debris from its cotton strings and cleans your floor without damaging it. Just make sure you are not over-wetting your mop; keep it moist, and it will clean your floor nicely.

Final Verdict

The vinyl floor is sensitive to harsh chemicals and abrasive cleaners. You must avoid using bleach to clean vinyl and laminate floors. Instead of bleach, you can opt for homemade cleaning solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you use Clorox wipes on vinyl flooring?

Clorox is disinfecting wipe that contains bleach and is suitable for vinyl floors. Disinfecting wipes with pH between 7.5 and 9 are safe over vinyl floors. Clorox wipes have 8 pH, which is safe for vinyl floors so, you can also use them for cleaning.

2. Is it safe to use bleach on laminate floors?

Occasional exposure to bleach on laminate flooring is somehow safe, but prolonged exposure can damage the laminate floor surface and will cause its erosion. Moreover, harsh chemicals in bleach make your laminate floor surface dull.

3. What type of mop is suitable for vinyl floors?

Microfiber is the best mop for hard laminate floors, including vinyl flooring. You can use a microfiber mop for dry dusting and wet mopping on vinyl floors. Please do not over-wet your microfiber mop if you have to use it over vinyl and laminate floors.