How to Clean Vinyl Floors?

Vinyl floors are resistant to water, scratches, and stains. People love vinyl flooring due to its easy-to-clean and maintain properties. There are countless cleaning options that you can opt for vinyl floor cleaning. I have shortlisted the best cleaning methods for vinyl floors in this article. All the cleaning methods are described in easy steps for your better understanding and ease. Read this article till the end and choose a cleaning method for your vinyl floor that will be more suitable for you.

3 Easy Ways to Clean Vinyl Floors

Method 1: Mopping and Vacuuming

If your vinyl floor isn’t much dirty, you can use a dry mop or a vacuum cleaner for floor cleaning. You can pick a dust mop or a flat mop to remove dust and debris from your vinyl floor. Besides this, you can also use a soft broom without abrasive bristles for the vinyl floor.

Mopping

• Start mopping your room from the corners and progressively move towards the center.
• You also have to mop under furniture and along the baseboards.
• Sweep the debris into the dustpan and dispose it off.

Vacuuming 

Besides mopping, you can also use vacuuming for vinyl floor cleaning. Vacuuming after mopping provides a thorough cleaning of the floor.

• Choose a vacuum that allows you to turn off the rotating brush. A rotating brush isn’t suitable for the vinyl floor as it can damage it.
• Vacuum your room by following the same path you chose for mopping earlier.
• Make sure you are also cleaning the gaps between vinyl planks and corners.

Method 2: Natural Ingredients

Natural ingredients or homemade cleaners work exceptionally well for vinyl floor cleaning. Vinegar and baking soda are the two most favorite and powerful cleaning agents. Use these two natural ingredients to make a cleaning solution for your vinyl floor. Apple cider vinegar is the best choice for this solution.

Water and Vinegar Solution

• Add one cup of vinegar into a bucket of warm water.
• Dip your mop into this solution.
• Wring out the mop thoroughly so that it will only be damp, not wet.
• Mop your floor in S-pattern to remove all the dirt and debris.

You can also add a drop of dish soap to the water and vinegar solution to enhance its cleaning ability.

Baking Soda Paste

If your vinyl floor has some stains, baking soda is the best natural ingredient to remove them.

• Make a paste of baking soda with water.
• Apply this paste over the stain with a soft cloth or rag.
• Rub the stain with the rag gently to remove the stain completely.
• Repeat the process if needed.
• After removing the stain, wipe the floor with a clean damp cloth.

If you want to make a stronger paste, you can also add a few drops of vinegar to the baking soda paste.

Method 3: Floor Cleaners

Commercial floor cleaners are another good option to clean your vinyl floor. Before using any cleaner check its label, whether it is made for vinyl floors or not. Floor cleaners having neutral pH are good for cleaning dirt and light stains from the vinyl floor. Most vinyl planks are water resistant but not waterproof, so you don’t have to over-wet your floor with water and cleaner. Following the manufacturer’s instructions for floor cleaners’ is ideal.

Use little water to clean your vinyl floor with a commercial floor cleaner. Too much water can damage the vinyl flooring. You can use a small quantity of your floor cleaner to use with a mop. Make sure you just have to dampen your mop.

You should avoid using ammonia cleaners. Besides this, please avoid using concentrated bleach and abrasive cleaners on the vinyl floor as they can also damage the planks and reduce their shine. Use mild floor cleaners that are safe to use over vinyl floors.

Remove Scuff from a Vinyl Floor

Once you have done cleaning your floor, there might be some scuff present on your floor. You can remove small scuffs easily that don’t have scratches beneath them. Large scuffs and scratches are hard to remove, so you have to replace the plank in this case. To remove minor scuffs, use one of the following methods.

• Use a melamine pad or sponge and buff the scuff with it. The scuff will be more likely to disappear.
• You can also use any good popular canned lubricant to remove the scuffs.
• Olive oil or jojoba oil is also recommended for dabbing the small scuff.
• You can also use rubbing alcohol with a rug to lighten the scuff.

After removing the scuff, wash off the floor to make it safe for walking. Any oil residues on the floor can cause slipping.

How to Remove Various Stains from the Vinyl Floor?

If you have a big family or children in your house, your vinyl floor may face various stains daily. These stains could be from food, beauty products, pen inks, etc. Here are the practical and useful ways of cleaning these stains from your vinyl floor.

• It’s common to have food stains on your vinyl flooring. Ketchup, curry, sports drinks, wine, mustard, and some sauces stained your vinyl floor after spilling over it. To remove such stains, you need to make a baking soda paste with water and apply it over them. Scrub the stain well with a rag or a cloth until it disappears. Wipe it off with a clean damp cloth afterward.
• Various beauty products are highly pigmented, like lipsticks, hair dye, concealer, blush, etc. To remove beauty product stains, use rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush. Scrub the stain with a toothbrush after spraying rubbing alcohol over it. If your floor has nail polish stains, it’s better to remove them with a nail polish remover. Nail polish remover with stronger acetone content will be good for removing nail polish stains from the vinyl floor.
• Stains of art supplies are found everywhere if you have an artist in your home. You can remove the stains of markers, paints, and crayons with mineral spirits. Soak the stain with spirit and remove it with a cloth afterward.
• If your vinyl floor has some rust stains under the appliances, you can remove them with oxalic acid. Do not put concentrated oxalic acid over the vinyl floor. It’s better to dilute the acid before spraying it over the rust stain. Oxalic acid is also known as wood bleach. Please read the guidelines mentioned on the bottle before using it.
• Pen inks are also removable from the vinyl floors. You can use hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol to remove these stains from your vinyl floor.
• Hair sprays usually don’t stain the floor, but if you have a tinted hair spray, it may dull your laminate floor or leave a light stain. You can easily remove it with a drop of shampoo mixed with water. Clean the floor with a damped cloth after removing the stain.

Maintenance Tips for Vinyl Floor

The vinyl floor doesn’t require strict maintenance. It is popular because of its easy-to-maintain and clean properties. Here are a few useful tips for vinyl floor maintenance.

• Avoid using paste wax polish over vinyl floors. It will leave a film on the floor, eventually building up over time and making your vinyl floor dirty. If you want to add shine to your vinyl floor, it’s better to use baby oil with vinegar and water to apply over the floor.
• Put doormats on every entrance so that minimum dust will enter the floor with your feet.
• Routine cleaning will keep your vinyl floor new and maintain its shine as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use Swiffer on vinyl floor planks?

Swiffers are entirely safe to use over vinyl planks. Swiffer wetjet is one of the best swiffers to remove stains and grease from the vinyl floor. It efficiently cleans the stains from the floor without taking much time.

2. What is the best thing to clean the vinyl floor?

Vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar, is best to use for vinyl floor cleaning. Vinegar is acidic in nature, so it can easily remove stains and dirt from the floor. Mix one cup of apple cider vinegar into a gallon of warm water. Damp your mop with this cleaning solution and use it to clean your vinyl floor.

3. What to avoid using over vinyl floor for cleaning?

You should avoid using a beater bar attachment with a vacuum to clean vinyl floors as it can damage the floor. Also, avoid using abrasive scrubbers and cleaners with high pH on vinyl flooring. Use mild or homemade cleaners to clean your vinyl flooring.