Considering that more and more property owners are choosing vinyl flooring for its durability, low maintenance, and installation ease, you’re in excellent company. If you’re investing in vinyl floors, it also makes sense to learn how to keep them spotless. Here’s a guide to teach you the essentials. By following these tips, you can care for the material, making it last for years.
Clean Every Day
When you research how to clean vinyl flooring, you’ll likely come across suggestions that tell you to sweep the floor daily. That advice works, but it can be time-consuming. Not everyone can spend an hour or two sweeping the floor and cleaning their home daily. Still, if you have pets, kids, or a busy household that tracks in a lot of dirt, grit, and debris into your home, a daily sweeping schedule sounds like the best option.
Clean Weekly
Aside from sweeping daily, you’ll want to combine that with vacuuming or mopping the floor once a week. Again, if you have a rowdy household or live near a highway or road, which means more dust and debris can get into your home, vacuuming or moping twice a week might be the more apt solution.
Clean Up Spills Quickly
Do you often have to run in the mornings, leaving dishes in the sink or puddles and spills on the floor? After all, it’s simple enough to clean them up once you get back home, right? You might want to rethink those practices. If you leave the spills and puddles alone, you give them time to soak into your flooring, which could ruin the material. If you don’t want unsightly marks behind, wipe spills and puddles off your floor as soon as they happen. That way, you prevent the liquid from soaking into the floor, which could lead to more potential problems.
Use the Deep Clean Method
Some from day-to-day sweeping, you should give your floors a deep clean from time to time. That will get rid of the sticky dirt and grime. Before you do, though, check the recommendations for your flooring type. For instance, it’s common knowledge that you must always sweep before you vacuum the floor. That way, you first remove the sharp particles or dirt on the floor. If you don’t, vacuuming a dirty floor can leave scratches behind, which is the last thing you want.
Invest in Cleaning Tools
It’s not enough to have rags to wipe the floor with. You’ll want to invest in an excellent mop with a non-abrasive microfiber head. A soft nylon brush head will do. For convenience’s sake, find one with a built-in scrub brush. That’s perfect for cleaning your vinyl flooring. With the right mop, cleaning your home will go faster.
Consider Rubbing Alcohol
Do you have lipstick stains or hair dyes sticking to your floor? Remove them with ease by using rubbing alcohol. Wipe the area gently with a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. Make sure you don’t use too much. Dip the rag just enough. Consider the size of the stain. However, taking the stain off can mean leaving a dull area behind. Still, that’s better than leaving marks behind.
Use Mineral Spirits
Kids and crayons go together like ham and eggs. If you’ve got small children, they’ll probably try to write on the floor at one point with a crayon or coloured pencil. You can use mineral spirits to take care of those marks from children’s paints, coloured pencils, markers, and crayons. However, you’ll achieve the same result as when you use rubbing alcohol to deal with tricky stains. The mineral spirits, while excellent for removing stains, will dull the area. It remains a better alternative, though, to having a floor marked with stains.
Skip the Beater Bar
When using the vacuum on your floor, skip the beater bar. That could leave marks on the floor. Remove the attachment before you start vacuuming.
Don’t Use Abrasive Supplies
Not all cleaning supplies work on your floor. Be careful when you shop for cleaning supplies, then. Check the label thoroughly. Can you use that for vinyl flooring? Does it contain harsh chemicals that can leave discolouration on the vinyl? The same can be said for detergents and soaps. Some have harsh ingredients that can leave your flooring looking dull and old. If you’re renovating a home or handling a new construction project, you want those floors to look pristine and shiny instead. That’s why investing in cleanings supplies matter.
Use Carpets or Rugs
An easy way to protect your floors is by using carpets or rugs. They catch spills, grit, and dirt. They soften the pressure on the floor, trap dirt that family and friends track in from outside, and are easy and cheap to replace. That makes them an ideal addition to your rooms.
