Content

• Home remedies
• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Maintaining your vinyl
• Part 2 of 3: Thoroughly clean vinyl
• Part 3 of 3: Knowing what to do
• Tips
• Warnings

Vinyl flooring is a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms because it is waterproof and easy to clean. Vinyl is an inexpensive floor covering that looks attractive and has a soft foam layer, which makes walking on vinyl more comfortable and warmer on the feet than tile or wood. With proper care and cleaning, the vinyl floor covering will look good and retain its original shine for many years to come.

Home remedies

Vinyl floors tend to get dirty and will show streaks over time, but you don't have to spend a lot of money on expensive cleaning products. You may already have everything you need for a glossy floor at home:

• If you have vinegar, you can create a simple cleaning solution for everyday use.
• If you have jojoba oil, you can add this to the solution for glossy floors.
• If you have dish soap, you can add this to the stubborn stain removal solution.
• If you have WD-40, you can use it to remove streaks on vinyl carpets.
• If you have baking soda, you can use it to remove wine or juice stains.
• If you have denatured alcohol, you can use it to remove makeup or ink stains.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Maintaining your vinyl

1. Use a floor mat to keep the floor clean. The dirt you walk into the house with your shoes is harmful to vinyl carpeting. Dirt, small grains or gravel, as well as asphalt chemicals can damage vinyl. Over time it will affect the floor and may show a yellow deposit. The solution to prevent this is simple, always wipe your feet well on the entrance mat, or, take off your shoes before entering the house.
   • Placing mats or rugs in areas where there is a lot of foot traffic is also a good idea. For example, you would be wise to place a mat in front of the countertop, at the sink, because you will probably be standing here a lot while washing vegetables or during the dishes.
2. Sweep the floor every day. Sweeping up dirt and dust is very important. If you do this every day, dirt and dust cannot accumulate. This prevents people from getting dirt and dust into the floor. Dirt and dust are abrasive and can damage the floor, removing the gloss from the vinyl. So run a broom or sweeper over the vinyl floor covering every day to prevent dirt and dust from building up and becoming a problem.
   • If you'd rather not use a broom, you can also use a dry floor mop or a vacuum cleaner to remove dust and other debris on a daily basis.
   • Make sure to also remove dust and other debris from under your furniture, along baseboards and under cupboards.
3. Clean up spilled food or drink immediately. Whatever you've messed with, be it orange juice or just a cup of water, clean it up right away before it dries up. Sugary drink stains are more difficult to remove from a floor once the substance has dried. Even water can damage a floor if it is left on for too long. By cleaning up spilled food or drink immediately, the floor will continue to look like new and this also prevents a lot of work afterwards.
4. Use a simple vinegar solution for everyday use. Vinegar is a completely harmless substance that will lightly clean a vinyl floor, leaving the floor looking fresh. As a general rule, you want to use as mild a cleaning agent as possible to get the job done, as more aggressive cleaning agents are not good for a floor. Make a vinegar solution by mixing a cup of apple cider vinegar with 4 liters of warm water. Use a mop to clean the floor.
   • The acid in the apple cider vinegar gently cleans the floor and leaves no residue. This is a great way to keep your vinyl floor in good condition. Once the homemade cleanser dries, the vinegar smell will disappear.
   • If you want to keep your floor looking shiny, you can add a few drops of jojoba oil to the mixture.
5. Make sure to use the right professional cleanser. If you'd rather not use vinegar, you can also buy a professional cleaning agent. There are cleaning agents especially for synthetic floors. Make sure you choose the right cleaning agent:
   • A "no-wax" cleaner is made for modern floors that do not have a wax surface.
   • A wax floor cleaner is made for older vinyl floors. These older floors have a wax surface that should be kept intact.

Part 2 of 3: Thoroughly clean vinyl

1. Use dish soap for a thorough cleaning of vinyl. Make the apple cider vinegar solution described above with warm water, but this time also add a tablespoon of dish soap to the mixture. The dish soap should get the stubborn dirt out of the vinyl. Use a floor mop with a nylon scrubbing brush for deeper cleaning of the floor.
2. Remove streaks on the floor with oil or WD-40 (water repellent spray). Vinyl flooring is known to be sensitive to stripes from shoes, for example, but luckily you can easily remove them. Apply a small amount of jojoba oil or WD-40 to a cloth and rub it over the streaks on the wear layer. If the stripes are on the surface of the floor, the damage is easy to remove.
   • Scratches are deeper than streaks and cannot simply be brushed away. You can clean scratches, so that they are less visible. However, if you want to remove the scratches completely, you will have to replace the individual tile that the scratch is on.
3. Use a baking soda paste to remove stains. Make a thick paste by mixing baking soda with enough water and then rub it with a soft cloth over stains such as wine or berry juice. Baking soda is slightly abrasive and should therefore be able to remove the stains.
4. Try denatured alcohol for makeup or ink stain removal. Apply a small amount of denatured alcohol to a cloth and rub it over stains from makeup and other pigmented items. The denatured alcohol removes stains from vinyl floors without damaging them.
   • To remove nail polish, you can use acetone-free nail polish remover. Do not use a nail polish remover that contains acetone, as such a remover can damage vinyl.
5. Scrub with a soft brush with nylon bristles. If there is a stubborn stain on the floor that cannot be removed with a cloth, you can scrub with a soft brush with nylon bristles. Make sure not to use a stiff brush as it can leave scratches on the floor.
6. Rinse the area with clean water to remove any residue. After you have removed all the stains, you can rinse the floor so that there are no residues of the cleaning agent used. Soap residue and other substances left on the surface of a floor can damage the floor over time.

Part 3 of 3: Knowing what to do

1. Don't scrub too hard. Scrubbing too hard and scrubbing with a stiff brush will damage the wear layer, causing the vinyl floor to lose its shine. It is extremely important to use the softest material possible to remove dirt or stains.
   • Never try to scrape dried substances off the floor with a knife as this will cause permanent damage. Try to remove the stain by applying the appropriate detergent, let it soak into the stain, then remove it with a soft cloth.
2. Do not use abrasives. It is important to use the correct cleaner for vinyl carpeting. Any old cleaner is likely to damage the wear layer, causing the floor to lose its shine. Such cleaning products usually contain chemicals that are too abrasive. Use vinegar or a cleaning agent that suits your type of floor.
3. Make sure the floor does not get too wet. If the floor is soaked with water, it can damage the adhesive that holds the vinyl in place. The water will get trapped under the carpet through the gaps between the floor tiles. Do not use more water than necessary to rinse the floor. Also make sure that you dry the floor well as a final step.
4. Provide tables and chairs with felt caps. Sliding furniture over vinyl floors tends to cause streaks and scratches. Make your cleanup easier by placing felt caps on the underside of table and chair legs. Try to avoid using tables and chairs on castors, as such furniture is worse for the floor than furniture with felt caps.

Tips

• Use a soft nylon sponge or soft-bristled brush to clean your vinyl floor if a cloth or floor mop isn't enough. These tools can come in handy during the removal of residues such as spilled food, lipstick and chalk.

Warnings

• Vinyl is a floor covering and this means that it can become detached from the subfloor, causing air pockets and height differences. Try to avoid this by taking extra care when moving furniture or equipment across the floor.