How to Clean Vinyl Floors

All flooring surfaces battle dust, dirt and spills. Despite its low-maintenance reputation, vinyl isn't impervious to day-to-day buildup. How can you keep them looking like new? Understanding the best ways to keep your floors clean is step one. Mastering deep cleaning is step two.

Keeping your floors in good condition starts with prevention:

• Use doormats in entryways.
• Dry mop and vacuum regularly.
• Put pads beneath furniture legs and along the floor if you're sliding heavy things across the surface.
• Wipe up spills immediately to avoid stains.

"We recommend cleaning your vinyl floor often (depending on the foot traffic) to keep it free of scratches and markings," shares Leah Howell, Bona Cleaning and Flooring Expert. "Sweeping or dry mopping your floors regularly helps protect against dirt and debris particles, which can prematurely damage your floor and dull its shine."

Choosing the right type of cleaner is also important. "Homeowners should opt for a water-based, pH neutral formula specifically designed for use on hard-surface floors, and free from ingredients like formaldehyde, ammonia, petroleum, phosphates, phthalates and parabens," highlights Howell. She adds, "The cleaner should also meet the EPA’s Safer Product Standards and be Safer Choice certified to contain ingredients that are safer for people, pets and the planet."

How to Clean Vinyl Floors

Vinyl floors are durable and easy to maintain, but excessive moisture can lead to long-term damage. "Avoid using a traditional mop and bucket," cautions Howell. "It’s easy to get too much water on the floor. Excess liquids can get into the seams and edges of the vinyl and destroy the adhesive, causing it to come loose." Instead, she suggests a microfiber mop that manages moisture and delivers enough friction to lift build-up.

1. Dry Sweep or Vacuum the Floor. Remove all loose dirt, dust and debris. A soft-bristle broom or a vacuum without a beater bar works best to avoid scratches.
2. Use a Microfiber Mop (Not a Mop and Bucket). Yes, you can opt for a system that sprays cleaner from a cartridge, but mixing a cup of apple cider vinegar into a gallon of warm water works, too. Dampening the mop head — not soaking it — is the trick. Rinsing it frequently and re-dampening with cleanser helps prevent streaking. For a deep clean, add a few drops of dish soap to the vinegar solution. Mop as usual, then follow up with clean water to remove any soap residue. The trick to making vinyl floors shine: Put a few drops of baby oil in the solution. (It won't leave a waxy buildup like paste wax.)
3. Dry the floor. Buff it using a microfiber cloth or a dry mop to prevent water spots and make it shine.

Can you use a robot mop to clean vinyl floors?

Yes, but they might not be quite as effective at deep cleaning. We like using a robot mop immediately after vacuuming to streamline our cleaning routine and use a special machine-formulated cleaning solution so it's safe for the floor surface and the tool.

How to Remove Scratches from Vinyl Floors

"Vinyl floor’s thin wear layer, which cannot be sanded down or refinished like hardwood, will make options for repair or renovation extremely limited," notes Howell. "For minor scratches, homeowners may be able to buff or wipe the scratch away with a floor-safe cleaner, or use a polish like Bona’s Hard-Surface Polish which is designed to renew floors by filling in micro-scratches and scuffs while shielding against future wear and traffic to keep your floor looking its best."

Light scuffs can often be buffed out with a tennis ball or a small amount of WD-40. Commercial vinyl floor repair kits are also available, but if you have severe scratches on your vinyl floor, you'll probably have to replace them.

How to Remove Stains from Vinyl Floors

Different stains require different treatments. Here are easy ways to remove the most common types of stains:

• Food and drink spills lift easily with cleaner. If you need something tougher (for wine or ketchup stains), try baking soda and water — just apply it to the stain, rub gently and wipe clean.
• Ink, paint or crayon marks can be removed with rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth.
• Nail polish stains come off with a small amount of nail polish remover. Use it sparingly, and avoid rubing the floor aggressively if it's an acetone-based remover.