Dirty vinyl flooring looks odd, and cleaning them is a pain in the neck for homemakers. Fortunately, you can easily clean them with things as simple as a mop. But, how to make vinyl plank floors shine with minimum effort?
Well, the answer depends on the condition of the floorings. If you have old vinyl floorings with tons of scratches and blemishes, making them shine won’t be easy.
On the other hand, regular mopping and cleaning can help you get a better shine with just a few steps. Do you want to know how?
Today, we will see how you can get a picture-perfect shine on any old or new flooring using easy-to-find cleaners. Let’s dig in.
9 best ways to clean vinyl plank flooring
source: thespruce.com
There are a lot of DIY hacks on cleaning vinyl plank flooring. Some may even break the bank with its price tag. But hey, don’t worry about it. Just read the ways below and choose the best way for you.
For new vinyl plank floorings
Using a mop
Using a regular mop is the first thing you should do before moving on to the other tips. Turns out, a mop sanitizes the floorings, reduces allergies, and prevents scratches. The best part is, a mop will make your floorings look almost new. (If you don’t have scratches).
Dust, pet dander, and foot traffic can degrade the floorings and lead to dirt and germ buildup. Use a mop and some sanitizer every three days, and the flooring will retain its shine for longer.
Robot vacuum for vinyl plank floor
If you have a late office schedule, getting a robotic vacuum can be your best option yet. For starters, it is easy to use, hands-free and requires low maintenance. The vacuum won’t leave a single corner of your house unchecked, and you will save time on the go.
You don’t have to waste hours with a mop just to get clean and shining vinyl plank flooring.
For old floorings
source: hgtv.com
Apple Cider Vinegar with baby oil
Increasing the pH of the flooring with apple cider vinegar can clean debris naturally. You can also remove foul odor and foot traffic marks. However, using it alone won’t bring out a glowing shine. So, you need to add some baby oil and water to dilute it. Once done, use a mop on all the corners of your house. Within two to three tries, you will find shining vinyl plank floorings.
Isopropyl alcohol
When it comes to cleaning, isopropyl alcohol is an industry leader. A lot of germs enter the house through air, foot traffic, or through pets. Isopropyl alcohol destroys bacteria and viruses, protecting us in the process.
Before you start applying raw alcohol, you need to make a solution first. Add about 100 ml isopropyl alcohol to a liter of water and use a mop while cleaning.
After finishing, mop the floor again with detergent to remove the sticky stains.
Egg Yolk
Often, egg yolks are used in cleaning the skin. But you can use it for the floorings as well. To do so, just mix two egg yolks in a liter of water. Egg yolks are natural and won’t damage the vinyl flooring color in any way.
Now use a cloth or a broom with microfibers and clean the floors of your home. Finally, get a dry cloth and wipe down the excess water.
Stain remover
source: bobvila.com
Stain removers are a wonder product, which removes all stubborn dirt marks and stains. You don’t have to use warm water or anything fancy like baby oil. Having sodium hypochlorite and quaternium-15, stain removers offer out-of-the-box shine of both old and new flooring.
However, some of you may face an allergic reaction to it. Avoid using it if you are allergic.
Waxing
Though regular wax will hardly do you any good, floor wax can help indeed. Floor wax or carnauba wax can give you an acrylic finish. Similar to regular waxing, you need a burnisher to apply the wax. But don’t use a high-speed one, or you may damage it for sure.
Fix Scratches on Vinyl flooring
No matter how premium your vinyl flooring is, it will still be vulnerable to scratches. Having pets, small kids, or even too much foot traffic and churn out bad scratches. You can only increase its service life through regular cleaning and maintenance.
Follow the steps to remove scratches from vinyl flooring.
source: thespruce.com
For light scratches,
- First, navigate all the visible scratches. Most of the time, places where babies or pets play the most get more scratches.
- Now, take a color crayon and blend the scratches according to colors.
- For a better result, try a magic eraser from Amazon, and the scratches will disappear.
Note: For moving furniture scratches, apply some wax stickers.
For deeper scratches,
Sometimes, when there is too much damage, you just have to replace the whole thing. Try the steps below if the scratches aren’t too deep.
- Find the deeper scratches and fill them up with wax.
- After that, use some colored crayons to reduce the scratches.
- You can also use a vinyl sealer on top for maximum protection.
How to avoid Vinyl flooring damage while cleaning
source: tarkett.com
Vinyl flooring will get scratches no matter how hard you try. You can only improve its service. Follow the tips below, and hopefully, you can avoid flooring damage while cleaning.
- Don’t use a rough mop or a dry one.
- If you are a broom fan, try finding a broom with microfibers.
- Avoid using steam cleaners, paste wax, or solvent-based polishes.
- When you have kids, take a carpet and place it below their playing ground.
- Never use anything sharp like metal scrubbers.
End Note
So, how did it go? Did you find your best choice on how to make vinyl plank floors shine?
Frankly speaking, if you don’t clean vinyl floorings regularly, its natural shine will fade away. You can try using a robotic vacuum to auto-clean your floorings. However, nothing can beat the old mop, sanitizer, and detergent combo.
So, no more today. Bye. And have a good day.
