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Vinyl flooring is a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms, since it's waterproof and easy to clean. Vinyl is also inexpensive, looks attractive, and has a cushioned core, which makes your floors more comfortable to walk on and warmer than tile or wood. With proper care and cleaning, your vinyl floor can look great and keep its original shine for many years.

Household Solutions

Vinyl flooring is prone to getting dirty and marked up, but you don't have to spend a lot of money on expensive cleaners. You may have everything you need for a shiny floor around your home already:

If you have vinegar, you can make a simple cleaning solution for everyday washing.
If you have jojoba oil, you can add it to your cleaning solution for shiny floors.
If you have dish soap, you can add it to your cleaning solution for tougher spots.
If you have WD-40, you can use it to remove scuffs from vinyl flooring.
If you have baking soda, you can use it to remove stains from wine or berries.
If you have rubbing alcohol, you can use it to remove stains from makeup or ink.

1
Use a doormat to keep the floor clean. The substances you track into your house on your shoes are damaging to vinyl flooring. Dirt, tiny pits of gravel, and chemicals from asphalt are abrasive to the vinyl, and over time will cause it to get scratched and yellowed. The solution is to wipe your shoes on a doormat, or, even better, take them off when you enter the house.
- Using throw rugs in spots that tend to get a lot of foot traffic is also a good idea. In the kitchen, for example, you might want to place a rug in front of the sink, where you might tend to stand when you wash vegetables or do the dishes.
2
Sweep every day. Cleaning up dirt and dust as it comes is important, since when it accumulates it can end up getting ground into the floor as people walk through the room. Dirt and dust act as an abrasive and take the sheen off of vinyl flooring. Sweep every day to prevent dirt and dust from building up and becoming a problem.^[1]
- If you'd prefer not to use a broom, you could use a dry mop or vacuum to remove everyday dust and debris. However, make sure not to use a beater bar on your vinyl floor if you vacuum it since this can damage the vinyl. Only use soft attachments.^[2]
- Be sure to clean under your furniture, along baseboards, and under cabinets.
3

Clean up spills right away. Whatever you spill, whether it's orange juice or just a cup of water, clean it up instead of letting it dry on the floor. Sugary drinks are harder to clean once they've dried, and even water can damage the flooring when it's left to sit too long. Cleaning up messes right away will keep your floor looking new and prevent you from doing a lot of work later.
4
Use a simple vinegar solution for everyday washing. Vinegar is a totally harmless substance that lightly cleans vinyl floors to keep them looking fresh. As a general rule, you want to use the mildest cleanser possible to do the job, since harsher cleansers are tougher on the flooring. To make a vinegar solution, simply mix a cup of apple cider vinegar with a gallon of hot water and use a mop to clean the floor. ^[3]
- The acid in apple cider vinegar cleans the floor gently without leaving a residue, which is perfect for keeping vinyl in good shape. As the cleanser dries, the smell of vinegar will fade away.
- If you want your floor to look shiny, add a few drops of jojoba oil to the mix.
5
Be sure to pick the right commercial cleanser. If vinegar isn't for you, you could instead use a vinyl floor cleanser manufactured for this purpose. Just be sure you choose the right type of cleanser:
- No-wax cleanser is made for modern flooring that doesn't have a waxed surface.
- Cleanser for waxed floors is made for older vinyl flooring, which has a waxed surface that must stay intact.

1

Use dish soap for deeper dirt. Mix up your standard apple cider vinegar solution, but this time add a tablespoon of dish soap. The soap should help lift dirt that's embedded in the floor. Use a mop made with nylon scrub bristles for deeper cleaning.
2
Remove scuffs with oil or WD-40. Vinyl flooring is infamous for getting scuffed, but luckily there's an easy way to remove them. Place jojoba oil or WD-40 on a soft cloth, and use it to rub the scuff marks. If the scuffs are simply on the surface of the floor, they'll rub right off.
- Scratches are deeper than scuffs, and they won't just rub away. You can clean the scratches so they're less noticeable, but if you want to get rid of the scratches entirely, you'll just have to replace the individual tiles they're on.
3

Use a baking soda paste on stains. Mix baking soda with enough water to make a thick paste, and use a soft cloth to rub it over stains from food, like wine or berry juice. The baking soda is slightly abrasive and should take the stains right up.
4
Try rubbing alcohol for makeup or ink stains. Dab a soft cloth in rubbing alcohol and rub it over bathroom stains from makeup and other pigmented items. The alcohol will lift the stains from the vinyl without damaging it.
- To remove fingernail polish, try using acetone-free fingernail polish remover. Don't use polish remover that contains acetone, since this can damage vinyl.
5

Scrub with a soft nylon brush. If there's a tricky stain that won't come up with a soft cloth, you can scrub with a soft nylon brush. Make sure you don't use a stiff-bristled brush, since it could leave scratches on your floor.
6

Rinse with clean water to remove residue. After you've cleaned all the stains away, rinse the floor so the residue doesn't sit there. Soap and other substances that build up on the surface of the floor will damage it over time. ^[4]

1
Don't scrub too hard. Using a stiff-bristled brush and scrubbing too hard will take the shine off of your vinyl flooring. It's important to use the softest possible material needed to remove dirt or stains.
- Never try to pry dried substances off the floor with a knife, since it will leave a permanent scratch. Soak the area in a solution appropriate for the stain and attempt to remove it with a soft cloth once it's saturated.
2
Don't use abrasive cleaners. It's important to use the right type of cleaner for vinyl flooring. Using just any old household cleaner is likely to take the shine off the vinyl, since most contain chemicals that are too abrasive. Stick with vinegar or a commercial cleaner formulated for the type of floor you have.
- Make sure to avoid wax polishes and on vinyl floor since the residue will build up over time.
3

Avoid getting the floor too wet. Soaking the floor with water will damage the glue that keeps the vinyl adhered to the floor underneath. The water will get into the cracks between the tiles and get trapped under the tiles. Use only as much water as you need to cleanse the floor, and make sure it's dry when your job is done.
4

Use felt tips on your chairs and tables. Moving chairs and tables around tends to scuff and scratch floors. Make your cleaning job easier by placing felt tips or pads on the bottoms of your chair and table legs. Avoid using chairs and tables with rollers, since these tend to scuff worse than felt-tipped legs.

Add New Question

Question

Can I mop it everyday?

Michelle Driscoll is the Owner of Mulberry Maids based in northern Colorado. Driscoll received her Masters in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2016.

Founder, Mulberry Maids

Expert Answer

Mopping everyday is likely to be too much. It is usually best to use the least amount of chemicals or soaps as possible. It would be best to just sweep every day, and aim to mop the vinyl weekly.
Question

How do I remove carpet residue from a vinyl floor?

Michelle Driscoll is the Owner of Mulberry Maids based in northern Colorado. Driscoll received her Masters in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2016.

Founder, Mulberry Maids

Expert Answer

You can try a simple baking soda and vinegar mixture first, and work your way up in the strength of cleaners to rubbing alcohol, acetone, or a commercial product, such as Goo Gone.
Question

How do I remove stains from mats that have been on a vinyl floor for a long time?

The best you can (usually) do is repeated treatment with cider vinegar/water and/or baking soda and scrubbing to make it less noticeable. It's rare to get it completely blended in with the rest of the flooring.
Question

Will furniture ruin my vinyl flooring?

Only if you slide the furniture around without the proper padding under the furniture. It will also dent if anything heavy is dropped on it. We have a wood fireplace and my son dropped a piece of fire wood and it cracked the floor.
Question

Can I use acetone to clean a vinyl floor that will not come clean?

No, as acetone will literally dissolve the vinyl. Best thing is to use repeated treatments with vinegar and/or TSP and/or baking soda and lots of scrubbing.
Question

How do I get marks off of vinyl flooring?

You don't say what kind or marks, but if you're talking about shoe scuffs, WD-40 on a cloth and gentle rubbing usually works. Don't leave the WD-40 on the surface too long, as it will start to penetrate the vinyl after a few minutes (5-15, depending on the vinyl). Other stains respond to rubbing alcohol (not isopropyl). After treatment, clean the surface with water and a mild detergent to remove solvent residue.
Question

How can I remove rust stains on vinyl tile?

Rust dissolves when it comes into contact with acid, but some acids can dissolve the coatings on the vinyl tiles. Abrasives, solvents, bleaches and ammonia can all harm vinyl flooring, so select a mild cleaning agent instead. If you have very tough rust stains that won't respond to gentle cleaners, oxalic acid can remove the rust without damaging the vinyl, but it is toxic to you, so handle it carefully.
Question

How can I take a chair dent out of the vinyl floor?

You really can't remove dents -- they are a permanent deformation of the vinyl. What I have seen done if you are really careful is to heat the area with a heat gun (not hair dryer), and gradually pound the edges around the dent with a rubber mallet to "even out" the surrounding surface. Slowly increase the heat exposure until the surface become responsive to the mallet; don't become impatient or aggressive as it's not difficult to "burn" the surface, and then you've gone beyond the point of no return.
Question

How do I remove old duct tape from vinyl tiles?

WD-40 generally loosens old adhesives. Go carefully and slowly, the WD-40 will soak into the vinyl surface over time. Once you have the duct-tape cloth backing removed, apply the WD-40 to a cloth and then work on the remaining adhesive. If necessary, rinse with water and dry periodically (every 10 minutes or so) to prevent damage to the vinyl.
Question

How do I take paint off a vinyl floor?

Use a putty knife (no sharp edges) to scrape paint spots. Then use either a wet cloth or mop to pick up residue.

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Video

Use a soft nylon pad or a soft bristle brush to clean your vinyl floor when a cloth or mop is not enough. These tools can help you remove residue left behind by spilled food, lipstick and crayons.
Try mopping your floor with a solution made from a few drops of shampoo and 1 US gal (3.8 L) of warm water to get rid of hairspray stains. Rinse the area with a damp mop after you are finished.^[5]

Vinyl is a floor covering; as such, it can pull away from the sub-floor and cause bubbles or creases. Avoid this by taking care when moving furniture or appliances over the flooring.
Never use ammonia or ammonia-based products to clean vinyl floors as these can cause the vinyl to break down and damage your floors over time.^[6]

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Article SummaryX

To clean vinyl flooring, mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1 gallon of hot water and mop the floor with this solution. If you want your floor to look even shinier, add a few drops of jojoba oil to the solution. For a deep cleaning, add 1 tablespoon of dish soap to the cleaner and use a nylon mop to clean the floor. For stains, make a paste of baking soda and water, then rub it over the stains with a soft cloth. When the floor is clean, rinse it with water to remove any residue that could damage it. For tips on what not to do while cleaning vinyl flooring, read on!

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