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Vinyl Flooring Product Care

VINYL FLOORING CARE GUIDE

Vinyl flooring is a great option for those who prefer to keep the time they spend cleaning and maintaining their flooring to a minimum. If you don’t know how to clean vinyl flooring, just follow Carpet Call’s straightforward cleaning method and simple maintenance tips to keep your vinyl flooring looking as good as new well into the future.

Cleaning Method for Vinyl Flooring

It’s important to follow a cleaning process that maintains the finish of your flooring. Remember: when you clean your vinyl flooring you’re actually cleaning the finish, not the vinyl itself. Like most flooring products, vinyl flooring should always be cleaned with the least amount of moisture possible. Carpet Call recommends following this simple method:

  1. Sweep your vinyl flooring with a broom/microfiber dust mop or vacuum with a hard flooring attachment every day. Make sure you clean under furniture often too. It’s easier to keep on top of dirt and debris that have to remove it once it has it accumulated.
  2. Use your vacuum’s hose attachment to vacuum the perimeter of your room and around furniture legs.
  3. Use a spray bottle to mist your floor with water or the vinyl flooring cleaner, Lobacare (diluted to the recommended amount as per the bottle) recommended to you by the manufacturer (this will help ensure your warranty remains valid).
  4. Mop with a different microfiber pad. Your floor should air dry within a few minutes. If it doesn’t’, you have over-wet your floor and should run a towel over it to get rid of the excess moisture.

Vinyl Flooring Cleaning Tips

Now you know the basics of how to clean vinyl flooring, try to keep these simple cleaning tips in mind when caring for vinyl flooring:

  • Make sure you know whether your vinyl flooring has a wax finish before cleaning. No-wax vinyl has a polyurethane coating that makes it shine and wax based cleaners won’t adhere to this coating properly, leaving your floor looking dirty. Always clean with the product appropriate for your vinyl’s finish.
  • Don’t use a vacuum with a beater bar when vacuuming vinyl flooring.
  • Wipe up spills immediately. All liquids, including water, have the potential to seep through the seams of vinyl flooring and cause the adhesive to loosen.
  • If you need to remove dried-on stains, never use steel wool or a stiff-bristled brush on vinyl flooring. A soft nylon brush and the appropriate cleaner should remove the majority of stains.
  • Never use acidic/alkaline/abrasive cleaners on vinyl flooring as they will damage the poly/wax coating that sealing your floor. Also, avoid using oil-based soaps as these can cause a gradual build-up of soap scum on your floor which looks terrible, is difficult to remove, and makes applying a maintenance coat of finish a lot harder.
  • Never use buffing machines on vinyl flooring. Low-impact cleaning techniques applied regularly are much more effective for maintaining the look of the floor long-term.

Vinyl Flooring Maintenance Tips

Carpet Call recommends following these basic preventative maintenance tips to help you get the maximum life out of your new vinyl flooring:

  1. Check with your vinyl installer to find out how long after installation you can walk on and clean your vinyl flooring. Premature contact and cleaning will adversely affect the vinyl adhesive’s setting process.
  2. Reduce your broom time by putting down colour-fast floor mats in high traffic areas (especially at the foot of doors and in front of sinks) to keep dirt, moisture and chemicals (particularly from asphalt) away from your vinyl flooring.
  3. Use a floor mat between rolling chairs and vinyl floors to protect the floor from damage.
  4. Use cotton or felt rugs on your vinyl flooring. Avoid rugs with a rubber backing as they can give vinyl flooring a yellow appearance.
  5. Use floor protectors underneath all of your furniture (especially under heavy items like refrigerators, which are notorious for leaving dents in vinyl flooring) and always lift furniture off of the ground when moving it. Never drag furniture across vinyl flooring. If you must move items that are too heavy to carry, place plywood sheeting along the route you are going to take them before pushing them out.
  6. Instigate a shoes-off policy to lower the amount of dirt and grit coming into contact with your floor.
  7. Keep animal nails trimmed to prevent scratches on your floor.
  8. Direct sunlight can cause the colour of vinyl flooring to fade, so protect your flooring investment by closing the curtains or blinds when you’re not using a room.
  9. Keep a constant indoor humidity level of about 50 – 65 % relative air humidity to best preserve your flooring.
  10. Never use steam cleaners on vinyl flooring. They force steam (moisture) into even the seams of the vinyl and will cause it to lift and loosen by dissolving the adhesive underneath over time. If your vinyl flooring has bubbles or is starting to curl get a professional to fix it as soon as possible.
  11. If you find a seam in your vinyl flooring has opened, it must be resealed immediately as per the manufacturer’s guidelines to prevent further damage.