Regardless of which brand you choose, you’ll want to keep it looking as good as it did on the day of your vinyl flooring installation. That involves a few simple steps:
1. Avoid unnecessary dirt getting tracked onto your floors by placing good quality floor mats at every entrance from the outside. Not just your front door, but also any that open onto patios or balconies as well as a back or side yard.
2. Take precautions when moving furniture. You won’t need to worry about that when Express Flooring handles your installation, because our professionals are well experienced in moving all types of furniture out of the way and back when your flooring is complete. But if you acquire a new table or cabinet later, make sure to cover the area it’ll be moved across with sheets of plywood to protect your floor.
3. Whether you’ve chosen Mannington vinyl plank flooring, Mohawk vinyl flooring, Shaw vinyl flooring or one of our many other brands,
make sure to sweep, dry-mop or vacuum your floor periodically. This will remove any dirt, hair and dust that tends to linger under cabinets and other furniture.
4. When mopping the floor, aim for damp rather than wet, and dry it when you’re finished. Apple cider vinegar in a gallon of warm water will help remove dirt without leaving any soapy residue on the floor. For a particularly dirty floor, add a few drops of dish-washing liquid and then remove any remaining traces of soap by mopping again with the vinegar-water mixture. If you’d like to add an extra shine to your vinyl flooring, add a few drops of baby oil to the water when you damp-mop.
5. Don’t let moisture build up, even on vinyl basement flooring or vinyl garage flooring. Wipe up spills rather than leaving them to dry on their own, because accumulated moisture below the floor can cause vinyl to buckle around the edges. Fortunately, in most parts of Arizona wet weather is a rare occurrence so just watch for bathwater splashing on a vinyl floor in the bathroom or over-watered plants that stand on your living room or office floor.
6. To keep the vinyl from looking dull,
never use cleaners with high pH levels or abrasive scrubbers. Use a soft bristle brush rather than steel wool or a hard bristle brush for cleaning. To take care of stains, a towel with jojoba oil works well for rubbing the area.
Depending on the stain, try using:
- Mineral spirits for paint or crayon marks.
- Nail polish remover for nail polish stains.
- Baking soda and water as a paste for ketchup or juice.
- Rubbing alcohol for ink, dye or lipstick stains.
- Once you’ve finished treating the stain, clean the area with a soft cloth and plain water.
7. To avoid damaging your floors,
never use the beater bar attachment on your vacuum. Make sure, too, not to use rolling casters under heavy furniture because those can leave track marks.
8. Don’t use wax to polish your floor. There are commercial polishes created just for vinyl flooring which can be used periodically, or you can always call a professional cleaning service if the floor has begun looking dull. Otherwise, routine maintenance like the steps shown here will be enough to keep your vinyl floor looking great for years to come.