how to clean vinyl plank floor

Vinyl plank floors are becoming very popular nowadays. They give you the look and feel of hardwood floors without the construction mess or price!

Furthermore, cleaning vinyl plank floors is extremely easy as long as you follow some simple guidelines.

I'm going to give you two ways to clean your vinyl flooring. These two cleanings are the methods I implement in my own home.

How To Clean Vinyl Plank Floors

Level 1 Cleaning – The Maintenance Clean

This cleaning is for vinyl floors that just need a little touch from time to time to maintain them. Floors that don't get much traffic and overall stay in pretty good shape.

Instructions:

1. Purchase a microfiber spray mop. O Cedar is the mop I use in my own home. Rubbermaid makes a spray mop that's a even higher quality. Both are good and will get the job done!

2. Make a Vinyl Plank Floor DIY Cleaner. For this you will need rubbing alcohol, Mrs Meyers Multi Surface Concentrated Cleaner as well as the empty container that came with your spray mop. The rubbing alcohol has a drying agent to help the floors to dry faster. Furthermore, it will give your solution some disinfecting properties. Here's the recipe:

1/2 Cup Rubbing Alcohol
1 Cap of Mrs Meyers Cleaner (Choose you favorite scent)
Fill the rest of the container with water.

IMPORTANT! Be sure that you're faithful to the recipe above. Too much Miss Myers cleaner could result in the floors becoming sticky. Using too much of any cleaner will result in a sticky residue.

3. Sweep the Floors. You can also vacuum the crumbs and debris if this is easier.

4. Squeeze the trigger and GO!! Be sure to mop the floors with the grain. For a demonstration of this refer to the video above at minute 3:06.

Level 2 Cleaning – The Deep Clean

If you have large pets, high foot traffic and all-in-all… floors that take a beating, this cleaning is for you. You are going to need a bucket, Dawn Dish Soap and a string mop.

If you try to use a flat mop when the floors are filthy you will only smear the dirt and make a bigger mess.

Instructions:

1. Sweep the Floors. As mentioned above, you can also vacuum if this is easier.

2. Damp mop the floors with a string mop. Fill up a bucket with 1 gallon of warm water. Add 1 tsp of Dawn Dish Soap and mop the floors. Rinse the mop and change the dirty water as needed. If you don't know how to mop with a string mop click the link. The link will direct you to an article and video I created on the subject.

Things To Avoid – The No Nos

► STEAM MOPPING! Never use a steam mop on vinyl plank floors. The intense heat can penetrate the seams and cause them to bend and warp. Furthermore, it can also loosen up the glue holding them together.

► NEVER USE WAX! Wax will give them a surface residue and will cause them to become sticky and dull.

► NEVER SLOP MOP! Avoid drenching the vinyl plank floors with water by slop mopping. Getting the floors really wet will cause the water to penetrate the seams, loosen the glue and cause the edges to curl. Damp mopping is ok as featured in the level 2 deep clean.

► AVOID HARD ABRASIVE SCRUBBING! Never use nylon brushes or abrasive sponges to clean your vinyl plank floors. This can damage the floors by leaving scuff marks and removing the polyurethane coating. Once the coating has been removed this will kill the sheen.

► NEVER USE ABRASIVE CLEANERS LIKE BLEACH OR AMMONIA! Always use ph neutral cleaners like the Dawn Dish Soap mentioned above in the level 1 clean. High or low ph cleaners are corrosive to vinyl plank floors.