Pro Tips On How To Clean Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring

Luxury Vinyl Tile flooring, being one of the smartest and most sustainable floor treatments, features a popular usage within a vast majority of areas. However, with the utilization comes the concerns about maintenance and of course the periodic generation of fairly troublesome factors. 

Therefore, in order to efficiently address all those maintenance issues associated with LVT Flooring and to make the most out of it, too, it’s super crucial to act upon the right maintenance techniques. This does involve dealing with the occasional damage or beauty-loss aspects too. 

Let’s jump straight to those effective tips and tricks, in terms of taking the absolute best care of your Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring, making it last a lot longer. 

Dos And Don’ts Of Luxury Vinyl Care 

While Luxury Vinyl Flooring can certainly be one of the most purposeful decisions you make for your places, there does exist a potential chance of making both this treatment and your money go in vain, by not taking care of it the right way. 

What To Do On LVT Flooring Cleaning

The dos of Luxury Vinyl Flooring include:

1. Immediate Spill Cleaning

This includes both the cleaning of spills as well as treating of the stains ASAP, since any prolonged contact of Vinyl Floors with substances having critical pH levels can lead to discoloration and huge tile/plank/sheet damage.

2. Treating The Rust 

Vinyl Flooring occasionally becomes prone to rusting as it features a synthetic construction and this rusting needs to be immediately fixed with a paste of water and baking soda, as soon as the signs appear.

3. Preventing Damage From Furniture 

Furniture dragging is a serious threat to the Vinyl flooring surface and even standing furniture can also cause impact damage to the floors. Besides, this goes the same for furniture pieces with rollers too and the best way to restrain this from happening is to treat furniture feet with felt pads. 

What To Avoid During Cleaning LVT Flooring

When dealing with Luxury Vinyl Flooring around you, you must never:

1. Opt For Steam Cleaning

Steam mopping is, fair enough, one of the worst things that you can do to your LVT floors, since they technically don’t come with a resistance against steam. So make sure that you don’t confuse the water-resistance construction of LVT floors with steam-resistance as any attempt of the latter procedure is meant to generate the most adverse consequences. 

Remember that Vinyl Flooring is nothing but plastic which makes it susceptible to defiling damage from hot steam and excessive temperature. And this precaution goes for the wear layer, too.

2. Make Use Of Abrasive Tools 

Another really bad attitude towards your Luxury Vinyl Flooring is to utilize any of the wounding equipment or scrubber atop it, for the sake of scrubbing or getting rid of staining. That’s because abrasive equipment usage will do more harm than good and you’re most likely to end up causing severe damage to your floors.

3. Go For Bleach Or Ammonia Cleaning 

While most of the cleaners meant for Vinyl Flooring do contain ammonia, it certainly is a damaging and degrading element for both the protective as well as internal layers of Vinyl Flooring. 

The same goes for bleach which causes corrosion and finish damage to Vinyl Flooring. 

Addressing Major Concerns Of Luxury Vinyl Tiles

Ahead are some of the most common issues experienced with the usage of LVT Flooring.

Removing Stains From LVT Flooring

When encountered with a staining on your LVT Flooring, the best approach that always works is to go for the smart DIY recipes. 

These are some of the most common elements you can consider using. 

• Apple Cider Vinegar: For general floor cleaning and to bring back life and shine to Vinyl Tile Floors

• Baking Soda: For cutting down liquid and grease stains and marks 

• Mild Dish Soap: For everyday cleaning and to achieve optimal results 

• Hydrogen Peroxide: For dealing with stubborn stains that can’t be removed with baking soda 

• Rubbing Alcohol: For removing stains and as an alternative to Hydrogen Peroxide 

• Shampoo: For removing makeup, cosmetics and hairspray 

• Commercial Vinyl Cleaner: Choose the one that has been recommended by the flooring manufacturer 

Supplies 

Always ensure making use of soft equipment for cleaning your Luxury Vinyl Tile Floors such as 

• Microfiber Mops 
• Soft Nylon Scrubbing Brushes 
• Vacuum (without the beater brush/bar)
• Soft-bristled Brooms 

How To Maintain The Finish Of Luxury Vinyl Tiles

Luxury Vinyl Finish is prone to damage due to the dragging of furniture and from walking with pointed footwear, as well. Therefore the best prevention in this regard is 

• To ensure covering the feet of your furniture pieces with soft felt pads
• To never drag furniture atop Vinyl Floors but to lift it, instead
• To refinish Vinyl Floors whenever there are abundant scratches, dents or scuff marks visible.

One Easy And Effective Approach To LVT Floor Cleaning

Here is a simple cleaning method for Luxury Vinyl Floors that is convenient enough to be done on an everyday basis. 

Supplies And Materials You’ll Need

• Warm Water
• Liquid Dishwashing Soap/ Commercial Vinyl Cleaner 
• Baking Soda/ Rubbing Alcohol (in case you need to treat staining)
• Microfiber Mop
• Dust Mop
• Vacuum Cleaner (without beater bar/ disabled beater bar)
• Towels/ Absorbent Fabric/ Microfiber Cloth
• Bucket/ Container 

Quick Overview Of The Method 

• The first step, of course, is to get rid of any of the loosened dirt or debris and the easiest way to do so is to vacuum your floors.
• Make your cleaning solution by mixing either the dishwashing soap or commercial Vinyl cleaner to warm water. You can also go with distilled white vinegar, instead.
• Start by dipping your microfiber mop into the cleaning solution, followed by squeezing it really well. At this point, you can also carry out the spot treatment with the help of baking soda paste or rubbing alcohol, if there are any stains present.
• Work in sections as you go over the entire floor, while being careful about not using dirty mop or murky mop pads (change them as soon as you notice them getting dirty).
• Finish off by wiping off the entire cleaned area with a clean and dry mop, microfiber cloth or any other absorbent cloth, after the surface has been dried out, so as to not leave any residue.  

General Maintenance Tips For LVT Flooring

You can incredibly enhance the working and lifespan of your LVT Flooring with these super practical and useful hacks. 

• Strictly consider the usage of welcome or door mats, as those trap most of the dirt in them and prevent it from reaching the floors.
• Ensure regular sweeping or vacuuming of the Vinyl Floors and most importantly the timely cleaning of spills.
• Always make use of mild and neutral products for cleaning and at best those that have been specifically designed for LVT floors. 
• Avoid the contact of your LVT Flooring with direct and harsh sunlight and excessive weathering.
• Consider the thorough application of floor restoration polish after regular intervals and refinishing whenever there are any visible signs of damage. 

FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions 

How To Treat Stubborn Stains Of Luxury Vinyl Tiles?

In the case of dealing with tough stains of Luxury Vinyl Tile, you can make use of either the Isopropyl Alcohol or simply a baking soda paste. Do a spot treatment with any of the materials, leaving them to work for some time. And as you get rid of the stains, go over the treated area with a wet mop, so as to wipe off any of the possible residue.

Is It Okay To Use Vinegar On Luxury Vinyl Floors?

Using vinegar is actually quite an amazingly effective idea for maintaining a lot of things and Luxury Vinyl Floors aren’t no exception, too, as the acidity can cut down stubborn staining and can also revive the floor’s appearance. Besides, you can also make use of Apple Cider Vinegar which works with an equal efficiency like the white vinegar. 

What To Not Put On A Vinyl Floor?

Things that you should never use on your Vinyl Floors include “Mop and Shine” Products, abrasive cleaners and any of the detergents with harsh formulas. These elements usually end up leaving a dull film atop the floor. Besides, you must also avoid using ammonia-based cleaners and ammonia itself too, any of the solvent-based polishes and lastly those paste waxes, too. 

How To Make Vinyl Planks Shine?

Vinegar and water solution works wonders as a reviving cleaner for Vinyl Planks, bringing back all their lustrous beauty and helping get rid of even the major staining, too. In addition to that, you can also consider adding a few drops of baby oil to the solution, in order to increase the effectiveness. Moreover, you can also get the job done with a baking soda solution. 

Is It Okay To Use Mr Clean On Vinyl Floors?

Mr Clean Multipurpose Cleaner is, by all means, one of the best choices for Vinyl Floors, for addressing a number of maintenance problems. Apart from the extremely effective working against stains, grease grime buildup, this cleaner ensures ideal hygienic conditions since it’s anti-bacterial in nature. Last but not least is the advantage that Mr Clean is a versatile cleaner and can be used on nearly all the surfaces.

How To Clean Commercial LVT Flooring?

The regular (day-to-day) maintenance of commercial LVT flooring can be easily done by a thorough vacuuming along with dust mopping. However, as for the periodic maintenance, you can consider making use of a neutral cleaner with an auto-scrubber, according to the maintenance guidelines from your flooring manufacturer. Finish off the cleaning procedure by rinsing the treated area with clean water.