5 Must-Have Features in a Sponge Vinyl Flooring

Almost any home can benefit from vinyl flooring because of its durability, long-lasting strength, and beautiful appearance. While these features are beneficial for many, vinyl floor is also known for their easy maintenance. It is certainly a good idea to take proper care of your vinyl floor so as to prolong its lifespan and preserve its appearance. The following tips and tricks will help you maintain luxury vinyl floors in your home, whether there are pets or children in the home. There are many ways to ensure that your home is ready to handle any accident, spill, or pile of dirt that may occur, including the best tools to clean vinyl floors, everyday cleaning tips, and tips on how to take care of vinyl floors.

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Photo: Tarkett

How to Clean Vinyl Flooring?

Pick-Up The Visible Dirt - The first step should be the pickup. It is a good idea to start by picking up any loose dirt from the vinyl floors. While dirt may not appear to be a problem for your vinyl, small rocks and pieces of dirt that are caught in your shoes can cause damage to the surface. The surface can be scratched over time, so picking up dirt is a good place to start.

Sweep or Vacuum Your Vinyl Flooring - Dirt can be removed by sweeping or vacuuming your vinyl floor. It is important to turn off the beater bar on your vacuum in order to prevent damage. It is recommended that you perform this task at least once per week. You may need to sweep or vacuum more frequently if you have a dirt driveway, pets, or children.

What Are The Best Ways To Maintain Vinyl Floors?

1. Spills should not be left to air dry on the floor.
2. It is important to wipe up spills immediately in order to prevent any damage.
3. The beater bar of your vacuum should not be turned on when you are vacuuming. Ensure that the beater bar is turned off at all times.
4. It is not recommended to scrub vinyl floors with steel wool in order to remove stains.
5. Avoid dragging heavy furniture across the floor when moving it.
6. Avoid scratches and dents by using furniture pads, and lift furniture rather than slide it, which can result in scuff marks.
7. Avoid using excessive amounts of water when cleaning vinyl floors. It is not advisable to use soaps or detergents on vinyl floors since they will leave a dulling film on the surface.
8. In order to maintain your product's warranty, you should follow the manufacturer's instructions when cleaning.
9. No matter whether your vinyl floors are waterproof or not, do not steam clean them.

Vinyl Floor Care and Maintenance Tips

Photo: Mannington Mills

Vinyl floors can be protected against damage from spills, mud, dirt, and accidents by following a few steps. Keep dirt and dust outside and you will have to clean your home less frequently.

Put a welcome mat on your doorstep - Adding an outdoor mat to your vinyl flooring is one of the easiest things you can do. You and your guests can wipe your feet at the foot of the door before entering the house if it is installed just outside the front or back door. By using a mat, dirt and debris will be reduced from being tracked into the house. It is also possible to invest in an indoor mat for the inside and leave shoes outside the door if you wish to take the idea a step further.

Put area rugs to good use - It is also a good idea to invest in area rugs in areas with high traffic. There is considerable foot traffic in hallways and staircases. You can limit the amount of dirt on vinyl floors by using a runner in a hallway or a custom stair runner on stairs.

Spills should be cleaned up right away - To prevent future damage to your floors, you should also wipe up spills immediately. The presence of standing liquid can cause the floors or planks to buckle when it seeps into the seams of the floor or planks.

Clean your home in a low-impact manner - Make sure that you do not use heavy-duty cleaners to blast dirt away. You should instead learn how to clean vinyl floors in the gentlest manner possible. Make sure that you sweep or vacuum vinyl floors every evening, and clean up spills as soon as possible. You can use a mop dampened with warm water (not hot) to clean dirt that cannot be reached by a broom or vacuum. In the event that all else fails, you may turn to soap, but make sure that the soap is designed specifically for your flooring.

Make sure you use the right cleanser - Cleaning vinyl floors made with no-wax vinyl can be accomplished in the following way: Use a cleaner designed specifically for no-wax floors and follow the instructions on the container.  In the case of older vinyl floors that require waxing, you should clean them with warm water and mild detergent. The mixture should be applied to the floor with a damp mop or sponge and rubbed gently to loosen the dirt. Ensure that you do not rub off the wax or you will have to reapply it. The floor should be rinsed with clean, cool water, regardless of whether the soap label indicates that rinsing is not necessary. Otherwise, you will leave a residue on the floor. Take care not to make these other cleaning mistakes which will merely increase the level of dirt in your home.

Watch this video to know more:

In our tips and tricks, you will learn how to care for and maintain luxury vinyl flooring, whether you buy brand new luxury vinyl floors or move into a home that already has vinyl floors.

Other flooring blog articles you may want to read:

BEST BUY VINYL FLOORING | COMPTON SPC VINYL

GOODFELLOW FLOORS: EXCEEDING YOUR FLOORING EXPECTATIONS

LAMINATE, VINYL, AND ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOORING OPTIONS: WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT?

FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE INSTALLING VINYL FLOOR

Today&#;s the day I reach into my virtual mailbag and pull out some of your questions. This can be challenging! Still, I want you to feel free to ask me anything!

Here is a quick summary of the questions I&#;ll answer in today&#;s post. You can click on one to go straight to it or just scroll down to read all.

Contents

If you&#;ve ever dealt with vinyl flooring&#;especially in an older home where the flooring has not been well-cared for&#;you know the heartbreak of trying to clean it. The problem is tiny grooves and crevices, especially along the baseboards and thresholds where stubborn dirt has built up over time and is now holding on for dear life.

But, truth be told, vinyl flooring is still alive and well&#;highly improved and quite lovely.

If you have new vinyl, old vinyl, grimy vinyl, or shiny vinyl, it&#;s good to know how to care for it&#;what to do and what not to do, which leads us into today&#;s first reader question.

Vinyl Floor Care

I just installed new vinyl flooring in my home. Is it ok to use rubber-backed mats and rugs? What is the best way to care for it? Sherry

Dear Sherry: Congratulations! I&#;ll bet your new luxury vinyl flooring is as gorgeous as it is practical. And affordable, too. Vinyl flooring has come a long way. But the problem remains that petroleum-based products like rubber can, over time, permanently stain vinyl.

Vinyl planks have chemicals in them. Most doormats and all kinds of floor mats with non-slip backing in the market contain rubber that can react with the chemicals found in vinyl planks causing the vinyl to appear stained.

That stain will be an ugly shade of yellow on light color vinyl. On darker vinyl and over time, the stain may give a dark, shadowy appearance on

To prevent discoloration, look for those made of or backed with PVC or polypropylene, which will not damage vinyl. Sierra Concepts offers an impressive line of PVC floor mats, some of which are safe for vinyl flooring. Here is one example:

Save $14.01

You could apply lines of silicone caulk (not latex or rubber) to the back of a traditional bath mat with no rubber or latex backing to create a non-skid surface.

Another idea would be to use bath mats with no rubber backing over thick felt rug pads. As long as the pad is heavy and slightly smaller than the rug itself, it should stay in place and provide a luxurious cushion for your feet and protection for your floor.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Sponge Vinyl Flooring.

As for the care and cleaning of vinyl flooring, here are some guidelines:

Preventing dirt and damage

Try minimizing dirt, stains, and abrasions before they occur. Dirt and dust, over time, can wear down and degrade the finish on any type of flooring, including vinyl tile or laminate. That&#;s why it is is always a good idea to locate a good-quality doormat or area rug in front of doorways so that grit and grime stop there and are not tracked into the house.

Never drag or furniture across vinyl flooring, and always use vinyl coasters under the feet and legs of your furniture to safeguard against permanent indentations.

Cleaning vinyl flooring

Vacuum and mop the floor with plain water to remove surface dirt, dust, hair, and product build-up in a bathroom. For weekly cleaning and disinfecting of vinyl flooring, use diluted plain white vinegar. The acidity helps removes dirt and grime without leaving a build-up of soap or wax.

To Use: Mix one cup vinegar with one-gallon hot water&#;a weak vinegar dilution. Use a damp mop to clean, rinsing the mop frequently with hot water. If the floor is filthy, add a few drops of Blue Dawn liquid dishwashing soap to the mixture before mopping. Then mop once with the soap mixture, a second time with the weak vinegar as above to rinse.

Super dirty, stained vinyl

This can be a problem, especially in older homes where dirt and grime have been allowed to build up over time; at doorways and along baseboards. The solution: Bar Keepers Friend cleanser.

The folks at BKF have confirmed that Bar Keepers Friend is excellent for deep-cleaning vinyl. Work in a small area, wetting the floor and sprinkling BKF as you go, scrubbing and cleaning as necessary to remove ground-in dirt, and making sure to rinse very well, before moving to another area.

What not to do

Keep these &#;Do Nots&#; in mind as you care for your new vinyl floor.

• Do not use a &#;beater bar&#; attachment (or switch that rolling brush off if it is built into the vacuum) when vacuuming vinyl. This can damage the flooring surface.
• Never use highly-abrasive scrubbers or steel wool.
• Do not use detergents, abrasive cleaners, or &#;mop and shine&#; products because these can leave a dull film on the floor.
• Do not use paste wax or solvent-based polishes.
• Do not use ammonia or ammonia-based cleaning solutions on vinyl flooring; these can break down the material and cause cracks in the flooring.

MORE: DIY Floor Cleaners for Wood, Laminate, Luxury Vinyl, Tile, Swiffer Refill

Healthy Artisan Bread Recipes

Love, love, love all the advice and the warm and caring relationship you have with your readers. Any 5-Minute Artisan Bread recipes that use 100% whole wheat (or whole wheat with oats), please? Cristina

Dear Cristina: Yes! Jeff Hertzberg M.D. and Zoë François, authors and creators of the 5-Minute Artisan Bread method, have published dozens of recipes like those you&#;re looking for in The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. 

This is a beautiful book with 33 new recipes and old favorites, including 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels, gluten-free breads, and other recipes showcasing whole grains and heirloom flours like spelt, sprouted wheat, and Khorasan.

Also new in this edition is a super-fast natural sourdough, using the quick and easy way to create bread that rival those of the finest bakeries in the world&#;with just five minutes a day of active preparation time! 

Your kind words mean the world to me. Here&#;s sending love, love, love right back to you!

Stubborn Water Spots

I&#;m an avid reader of your column but never thought I&#;d need your help. However, I let the lawn sprinkler spray all over my large picture window this summer. I thought nothing of it and just expected to be able to clean off the water spots when I got around to it.

First, I tried my regular window cleaning solution of household ammonia in warm water using a squeegee to dry. That didn&#;t work at all. The water spots were still all over my window. Next, I tried an aerosol spray glass cleaner with ammonia, which also did not clean off the water spots. Help! It is a south-facing window so I suppose the sun just baked those water spots on good, but there must be some way to get them off. Thanks for your help. LaVonne

Dear LaVonne: Have you tried plain white vinegar, straight up? I&#;d do that first, as vinegar is potent in removing calcium and mineral build-up. This would be the most straightforward option, so it makes sense to try that first.

If those spots remain, you likely have &#;silica stains.&#; Silica, which is found in all natural water in varying degrees, has bonded with the glass in your windows, causing them to appear etched. The good news is that you may be able to remove these silica stains yourself and bring your windows back to their original clean and sparkly condition, provided they have not become permanently damaged. Are you up for the challenge?

What you need to remove fine silica is a product that breaks the bond of the silica with the glass. Several very caustic chemicals will do that, but I won&#;t recommend you go that route because you would have to wear a respirator and heavy-duty gloves. And it could get pricey.

Instead, look at a non-toxic, biodegradable product with no acids, no bleach, and no chlorides, which does the same thing as more caustic options on glass and other surfaces.

AMAZ Water Stain Remover is, well &#; amazing! I&#;ve witnessed it remove tough silica stains with great success. It comes with a scrubber, so be sure to use it as you follow the label instructions.

I got a message from a reader not long ago who reported that he finally successfully removed 5-years worth of hard water stains on shower doors with AMAZ, and now the doors look brand new.

We&#;d love to know how things go, and which method solved your problem.

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