Textured vinyl flooring can be tricky to clean, and if you want to know the best way to clean textured vinyl flooring you have landed in the right place.
The key to cleaning textured vinyl flooring is to clean in between the grooves and make sure that no water collects in these areas after mopping. We recommend starting with vacuuming followed by wet mopping – after this any crevices or stains can be cleaned by hand and the floor left to dry.
Let’s jump straight into the steps you need to take to properly clean a textured vinyl floor, and then we can look at the reasons why they are so difficult to clean and why some people can’t get enough of them!
Best Way To Clean Textured Vinyl Flooring in 5 Easy Steps
Before you get started you will need to collect a few things:
- Vacuum with vinyl-friendly attachment
- Liquid dishwashing detergent
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Mop and bucket
- Baking Soda (optional)
- Microfibre cloth
- A small container
1. Vacuum
The first step to cleaning a textured vinyl floor is to vacuum.
Start by using a floor-friendly wide attachment to vacuum the entire area quickly. Once done, switch over to a narrow head attachment that can get into the crevices of the texture of the floor.
These areas will collect dirt much more rapidly and will need to be vacuumed on a high setting carefully.
Vacuuming first is crucial as you need to remove as much dirt as you can before you mop. If you mop a floor that is covered in dust and dirt, not only will it potentially look worse afterwards but you will also have a high chance of scratching the surface.
2. Mop
Once vacuuming is complete you can move on to mopping the floor.
We recommend wet mopping, as the vacuuming stage will have removed most of the dirt that dry mopping would anyway. Mix hot water with a few tablespoons of liquid dishwashing detergent in the bucket as required and mop the entire area.
If there is an excess of soap left behind, replace the mop water with hot water and a few tablespoons of distilled white vinegar and rinse thoroughly. Soap residue can leave behind some nasty stains if left to dry.
3. Scrub Difficult To Reach Areas
Some areas of the floor might be harder to mop due to the textured patterns, so if you can’t clean any places properly simply use a cloth and apply the mop solution by hand in these areas. To do this simply rinse the cloth in the solution and scrub the areas.
The key here is to leave as little water behind as possible, as pools of water can cause problems with the drying process.
This may be tedious, but it is the only way to properly clean those places and make sure that an excess of water is not left behind.
4. Tackle Any Stains
If there are any stains left after mopping it is likely that they are food stains, which can be tackled using a paste of baking soda and water.
Mix two parts of baking soda to one part water in a small container as required and apply the paste using a microfiber cloth. Gently scrub the stain using the cloth and then rinse with water afterwards.
5. Allow To Dry
The final step is to allow the floor to completely dry.
All you need to do is leave your floor alone for a good amount of hours without anybody walking over it. The drying time can vary depending on a lot of factors, but you can speed up the process by increasing the temperature in the room or by improving air circulation by opening some windows.
Why Is Textured Vinyl Flooring So Hard To Clean?
Textured vinyl flooring is so difficult to clean because – you guessed it – the textured surface.
The uneven surface means it is much harder to vacuum and mop, and it also makes it difficult to tackle stains as well. Dust and dirt will gather in grooves quickly which means your floor may start to look dirty before a regular even vinyl floor would.
Another problem this causes is the difficulty when mopping. Due to the pattern of the floor water will be left behind in these areas and it may not be able to evaporate correctly which can leave your floor looking dirtier than before you started.
If you follow the steps above, however, you shouldn’t have any issues when cleaning your floor.
Benefits Of Textured Vinyl Flooring
With the difficulties associated with cleaning textured vinyl flooring, you may wonder why anybody bothers to have this type of flooring, but it does have some distinct benefits.
Grip
First and foremost a textured vinyl floor has a lot more grip due to the surface texture. Vinyl flooring on its own is often referred to as anti-slip flooring, so adding texture just increases this benefit.
This is beneficial for households with animals such as dogs or cats who may struggle to grip the floor properly. This can every important for some larger breeds of dogs, or simply older animals that need support for their joints.
Aesthetics
Another reason why textured vinyl flooring is popular is that it has an aesthetic that is difficult to replicate with any other type of flooring.
Some people just love the appearance of textured vinyl, and it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t bring something unique to a home.
Maintaining A Vinyl Floor
The best way to keep a textured vinyl floor clean is to have a good maintenance schedule to keep it clean.
Vacuum
Textured vinyl flooring can be quite prone to scratches, especially because it is prone to collecting dirt. If you walk over a dirty textured vinyl floor you can move pieces of dirt and debris which may scratch the surface without you realising.
You should aim to vacuum high traffic areas once per day when possible – it only takes a few minutes and it will reduce the number of scratches greatly. Remember to use a floor-friendly vacuum attachment.
Spot Clean
It really pays dividends to clean up any spills as soon as you notice them, as they will lead to stains if left unnoticed which can be much harder to remove.
If your vinyl is sealed properly it should be resistant to any spills, but this doesn’t mean you can leave them completely. If the seal is damaged with scratches then a spill can become a serious issue if it is absorbed beneath the surface.
Mop
Mopping doesn’t have to be done every day, or even every week for that matter, but it should be part of your cleaning schedule.
We highly recommend wet mopping at least once per month, and sometimes more often in high traffic areas. Dry mopping can be done more frequently, however.
Final Thoughts
While there is no gold standard for the best way to clean textured vinyl flooring, our method above will do a great job.
The main thing to remember when cleaning textured vinyl flooring is that it can be easy for dirt and water to collect in the ridges of the surface, which can cause scratches and other marks.