PHOTO 1: Dust mop floor.

Vinyl floors can be beautiful and durable when properly cared for. Use these steps and tools to keep your vinyl floors glossy and reflective.

Dust mop or vacuum daily (photo 1). A completely dry microfiber dust mop will yield the best results of any dry mop system when used regularly. You can also vacuum with a back pack style vacuum and hard floor tool. Depending on the environment, vacuuming with a HEPA vacuum may be very desirable. (Clinics, schools and hospitals value cleaning tools that diminish allergens.)

Once the dry debris is picked up, you can proceed to wet cleaning. Rotary machines and auto scrubbers are great tools for this. Budgets, accessibility of power outlets, and labor hours allotted all play a role in choosing the right tool for the job. With rotary machines, you still have the task of picking up the dirty solution once you’ve scrubbed. Auto scrubbers allow the flexibility of battery operated choices plus the convenience and superior cleaning of picking up the dirty water in one pass.

Use cleaning solutions that are least aggressive for the clean-up that is needed. In most areas that only see foot traffic, a neutral cleaner will work beautifully while minimizing damage to the floor finish. If food is served or heavy equipment is driven on the floor, you may need to use more aggressive cleaners. It is beneficial to rotate from more aggressive cleaners back to neutral solutions if possible. The more aggressive the cleaner, the sooner your finish will dull. The same goes for pads – use the least aggressive option first, you can always work your way up!

See our How To section for information on stripping and finishing vinyl tile floors.