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How to Care for Your Vinyl Floor

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Vinyl flooring is an easy, cost-effective, and attractive method of flooring that is popular among many homeowners across the UK. When properly fitted, it can last you decades, so long as you’re prepared to treat it with the care and attention it needs.

In this article, we’re going to show you how to care for vinyl flooring by giving you no less than seven useful vinyl floor maintenance tips.

Avoid using abrasive cleaners

One of the top tips for caring for your vinyl floor is not to use abrasive cleaning products on it. Cleaning solutions like bleach can damage the finish of your vinyl flooring, causing it to stain, blemish, or even peel away. Instead, look for cleaning products that are specially formulated for your particular type of vinyl floor.

Sweep little and often

If you leave dirt and dust on your vinyl flooring, it soon builds up, and, contained within it, it’s not unusual to find hard particles of dirt, sand, or stone brought in from outside on the soles of your shoes. With frequent brushing, this isn’t a problem. If you leave the dirt where it is, you can find yourself accidentally scraping those particles across the vinyl, scratching its pristine surface.

Clean up spills immediately

This is an important piece of advice for two reasons. From the point of view of caring for your floor, vinyl is a porous material, and spilled liquids can quickly stain it. Larger spillages can even soak through to the underside of the vinyl flooring, loosening the glue that holds it in place and causing unsightly bulges. Of course, from a health and safety perspective, you should clean up spills immediately to avoid slipping and falling on them.

Use the right type of cleaning chemicals

We’ve already mentioned not using abrasive cleaners on vinyl flooring, but it’s important to know the type of vinyl you’ve laid down. Vinyl floors tend to be either waxed or non-waxed, and it’s important that you buy cleaning products that are suited to your particular type. There are alternative solutions for both, however. Everyday washing-up liquid is an effective floor cleaner for non-waxed vinyl floors, easily removing dirt and grease. For waxed floors, why not consider using apple cider vinegar? It delivers a perfect clean without damaging the waxed finish.

Protect your floor from heavy furniture

If you have heavy furniture in a room with vinyl flooring, hard table legs and chair feet can leave dents in your floor. While this isn’t a problem while the furniture is in place, if yo want to rearrange the room or replace the table or chairs, you’ll soon be able to spot the damage done. Invest in some protective pads to put under the chair and table legs. These help to distribute the weight and reduce the risk of damage.

If you use a moveable chair (such as an office chair on casters), you run the additional risk of scraping the floor when you move. Lay down plastic sheeting under the chair wheels to avoid this problem.

Don’t drag heavy objects across it

It goes without saying that dragging heavy furniture and household appliances across your vinyl floor is a big no-no. Where it is safe to do so, we recommend lifting any such items above floor level before moving them. If that isn’t possible, lay down a length of plywood that will allow you to slide or push the item into position.

Avoid marking shoes

If you must wear shoes on your vinyl flooring, make sure they have soft soles. Hard rubber soles (or marking shoes) can leave unsightly black marks on the floor if you’re not careful to pick your feet up while walking. As for high heels, they can be absolutely disastrous, cutting into the flooring material and leaving a permanent scar.

Vinyl floor maintenance tips: final thoughts

While these hints and tips can keep your vinyl floor in great condition, if you’re thinking of replacing your existing floor, J. Daniel Carpet & Flooring Ltd can help. Based in Telford, we are a national flooring company specialising in domestic and commercial flooring projects alike, including vinyl flooring. Call the team today on 01952 461 700 or send an email to info@jdcf.co.uk for a free, no-obligation quote.