Can i use mr clean on vinyl floors

People love installing vinyl flooring in their homes. Not only is it a low-cost flooring option that can make a big impact, but it's also a fairly low maintenance choice. Given how busy everyone is these days, finding a way to clean your house fast is always a bonus. Here's how one cleaning pro says you should keep your vinyl floors clean.

Related: How to Keep Your Floors Protected from Snow, Sleet, and Slush During Winter Parties

1. Choose the right tools for vinyl flooring.

Vinyl flooring is very easy to maintain with tools for dirty household jobs such as a high quality microfiber flat mop and a well formulated neutral pH floor soap like Mr. Clean, says Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer at MaidPro. "Microfiber traps 10 times more dirt than cotton, which reduces streaks, while the neutral pH soap lifts oils and soils without dulling the acrylic top layer of the vinyl," she says.

2. Damp mop your vinyl floors.

Homer says that vinyl plank floors, even those that claim to be waterproof, are not often water resistant at the seams. This makes them very susceptible to water damage along the seams and baseboards where moisture can seep in. "To avoid water damage, it is best to mop vinyl floors with a technique called damp mopping," she says. "First, vacuum the floor thoroughly with a canister vacuum using a horsehair hard floor brush attachment to avoid scratching your floor. Vacuuming removes more dirt than sweeping."

Next, she says you should prep for mopping by diluting your floor cleaner in a quart spray bottle. You should also wet and then thoroughly ring out your microfiber flat mop pad with fresh warm water. "To mop, spray a 3-foot square section of the floor with a light even mist of floor cleaner and then mop it off immediately with your lightly dampened mop head," she says. "Repeat this process across the floor, stopping every couple of sections to check if the mop pad is dirty or saturated. Rinse and wring the mop pad when it gets close to full."

3. Avoid cleaning tools that get vinyl floors too wet.

String mops and steam mops are both major no-nos, says Homer. "Regardless of the tool you use, the key is to never leave puddles or let the floor get sopping wet, as water can absorb and ruin the underlayment and base flooring underneath," she says. "Vinyl floors are also susceptible to scratching and dulling, so never scrub it with anything scratchier than the scrubbing back of a nonabrasive kitchen sponge."

4. Stay on top of messes that might compromise your vinyl flooring.

All hard floors, vinyl or otherwise, should be mopped to match the frequency of the foot traffic in the room, Homer says. "For most homes, high traffic rooms like the kitchen, bathroom, and front entryway should be mopped weekly to every other week," she continues. "Less frequented rooms, like a formal dining room, can be mopped every two to four weeks, depending on use."

Linoleum and vinyl flooring are pretty similar, at least in how you care for them, although apparently linoleum is the greener alternative (but also less common, at least currently in newer homes than vinyl).

Whether you have vinyl or linoleum floors it appears the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser appears to be safe to use on these surfaces at least in small does (see the caution below, however, before using them!)

In fact, some linoleum is textured, and therefore is prone to getting dirt caught in the wells and crevices of the textured flooring. In those situations a magic eraser sponge may be just the thing needed to really get in there and clean up the dirt and debris.

As a note of caution, however, please note that these sponges are made of melanine foam, and work through the power of abrasion. Both vinyl and linoleum floors are rather soft and are prone to scratching anyway. Therefore, when you use the Mr. Clean sponge (or its generic equivalent) on such a surface it is leaving small micro-scratches on the surface. If you do it too much, or over too large of a surface it will cause the finish to dull from all those tiny little scratches.

Further, some linoleum floors are waxed. If this is the case using this cleaning product for them can rub away the protective waxy layer, meaning you will need to reapply wax to the floor sooner than you would have otherwise.

Therefore, my suggestion would be to use this cleaning product sparingly on both vinyl and linoleum flooring, although to get a small scuff or a spot of ground in dirt it should be fine.

If you're very concerned about how it will impact your flooring I would definitely spot check the product in an inconspicuous area, and then examine it closely to see what kinds of scratches or dulling occurs, before using it in a very visible area.

I would love to hear your tips for how to clean linoleum floors, and what you do to keep them clean. You can share your cleaning tips here with me.

I've answered this question as part of my cleaning help and questions section of the site. I'd love it if you asked me your own questions, or just came over and checked out what other things I've already answered for other readers!

Photo by michale

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.

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