Best Cleaner for Vinyl Floors
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| Bona Stone, Tile and Laminate 160 fl. oz | Rejuvenate High Performance Luxury Vinyl Tile Plank Floor Cleaner pH Neutral Formula Doesn't Leave Streaks or Dulling Residue 32oz | Pledge Floor Gloss Liquid, Sealed Wood Protector, Removes Dirt, Polish To Help Keep Floors Shiny, Original Scent, 27 fl oz | Quick Shine Floor Finish, 27 fl oz (Pack of 5) | Trewax Vinyl, Rubber And No Wax Neutral Floor Cleaner, 32-Ounce | |
| Best cleaner for vinyl floors | Yes | ||||
| Best cleaner for luxury vinyl floors | Yes | ||||
| Best vinyl floor polish | Yes | ||||
| Best cleaner for vinyl plank flooring | Yes | ||||
| Best pH neutral floor cleaner | Yes | ||||
| Read our Review | Read our Review | Read our Review | Read our Review | Read our Review |
|
| Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon |
How We Found the Best Cleaner for Vinyl Floors
Customer Reviews
Product Testing
Team Experience
Table of Contents - Best Cleaner for Vinyl Floors
Introduction – Best Cleaner for Vinyl Floors
Whether you’re a homeowner or renting, a clean and attractive home is both welcoming and comfortable. In millions of homes, vinyl floors are common options for kitchens and bathrooms, and they are beautiful when properly maintained.
Vinyl is also a popular flooring choice for homeowners because of its durability. While a routine sweep and mop are usually sufficient for all types of flooring, it’s advisable to use the proper vinyl cleaner for your vinyl floor.
Ensuring that your vinyl floor remains in tip-top shape does not need to be a full-time job. Additionally, given the various options on the market, it can be challenging to find the best cleaner for vinyl floors. If you’re wondering which cleaner is the best for vinyl floors, stick around. The Cleaning King team has reviewed 5 of the best cleaners on the market in 2021.
Buyers Guide – Best Cleaner for Vinyl Floors
But before we get into the reviews, the first thing to remember is that while vinyl floors aren’t as sensitive as stone or hardwood, the right cleaning product directly impacts their durability. To do that, there are several factors you should take into account when looking for the best cleaner for vinyl floors. These include:
1. Suitability For Vinyl Surfaces
Keeping vinyl surfaces clean is relatively easy and requires minimal effort. But you have to ensure that you’ve got the right cleaner. The ideal product for cleaning vinyl surfaces should be simple to use, streak-free and safe.
Prolonged use of the wrong vinyl cleaner can cause permanent damage. Some products may cause dullness, be abrasive, or may match the color of your vinyl floors. So ensure that you check the ingredients for suitability. This brings us to our next point.
2. Ingredients
Stay away from vinyl floor cleaners that contain abrasive formulas or high levels of acidity and VOC, even if they’re good at removing tough stains, grease, and soil. Highly acidic or abrasive chemicals might end up damaging your floor or contaminate the environment.
Additionally, avoid cleaners with harsh ingredients like alkylphenol surfactants and petroleum chemicals. These ingredients are harmful to pets and people.
3. Brand
The brand is an essential factor to consider when choosing the best vinyl cleaner. This is because not all brands are created equal. Quality matters, and some cheaper brands have a reputation for producing less effective and less durable cleaners than others. Always try to pick top brands.
4. Ready to Use or Concentrate Cleaners
According to experts, concentrated cleaners are best suited for professional floor cleaners because they require skill and knowledge concerning the proper mixing ratios. So for home use, ready-to-use cleaners are better and easier to use. There is no diluting or mixing involved, and they also contain very few dangerous or harmful chemicals.
5. Affordability
Pandemic or not, saving money should always be a priority. If the product you’re eyeing does not fit your budget, then don’t buy it. There are so many options available that fit any type of budget. So do your research to compare prices and read reviews, especially if you want to determine the quality. A higher price doesn’t always mean better quality.
How to Preserve Your Vinyl Floors
In addition to the buying guide, the Cleaning King team has put together the following tips to help you preserve your vinyl floors.
1. Clean up spills immediately
Oil, vinegar, and lemon juice are a few examples of substances with high pH levels that can cause discoloration and rough-looking stains. If any substances with high pH land on your floor, wipe these and other spills immediately. Ensure that you treat any leftover stains with an appropriate cleaning solution.
2. Treat any rust immediately
Vinyl flooring is synthetic and can occasionally be prone to rust. If you notice any rust, wipe it away with a microfiber cloth dipped in thin water and baking soda paste.
3. Protect it from furniture
While vinyl floors are durable, you can preserve the flooring by installing soft felt pads on the feet of heavy furniture. Avoid purchasing furniture with rollers because, like hardwood floors, vinyl plank flooring can easily be scuffed and scratched by sliding heavy furniture around.
4. Avoid cleaning with highly abrasive scrubbers
Using abrasive sponges, steel wool and other rough materials can easily scratch or eat through the protective coating atop your vinyl plank flooring. Try to use a mop or soft-bristled brush if you are looking for a deep clean.
5. Avoid ammonia
Ammonia eats away at the vinyl plank flooring’s synthetic coating. This breaks down the finish and causes damage to the flooring. Try going for a more gentle or natural cleaning solution.
6. Avoid paste wax or solvent-based polishes
Vinyl plank flooring is coated in a particular polyurethane layer that protects it, so it never needs waxing. In fact, waxes and solvent-based polishes can damage this topcoat and leave your floor with a dull buildup.
Our Reviews - Best Cleaner for Vinyl Floors
Best cleaner for vinyl floors
Best cleaner for vinyl floors – Bona Hard-Surface Floor Cleaner
Bona is one of the best cleaners for vinyl floors, allowing users to clean floors effortlessly. It is a ready-made formula, that’s very safe for your vinyl floors.
It is a water-based formula, which means it dries faster and does not leave any dulling residue behind. It’s a perfect choice if you have kids and pets. Additionally, the cleaner is GREENGUARD GOLD Certified, meaning it features very low VOC emissions. This product is excellent for the environment as well as for sensitive people.
The unique bottle design makes refilling a reusable spray mop cartridge or a spray bottle a breeze.
Stand-out features include
- Very low VOC emissions
- Water-based cleaning formula
- Contains ethoxylated alcohol
- Refillable mop cartridge
Best cleaner for luxury vinyl floors
Best cleaner for luxury vinyl floors
Rejuvenate High Performance Luxury Vinyl Tile Plank Floor Cleaner
The Rejuvenate Cleaner is one of the best for luxury vinyl floors. It features a non-concentrated formula, meaning you don’t have to dilute it since it is ready to use out of the bottle.
The formula is residue and streak-free, making it suitable for any vinyl floor. The product is GREENGUARD Gold Certified. So, it’s environmentally friendly because it generates very low VOC emissions.
Additionally, its pH-balanced formula contains shine boosters, which strip away residue, removes old wax buildup, and neutralizes any contaminants on your vinyl floors. You can use this formula; either as a spray bottle with the traditional microfiber mop, or as the click n clean spray mop system.
Stand-out features include
- GREENGUARD Gold Certified
- The formula is pH balanced
- Click n clean compatible
- Residue-free cleaner
Best vinyl floor polish
Best vinyl floor polish
Pledge Floor Gloss Liquid, Sealed Wood Protector
Johnson is one of the oldest and reputable companies in the polishing business. This product is a multi-surface finish that can be used on vinyl and hardwood, laminate, tile, linoleum, and more.
Pledge floor gloss liquid produces a transparent, quick shine, restoring old, dull floors and protecting them from damage. There is no rinsing required. All you need to do is apply and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes to dry.
Stand-out features include
- Easy to use
- It can be used on multiple surfaces
- Clear gloss
- No rinse required
Best cleaner for vinyl plank flooring
Best cleaner for vinyl plank flooring
Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Finish and Polish
Quick shine has many positive reviews, and there’s a good reason why. The product went through rigorous tests that earned it the Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Finish and Polish (Environmental Protection Agency) Safer Choice Label. For a product to earn such a label, it must be safe for humans, pets, and the environment.
Therefore, Quick shine is free of inorganic phosphates, dangerous solvents, harmful surfactants, and heavy metals. The product is designed to polish, protect and shine vinyl and other surfaces like laminate, tile, stone, hardwood, and more.
Stand-out features include
- Brilliant shine
- It can be used on various types of hard surfaces
- EPA Safer Choice Label Certification
Best pH neutral floor cleaner
Best pH neutral floor cleaner
Trewax Vinyl, Rubber And No Wax Neutral Floor Cleaner, 32-Ounce
The Trewax Cleaner is made using a neutral pH formulation, which ensures it effectively and gently cleans all vinyl flooring. The product helps to maintain and extend the life of any vinyl surface.
This product will not leave behind dulling marks or residue, meaning you won’t have to rinse the floor during regular cleaning. Trewax Cleaner is fortified with UV inhibitors, built-in water softeners, and optical brighteners, making the product very effective at removing hard water haze.
Although it will require you to dilute the mixture if you want to use it, the process is pretty simple, just dilute one to two ounces for every gallon of warm water for routine daily cleaning.
Be aware that this product may cause skin and eye irritation, so prolonged contact is not advised.
Stand-out features include
- Formulated with a neutral pH
- Has optical brighteners
- Formulated with built-in water softeners
- Contains UV inhibitors
- Compatible with spray mop systems
Conclusion – Best Cleaner for Vinyl Floors
Finding the best cleaner for your vinyl floors all boils down to your preference. However, we at Cleaning King found that the overall best cleaner for vinyl floors is the Bona Hard-Surface Floor Cleaner. Its streak-free formula cleans and dries quickly, which is what you need for this type of flooring.
Additionally, it is GREENGUARD Gold Certified; so, it produces low VOC emissions. Moreover, the product is not concentrated, which means no dilution is necessary. It’s a versatile product and should give you the best results.
This product is also very versatile. Apart from cleaning vinyl floors, you can also use it on stone, quarry, LVT, and ceramic floors, to mention a few.
The Cleaning King team has outlined the factors and features you should consider before buying the best cleaner for vinyl floors. We hope that this guide has helped you better understand how to find the product that suits your needs.
How to deep clean vinyl floors
Like all flooring materials, vinyl gets dirty over time, and once in a while, a deep clean is needed. While it’s generally easy to maintain vinyl floors, a deep clean requires more steps and tools.
How often you deep-clean depends on how much traffic comes through your house (from feet or paws), bringing dirt and grime with it. Some experts recommend a monthly deep-clean but if this routine is too much for you, try to stick to a minimum of two or three times per year to prolong the life of your vinyl.
You’ll need the following if you want to have your floss sparkling like new again:
- Baking soda
- Broom or vacuum
- Commercial cleaner or vinegar
- Microfiber cloths
- Putty knife
- Dish soap
- Rags
- Bucket
- Microfiber mop
- Water
- Toothbrush/ soft bristle brush
Once you have all of your supplies on hand, just follow the following steps:
Step 1: Preparing your floors
- Vacuum or sweep: As a first step, ensure that you thoroughly sweep or vacuum your vinyl floors. If you’re using a vacuum cleaner, make sure you have it in the right setting. Remove the beater bar to protect against scratches unless your vacuum has a specific setting for bare floors.
- Buff out scuff marks: If there are any scuffs, use a damp microfiber cloth to remove them gently. For stubborn dirt, try using a WD-40 lubricant or jojoba oil and rub until the scuffs disappear.
- Pre-clean hard-to-reach spots: If you have any food stains like mustard, ketchup, grape juice, and so on, make a paste using baking soda and water. Gently rub the stain until it disappears. Additionally, you can use a damp toothbrush or soft bristle brush to scrub in any hard-to-reach spots. You might need to scrape up built-up gunk using a putting knife.
Step 2: Clean with Mop
Use a commercial cleaner of your choice, or you can make a solution of vinegar and water to mop the floor. If you decide to use vinegar, add two or three drops of dish soap to the bucket for some suds.
Rinse the mop in your bucket often, wringing it out thoroughly. Keep in mind that your mop or microfiber cloth should be damp and not soaking wet. Excess water could leave your vinyl warped.
Ensure that you replace dirty wash water as needed with a new mix of your preferred cleaning solution. Once you’ve finished mopping, throw away the wash water, rinse and wring out the mop, then rinse-mop the floor with clean water.
Skip the last step if you used a vinegar and water solution.
A few bonus tips; you can use a soft, nylon-bristle to help remove all types of stains, mainly when used together with a vinyl floor cleaner. You can also use rubbing alcohol to remove lipstick, hair dye, and ink stains. If you have any mineral spirits, you can remove crayons, paint, and marker stains.
Step 3: Dry the Floor
To make sure that you don’t leave any standing water on your vinyl floor, you should dry it. The leftover water can penetrate between the seams in the vinyl, causing gaps and warping. Eventually, the adhesive will lose its grip.
This is why we insist on using a microfiber mop instead of a string mop — it’s a lot easier to wring water out of the former. So dry the floor with clean microfiber towels to avoid leaving any water.
How to clean vinyl floors with vinegar?
Vinegar is one of the best natural cleaners for vinyl floors because it has antimicrobial properties and makes an excellent scent refresher. So why use vinegar for vinyl floors?
Vinegar has a relatively high pH making it a pretty strong acid. The acid eats through the cells of bacteria and other organisms that may cause illness and other issues. It’s also great at breaking down the compounds that make certain messes sticky or stubborn.
For vinyl floors, you have to proceed with caution when using vinegar because it can damage the protective layer of the floor. So to get the best of both worlds, you’ll need to accurately dilute the vinegar with water. Alternatively, you can use apple cider vinegar which is milder than regular kinds of vinegar.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Vinegar
- A bucket
- Water
- Vacuum
- Microfiber cloth
- Gentle oil like WD-40 or jojoba
- Soft bristle
- Baking soda
How to Clean Vinyl Floors With Vinegar
Step 1: Preparation
- Vacuum: First, you should sweep or vacuum your flooring to remove any dirt and debris. This is an essential step because vinyl is soft, and you could damage the finish if you attempt to mop or clean. At the same time, you still have abrasive particles around.
- Prep your vinegar: Take a gallon of hot water and mix in one cup of vinegar. And that’s it. The heat and acidity will break down any messes without leaving a residue as soap does.
Step 2: Cleaning Your Floor
Use a soft microfiber cloth or mop and avoid any abrasive cleaning tools because they could damage the finish of your floor. Allow the acid in vinegar to do all the work. If you have stubborn dirt or haven’t cleaned the floor in a while, you can add a few drops of liquid dish soap to help the vinegar break down the dirt.
- Soak your cloth in the solution and wring out any excess water. Make sure it’s damp, not wet.
- Go over your floors, rinsing the cloth frequently to prevent spreading grime around.
- If you have particularly stubborn stains, you can use a gentle oil like jojoba or WD-40 and a clean, soft rag to gently rub the scuff with the oil. Use circular motions until it comes off. Clean the floors as usual afterward.
How to clean discolored vinyl flooring ?
If your vinyl flooring is discolored or looks dingy, we at Cleaning King have put together a few tips on how to clean discolored vinyl flooring. With these methods, you can restore your floors to their former glory.
So what causes discoloration of vinyl flooring? Any type of stain can lead to discoloration, including:
- Adhesive stains: Caused by the adhesive underneath the tiles coming through and creating a stained appearance on the floors.
- Liquid: Spills from water, juice, and milk can cause stains on vinyl flooring. Water significantly can stain if left for too long, and sugary drinks are harder to clean up once they’ve dried.
- Moisture: Moisture seeping from underneath or on top can cause discolored stains. If vinyl flooring is exposed to moisture for long periods, it can stain because it’s not waterproof.
- Food: Food leaves behind stubborn stains, especially things like tomatoes or fruit spills. Ensure you clean these up right away.
- Makeup: Makeup can stain floors if not cleaned up immediately.
- Crayons and markers: Crayons and markers are tough to clean if left for too long.
How to clean discolored vinyl flooring
It’s normal to have some yellow discoloration after a few years, but proper maintenance will keep discoloration at bay. Here are the steps you need to clean discolored vinyl flooring:
What you’ll need:
- Baking soda/ Lemon/ Vinegar
- Water
- Rubbing alcohol
- Dish soap
Step 1: Prep
- Mix baking soda with water to make a thick paste. Alternatively, you can use a lemon and water solution or a vinegar solution.
Step 2: Cleaning
- Use a soft white cloth to rub the paste over stains, especially stubborn ones.
- Rub gently allow the baking soda to loosen and lift the stains
- Wipe with a separate clean cloth to remove baking soda residue
Remember not to soak the floor with water and dry it thoroughly afterward. Additionally, if you have tough stains like ink or makeup, rubbing alcohol should do the trick.
To avoid discoloration of vinyl flooring, here are some things you should stay away from:
- Bleach and harsh chemicals can damage and discolor the floor.
- Heat: avoid using hot water or steam cleaner when cleaning vinyl floors.
- Direct sunlight: If you get a lot of sun in your home or have large windows, vinyl flooring may not be suitable.
- Rubber rugs: Rubber rugs can agitate the floor and ruin the vinyl tile color
- Dirt: Always remove your shoes before stepping onto vinyl flooring because dirt, gravel, and chemicals from asphalt irritate the vinyl and, over time, will cause discoloration.
How to clean pet urine from vinyl flooring ?
Having a furry friend around the home is undoubtedly wonderful, but they aren’t great for vinyl flooring. As much as you can housetrain your pets, accidents happen, and it can be tricky to remove pet urine stains and smell from the floor.
Cleaning is made even more challenging because if you get too rough, you might end up damaging the floor, and if you’re too gentle, the stain and smell will linger on. So what do you do if you need to clean pet urine from vinyl flooring?
Fortunately, we at Cleaning King have a few tips for you to eliminate pet urine permanently.
For this, you’ll require:
- Baking soda
- Microfiber cloths
- Rubbing alcohol
- Abrasive sponge
- Soft bristle brush
- Water
- Long spoon
- Bleach free Dishwashing detergent
- Rubber gloves
- Vinegar
- Paper towel
- Broom
Step By Step Guide:
Step 1: Put on the rubber gloves and use the paper towels to soak up the excess urine. The gloves will protect you against germs and bacteria.
Step 2: Use a broom to sweep the area to eliminate any excess dust and dirt. It will also ensure that you have direct access to the stain.
Step 3: Mix the dishwashing detergent, a gallon of warm water, and 1 cup of vinegar into the bucket using a long spoon. In this step, avoid creating suds.
Step 4: Dip the brush into the bucket and gently scrub the stain with the mixture. Follow up with a water rinse. If this doesn’t work, you can try step 5.
Step 5: Make a baking soda paste by mixing equal parts of water and baking soda. Apply the paste and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Use the soft brush to scrub the floor and use the dry cloth to wipe clean the area. Lastly, soak a clean cloth with alcohol and scrub the area.
Repeat the process as needed for the stain to disappear. After some days, you should notice an improvement with the stain. If there are still a few stains left, you can use hydrogen peroxide with a q tip so that the unstained floor doesn’t lighten too much.
Can you use Pine-sol on vinyl floors?
The answer is complicated. However, we do not recommend using pine-sol on vinyl flooring. While some users and experts argue that pine-sol can still be used, the Cleaning King team believes you should avoid it. Why? Simply put, pine-sol can cause long-term damages to vinyl flooring.
Even though vinyl flooring is quite durable and can take a beating, it is surprisingly delicate and requires the right amount of care. Pine-sol is simply too harsh a cleaning material to keep using on your vinyl plank floor for an extended period. It can cause a hazy and dull appearance over time and is bound to leave streaks.
If you want to use pine-sol on your vinyl flooring, ensure that you rinse off almost immediately after cleaning. This will prevent the product from soaking too much on your floor. The mildest methods are best suitable for your vinyl floor cleaning.
