Vinyl care guide

Vinyl flooring, or sheet vinyl, is a water-resistant, flexible flooring that can come in a vast array of different designs and is perfect in pretty much every room! It’s also waterproof, making it a great addition to any bathroom or kitchen. However, like any flooring, it needs to be cared for and cleaned properly to ensure it keeps its amazing finish for as long as possible. So, with that in mind, we spoke to our flooring experts to come up with our best advice for your vinyl flooring cleaning and maintenance.

Caring for sheet vinyl flooring

One of our mottos at Tapi is that prevention is often better than cure, and when it comes to vinyl flooring maintenance, that rule definitely applies! Here are some ways in which you can prevent dirt, stains, and marks from ruining your vinyl flooring before you have to take drastic action!

Your furniture can potentially cause dents or scrapes where it comes into contact with your floor. Grab yourself some floor protectors for legs or wheels and minimise the chance of this happening.
Make sure not to drag furniture or heavy items across your floor, as this could cause long-term damage.
Doormats are a great way to make sure you don’t bring grime and dirt into your house and over your flooring – keeping them at external doorways helps keep the dirt at bay.
Avoid wearing outdoor shoes on vinyl flooring where possible, especially high heels or metal-trimmed soles. Vinyl flooring is very hard-wearing, but the constant use of hard shoes will inevitably leave marks.
Using a microfibre brush daily to remove dust and debris will reduce the possibility of damage occurring.
Cleaning up spills and stains as soon as possible will help to keep your vinyl flooring looking good as new for longer. We go into further detail about how to clean vinyl floors below.
And finally, if you have furry family members, it can also help your vinyl flooring if you keep their nails trimmed.

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How to clean vinyl flooring

Deep cleaning vinyl floors is very useful now and again. Here are a few of our Tapi tips to ensure you know the best way to clean vinyl floors in your house.

Make sure that when you clean, you use a damp mop or cloth.
It’s important to remember not to use steam cleaners or overly wet mops.
Use a damp cloth or mop to blot accidents as they happen. But if that’s not possible, just take a cloth (wrung-out to almost dry) and move it across the stain lengthways in a zig-zag motion, without applying pressure. Then use a clean cloth to absorb any moisture that’s left.
It’s worth knowing that abrasive cleaners can damage your floor, so we always recommend you test your cleaner on a spare board, before you apply it to your gorgeous Tapi floor.

Vinyl flooring FAQs

Got a burning question about vinyl flooring? We’ve answered it below.

FAQs

What is a wear layer?

How can I care for my new vinyl flooring?

More FAQs

How to clean nail polish and felt tip pen marks

We’ve all been there. First, use a clean cloth and spot cleaner. Try to keep the cleaner just on the stain itself. Then wipe with a damp cloth to remove any residue.

How to get clean drink spills

Act as fast as you can on these, or they may stain. Wipe them away, straight away, with an absorbent cloth. If the stain has dried already, don’t worry, just dampen the cloth slightly first.

How to clean fat and oil spills

Fatty or oily spits and spills are common, especially in the kitchen. And keeping the little ones happy with a bar of chocolate, seemed like such a good idea at the time until half of it ended up on your floor. But it’s OK. Just use a floor spot cleaner and you’ll be right as rain in no time.

Can you steam clean vinyl flooring?

You shouldn’t steam vinyl flooring, because although vinyl is hard-wearing and water-resistant, the heat that comes from standard steam mops is too intense for the materials that make up vinyl flooring. It could potentially cause the tiles to warp and melt the glue with which the flooring is attached – you’ll find out more about this in our ‘What is vinyl?’ flooring guide. We advise using a damp (not sopping wet) mop or cloth with warm soapy water when cleaning vinyl floors.

If you’ve taken our advice, you should feel prepared with the best way to clean vinyl floors. If you need any further assistance or want to chat with one of our team, you can get in touch via phone or email. While you’re here, why not take a look at our gorgeous collection of luxury vinyl tiles, or even book a visit to your local Tapi store to come in and check out our collection in person? Alternatively, you can browse our range of other care guides, including carpets, artificial grass, and more.

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