Use This Natural Kitchen Staple For Sparkling Clean Vinyl Floors

Since the 1960s vinyl has been a highly popular flooring choice which is due, in part, to its relative durability when also considering how affordable it is. While vinyl flooring is still gaining traction for in-home installations, it can be troublesome when cleaning day arrives. Vinyl cannot be cleaned with harsh solutions like ammonia and bleach, which can result in severe damage to this delicate material. Similarly, using abrasive cleansers on this flooring type can scratch the tiles, resulting in a lackluster appearance that is more susceptible to damage later on too. 

While there are a lot of "don'ts" when it comes to cleaning your vinyl flooring, fortunately, a simple household staple takes the guesswork out of it entirely. White distilled vinegar is the perfect cleaner for your vinyl flooring — not too harsh or too gentle — striking the ideal balance that you need. This is because vinegar is acidic enough to cut through any sort of mess that has built up on your vinyl floors (it's also a key ingredient in this DIY laminate floor cleaner recipe) but it won't harm the floor's synthetic makeup, which other, harder-hitting cleaners might.

It is beyond easy to achieve sparkling vinyl floors; all you need is a large bucket, some distilled white vinegar, warm water, and a mop (preferably a microfiber one). You should obviously sweep your floors or dry mop them first in order to remove any debris that might scratch the material. Also, keep your mop head clean to avoid inadvertently damaging your floors. After the surface dirt is taken care of, mix 1 cup of white, distilled vinegar into a gallon of warm water. Dunk the mop into the mixture and wring out as much excess water as possible. Mop as you would normally, being careful to not leave pools of water standing on the floors (while vinyl is resistant to water, regular standing liquid that is left on it can cause damage to the fragile material). If you're particularly paranoid about protecting your vinyl floors, dump out the vinegar water afterward and mop the floors once more, this time using a bucket of plain, warm water. 

While this gentle vinegar mixture will tackle day-to-day messes with ease, you can pack a more powerful cleaning punch by adding a few drops of liquid dish soap to the vinegar mixture. Remember to rinse the floors thoroughly afterwards, however, as the dish soap can make vinyl floors dangerously slippery. Suffice it to say that vinyl is a fabulous flooring option for many lifestyles and interior design preferences, just remember to employ expert-level tips to maintain it so you get the most bang for your buck.