How To Clean Vinyl Floors With Vinegar? (3 Easy Steps)

Vinegar is the best solution to clean vinyl floors. It not only cleans the floor but makes it germs free.

There are different types of Vinegar available, but the most effective one is Apple cider vinegar. It immediately kills the bacteria from the vinyl floor and makes it look shiny and clean.

But improper use of strong Vinegar may lead to damage to your floor or discoloration problems.

There are proper ways to use Vinegar for cleaning purposes. Today’s article will go through some of the best ways to clean vinyl floors with Vinegar.

Table of Contents

How To Clean Vinyl Floors With Vinegar?

Vinyl flooring is the easiest floor to clean if you will do it in the right way. You can easily clean this floor 2-3 times in a week and make it shiny.

Apple cider vinegar is the most powerful cleaner for vinyl flooring. It not only helps to remove dirt but makes the floor shiny.

But an extensive amount of apple cider vinegar can damage your floor. Before cleaning, you have to learn how to clean the floor correctly to avoid protecting your floor from unnecessary damage.

Never use Vinegar on natural stone flooring before starting to confirm that your floor is made from pure vinyl material.

1- First Use Vacuum Cleaner

To make your mopping more effective, firstly clean the vinyl floor using a vacuum cleaner. The goal is to remove the dirt and dust particles from the floor. Because mopping with Vinegar on dirt can’t make your floor shiny.

If you start mop on a dirty floor, the dust and dirt particles spread across the floor and can’t be removed effectively.

Secondly, the waxy topcoat on vinyl floors can be damaged by dirt particles, so you must sweep the floor before vinegar mopping.

Vacuum cleaning before mopping can also save you extra time and energy, and you can easily mop your floor. Plus, this first step is also helpful in removing chairs, mats, and other furniture before mopping.

If you have pets in your home Vacuum is crucial for you, as it can remove pet hairs and bad odours from vinyl floors.

2- Assemble All The Tools And Start Mopping

Arrange all the tools that you need before mopping with Vinegar. First of all, you have Apple cider vinegar. It has strong acetic acid, which is effective for cleaning bacteria. If this Vinegar is not available, you can use White Vinegar for cleaning.

You can use baby oil for extra shining and fragrance, but it’s not crucial to use it. Two bucket cleaning is more effective and safe for vinyl floors. It can ultra clean your floor and eliminate the vinegar odour from the floor.

Now follow these steps for more effective cleaning.

Step 1: You have to put one cup of Apple cider vinegar in hot water and add some baby oil.

Step 2: Leave the mixture for 2-3 minutes so that Vinegar perfectly dissolves in hot water.

Step 3: Not wet the mop in this mixture and start cleaning the floor. Try to clean the floor gently so that the wax topcoat can stay safe. For best cleaning results, try to pull the mop towards yourself.

Step 4: If your vinyl floor is too large, you have to change the mixture because it will become too dirty, and you can’t effectively clean it.

Step 5: Once you have successfully mopped, it is time to mop again with clean water. You can likewise add baby oil to water to avoid the smell.

3- Best Ways To Clean Dirty Spots On Vinyl Floor With Vinegar

If your vinyl floor has dirty spots, you should pay attention to them. If there are paint stains on the floor, they can’t be removed with Vinegar.

You can use a spirit or petrol to remove these stains but gently clean the surface to avoid damage. Similarly, alcohol may remove makeup stains, nail polish stains etc.

Why Vinegar Is Effective For Vinyl Floors?

For Vinyl flooring, Vinegar is the top cleaner which is a convenient and affordable solution. It contains acetic acid, which has a PH of 2.4, and this acid makes Vinegar strong acid.

There are dozens of different types of Vinegar available, and most of them are used in the wine. White Vinegar and Apple cider vinegar are the most useful for vinyl floors.

Because of its firm acidity, it can dissolve with stains and remove them from the floor. You can also use Apple cider vinegar for cleaning mirrors and windows. You can use Vinegar with baking soda; this mixture can immediately remove the most challenging stains.

Other Considerations?

I have seen most people don’t dilute Vinegar or add a very low amount of water in a high amount of Vinegar. In that situation, Vinegar may affect the vinyl floor because it’s too strong.

It can damage the shiny wax on the vinyl floor, and soon the shine will disappear. Or, in some cases, it starts discolouration of the vinyl floor from some spots.

A high concentration of Vinegar can also cause respiratory irritation as it smells very hard. Especially if you are sensitive to odours, it may be difficult for you to breathe. Secondly, after mopping with Vinegar, don’t forget to clean your vinyl floor with water.

Please don’t leave your pets on the vinyl floor during the cleaning process; they will again spread dirt on the floor or may slip.

Why Use Baking Soda For Vinyl Floor Cleaning?

Along with Vinegar, why should you use baking soda for vinyl floor cleaning? This is an interesting question; baking soda is used for cooking purposes and tough cleaning jobs.

If stubborn stains are on your vinyl floor, baking soda is the best solution to eliminate them. Spread the soda on these stains and then gently scrub the floor with a wet brush.

We also recommend using baking soda along with Vinegar for effective cleaning. This will effectively clean the floor and don’t need to scrub too much on stains.

Alternative Ways To Clean Vinyl Floor?

If Vinegar is not available at home, you can use alternative ways to clean the vinyl floor. Vinyl floors are the easiest to clean. You don’t need to put much effort into the cleaning process. Here are some of the alternative ways that you can use.

1- Mopping With Shampoo

I have tried this method on marble floors, and it’s working well. You don’t need much effort to use this method.

Only add one Shampoo in the clean water bucket and mop it on the floor. After sweeping with Shampoo, don’t forget to mop again with clean water.

This method makes your vinyl floor ultra-clean and shiny, but don’t put a high amount of Shampoo in the bucket.

This method will not effectively eliminate the bacteria from the floor but make the floor clean and shiny. It will also spread fragrance and make the atmosphere breathe.

2- Use Floor Cleaner

If you want to clean your vinyl floor more effectively, you can use some detergent or floor cleaner. Rejuvenate High-Performance cleaner is specially made for vinyl flooring that makes it shinier and kills all the bacteria.

If you have pets in your home, we recommend using this luxury cleaner. Because of its natural formula, it’s safe for your floor. With this cleanser, You can easily clean the vinyl floor daily and make it new again.

Quick Tips To Maintain Your Vinyl Floor

Ensure to add rugs to the entryways; this will keep dirt and dust away from the vinyl floor.
Don’t walk on the floor with shoes, use shocks or clean sleepers at home.
Don’t regularly clean your vinyl floor with Vinegar. A Particularly high concentration of white Vinegar may be risky for vinyl floors. It’s good to clean the vinyl floor 2-3 times a week with Vinegar. Similarly, don’t add too much amount of Vinegar to water for mopping.
Never try to clean vinyl floors only with water, it will spread dirty water over the floor, and when it becomes wet, it leaves dirt stains on the floor.
Rinse well to remove all the soap. You can rinse 2-3 times for effective cleaning.

Final Words

Vinegar is the most powerful detergent that can remove all types of dirt and dust from the vinyl floor. It’s very easy to clean a vinyl floor with Vinegar; follow the above-mentioned steps for effective cleaning.

We have also mentioned some alternative ways to clean vinyl flooring so that you can try the best one.