Unlike other types of flooring such as hardwood and vinyl, linoleum is an incredibly resilient material that will last throughout the years. This is why many home owners opt for linoleum tiles to be installed in high traffic areas around their home. Over time, it’s common for your floors to get dirty, particularly around the wet season.
Learning how to clean linoleum floors is important, as you’ll want to make sure you use the right cleaning products to enhance the appeal of your home. Below are some important tips and tricks to take into consideration.
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Step 1: Finding a Vacuum for Linoleum Floors
When it comes to shopping for a vacuum for linoleum floors you’ll want to find a unit that offers superior suction, ease of use, and a variety of attachments.
- Suction: One of the most important features of any hard floor vacuum is its suction, as it’s much more difficult to pick up dirt and dust from low pile floors, unlike plush carpet. Typically a hard floor vacuum will offer suction that is closer to the ground so you won’t have to worry about running over the same spot twice.
- Ease of Use: In terms of a user-friendly unit, you’ll want to take your cleaning desires into consideration. Are you interested in a vacuum that has cyclonic filtration? Or perhaps you need a lightweight unit that you can carry up and down the stairs? Ensure that you choose a model that incorporates everything that will help you to clean faster and with ease.
- Attachments: Typically vacuums will come with additional cleaning attachments to help make the job easier. For example, telescopic wands to get into hard to reach areas. When it comes to linoleum you’ll want to have a crevice tool to grab dirt from the corners of baseboards and around the legs of furniture. The more attachments you have, the cleaner your home will be.
Step 2: Find a Steam Mop for Linoleum Floors
Steam mops have become the latest and most popular way to get your floor clean because they don’t require the use of cleaning solutions, which can be preferable for home owners with children and pets. There are dozens of different types of steam mops, but choosing the right one will depend on its antibacterial features and its ease of use.
- Sanitization: Above all else, you’ll want to make sure to choose a steam mop for linoleum floors that offers a high level of sanitization. Since you won’t be dealing with cleaning chemicals, it’s important that you are able to remove bacteria and allergens. In most models, due to the heat of the steam, up to 99.9% of bacteria and germs will be removed from your floors.
- Scrubbing and Shining Mop Pad: Making the decision to purchase a mop to clean your floors typically means you won’t want to have to scrub away tough dirt and grime with your bare hands. Ideally, you should find a mop that has both scrubbing and shining features to ensure your floor can be cleaned up to 2 times faster than if you were to do it by hand.
- Integrated Fresheners: If you’re the type of home owner that doesn’t want to use cleaning solutions on your floor but you love the smell of a clean home, consider a steam mop that has integrated fresheners. They give you the ability to experience that brilliant after-clean scent with the help of fragrance discs.
Step 3 (Optional): Find a Steam Cleaner for Linoleum Floors
For home owners that aren’t comfortable relying solely on steam to clean their home, a steam cleaner may be the better option. Steam cleaners are specifically designed to give you the option between using steam or cleaning solutions, depending on the amount of tough dirt you’re dealing with.
They also tend to be more heavy-duty than their steam mop counterparts, offering a deeper clean. A few important things to look for in a steam cleaner for linoleum floors include:
- 2 Water Reservoirs: Unlike traditional steam mops, a steam cleaner is designed to tackle large scale jobs and so you’ll want to make sure you have 2 reservoirs, one for the water to clean your floor and the other for the dirty water that is brought back into the unit. You’ll also want to make sure that each of the reservoirs is large enough to where you can fill it once and not have to worry about refills in the middle of your clean.
- Heavy Duty Scrubbing Brushes: Linoleum is incredibly durable and to get the deepest level of clean it’s important to buy a steam cleaner with heavy duty scrubbing brushes that will penetrate tough dirt and remove it with ease.
- Drying Components: Also, to make each clean simpler you can easily find a steam cleaner that not only offers wet mopping, but that also dries the floor with each sweep. This is the perfect opportunity for home owners that are tired of waiting for their floors to dry after mopping them. A steam cleaner with drying components also helps to prevent the chance of streaking.
Step 4: Vacuuming the Floors
Before you start mopping, the most important part of cleaning linoleum is to make sure you vacuum the room. You’ll want to pay special attention to hard to reach areas such as under cabinets and furniture, as dust and dirt will only make your floor dirtier once you start mopping.
Step 5: Mopping the Floors
Now is the time to pull out your chosen steam mop or steam cleaner and begin the wet mopping process. To get the perfect shine out of your floors, ensure that you take your time and work either length-wise or width-wise around the room in a cohesive pattern.
Step 6: Dry the Floors
If you opted for a steam mop versus a steam cleaner, it’s important that you take enough time dry your floors. You can use an old towel to help absorb any excess liquid as stagnant water can be sucked into the grooves of the linoleum and give it a dull look.
To have a perfectly clean home, you’ll have to start with your floors. Linoleum is a popular choice of flooring for its durability and its easy maintenance. With the use of the right cleaning tools, you’ll find that the upkeep of linoleum is easier than with other types of flooring such as natural stone.
