How To Clean Linoleum Floors

Linoleum Floor Cleaning Tips

Genuine linoleum is a material with the same maintenance characteristics as wood.

It is very tough and quite durable but has difficulty with moisture and alkalinity. In order to maintain it's appearance and also to protect it from dirt and moisture, linoleum floors should be cleaned and polished only with cleaning products specific for use on genuine linoleum.

Standard Linoleum Floor Cleaning

• Sweep and/or vacuum the floor thoroughly
• Mix your cleaning products as instructed
• Mop the floor with a slightly dampened mop. Go easy on the water
• Change your cleaning solution as it becomes dirty
• Air dry, or use a sh-mop to remove water spots

Heavy Duty Linoleum Floor Cleaning

To do a real heavy duty Linoleum floor cleaning (assuming the linoleum is not just old and discolored) try this: We use this on all linoleum floors we clean, and we clean A LOT of floors!

Mop linoleum with a mild detergent and wait awhile to allow it to penetrate the ground-in dirt

• Use a canister vacuum, or broom and thoroughly vacuum up all dust and dirt.
• Get a good wax stripper and using a good scrub brush, follow manufactures instructions, and make sure any wax on the linoleum is completely removed.
• Mix white vinegar (food grade) and water 50/50 in a spray bottle fill up a mop bucket with warm/hot water.
• Use the spray bottle to spray the vinegar solution on the linoleum floor, and mop the floor with the warm water in the mop bucket.

The vinegar cleaner solution smells, but as it dries the smell will dissipate completely, it cuts grease and is a disinfectant and a mold and mildew remover. It leaves no residue or spots.

Dry The Floor.

To dry we use a thing called a sh-mop. (or shine-mop) to dry the floor and remove any water spots. It also has an added bonus of finding and removing residual dirt that is left after mopping.

The Sh-Mop is used for hard surface flooring. It is a white terry-towel fit over a rectangular mop head. This is a very low profile mop that swivels 360 degrees for easy floor cleaning. The Sh-mop can be used to wet mop marble, tile, wood, and vinyl flooring using dampened 100% cotton terry cloth covers.

It easily scrubs tile, vinyl, linoleum wood and marble with a nylon scrub pad or cotton cover. Its works really well for cleaning hard floors. It is highly absorbent, and reusable machine washable cotton. You just toss the dirty cotton covers in the washing machine after use.

We use gallons of vinegar, and buy the sh-mops over the internet (for volume discount). You may be able to find a sh-mop on the internet or something similar locally.

Heavy Duty Floor Cleaning

• Sweep and/or vacuum the floor thoroughly
• Mix your cleaning products as instructed
• Mop the floor with a slightly dampened mop. Go easy on the water
• Change your cleaning solution as it becomes dirty
• Air dry, or use a sh-mop to remove water spots

Cleaning before waxing and polishing

• Follow the instructions as listed above
• Rinse the linoleum floor with clean water
• Apply the wax or polish according to instructions

Floor Care Cleaning Tips Linoleum Floors

Proper care of your floor will prevent damage and extend its life significantly.

First of all, take your shoes off at the door. And install some floor mats. Sand and dirt are not just annoying or unsightly. These little pebbles grind away at the surface, dulling the shine with small pits and scratches. You'll be doing your self a big favor in the long run too. You won't have to clean the floors as often with less dirt and grime being tracked in.

Always vacuum or sweep your hard surface floors before mopping. Otherwise you are just adding water to the dirt and spreading wet grime around. Then the dirt settles in the cracks and pits dulling the shine. Not to mention the floor is just not clean. Linoleum floors are susceptible to water. They will degrade over time if the floor is over damp. So use as little water as possible taking care not to slosh it around. Most detergents leave a reside on the floor which will ultimately attract dirt. So either rinse it off with clean water, or do what we do, wash the floor with a solution of 50/50 white vinegar with water. It leaves no residue, is a natural deodorizer (the vinegar smell dissipates as it dries) and it is better for you and the environment not to use harsh cleaning chemicals.