If you have linoleum that’s been stained by dirt or grease, there are a few steps you can take to clean it up. First, use a clean cloth to wipe down the surface of the linoleum. Then, use a mild detergent and water mixture to clean the surface. Finally, use a cloth or a vacuum cleaner to clean the surface.
The floors of the house should be clean. But this rule is not always easy and simple to follow. Even the most unpretentious flooring is difficult to clean if you forget about regular cleaning for a while. Let’s figure out how to clean linoleum from ingrained dirt and how to properly care for it.
Flooring Cleaning Rules
To keep the material as long as possible retained its attractiveness, it must be properly cared for.
Stages of a proper cleaning
- Remove debris and dust from the base. Clean with a vacuum cleaner. If you don’t have one, moisten a broom with water, gently shake off the excess moisture. We sweep the debris in one direction. Then we remove it.
- Prepare a washing solution with a neutral soap solution. For daily cleaning warm clean water is enough. Soak a rag in the liquid, wash the coating. Wipe dry.
- Wipe the linoleum with a paste for a shiny finish. This can be purchased paste or homemade product. For example, a mixture of water and milk in proportions of 1:1.
It is easier to clean the floor with a warm detergent solution. It removes dirt better, because under the influence of temperature they dissolve faster. Do not use a hot liquid. It works effectively, but it spoils the structure of the material. It can be covered with irregularities and bubbles.
What categorically should not be done
In the pursuit of cleanliness, you can not forget that the surface can be irreparably damaged. Therefore, before cleaning it is desirable to determine what material will be treated. For each of the varieties has its own prohibitions. Thus, natural marmoleum does not tolerate alkali in diluted or pure form. It becomes brittle. But it can be treated with acids. PVC and chlorvinyl fabrics are destroyed by acid, but tolerate alkali.
In any case, you start cleaning with a new tool from a small fragment. Carry out a test. If the surface is not destroyed after a while, you can safely clean. Signs of material destruction are the appearance of stickiness and stains. The protective layer dissolves, becomes rough. It is important to choose a mixture that effectively removes dirt and does not damage the cloth. Chlorine-containing compositions are also forbidden for use. Even if you really want to remove a stain from a light-colored surface, you cannot use chlorine. It will destroy the base. Forbidden abrasive powders and mechanical abrasives. They scratch the protective film, leaving grooves and roughness. This spoils the appearance of the coating. Over time, dirt gets in and gets eaten into them. It’s much harder to remove it from there. It is impossible to restore a scratched surface.
How to clean dirty linoleum
To quickly clean linoleum in the kitchen from grease, you need to choose the right detergent. The easiest way is to use household chemicals, sold in any hardware store. There are special products for such treatment. Use them strictly according to the instructions written on the package. It is not recommended to change the dosage. May leave behind stains and streaks.
You can use laundry soap or any liquid soap. The selected preparation is diluted in small quantities in water. The resulting solution is used to wash the surface, then rinse and wipe dry.
Cleaning with soapy water does not always give the desired result. In this case, you need to switch to more effective methods. But this must be done gradually, starting with the weak ones, so as not to spoil the cloth. It should be understood that aggressive means not only clean, but also gradually destroy the protective layer of the finish. Let’s list what to clean the linoleum from the dirt at home and in the office.
What can be used, except for special agents
- A mixture with alcohol. Mix water and alcohol or vodka in proportions of five to one. Commercial soap is grated on a grater. Add about a handful of shavings for 7-9 liters of liquid. Stir vigorously until a homogeneous mass. Dial it on a sponge, apply to the soiled fragments. Can be left like that for a while to dissolve better. It is a good way to get rid of grease and soot.
- To enhance the effect, you can prepare the following remedy: dilute a little dishwashing liquid in a bucket of clean water, add a few drops of ammonia and stir. The mixture is good for cleaning grease.
- Kerosene or gasoline. Dissolves grease stains, but can spoil the surface. Therefore, first try it on an inconspicuous fragment. The preparation is soaked in a cotton disk, gently rub the dirt without effort. Then wipe with a soapy sponge, rinse.
- Olive. Pour a small amount of liquid on a rag, treat dirty areas. Let olive dissolve dirt. Clean flannel rubbed the cleaned surface to shine. Even if the floor is clean, masters recommend this treatment every three to four months. Olifa restores the elasticity of the material, prevents the appearance of cracks, restores its shine.
- Sauerkraut brine. One of the best folk remedies against dirt, even the most ingrained. The brine is abundantly moistened problem areas. Leave in this form for a short time. You should be careful, because there is acid in the juice, albeit in small quantities. Soaked contamination is scrubbed with a sponge, the floor is washed, rinsed and wiped.
- Strong chemicals. It is used as “heavy artillery” when nothing else works. This can be a cleaner from fouling for ovens of any brand or special products for professional cleaning of the office and home. Kercher RM 533 for lacquered surfaces, Kercher RM 532 or RM 536 for hard surfaces will do. You can look for a suitable formulation in the auto cleaning department. Strong foam products such as Multipurpose. Labelled “for plastic” is a must.
- Melamine sponge. Sometimes it is possible to use it. But you have to understand that melamine is a thin abrasive. The sponge does not wash away, but wipes dirt from the surface. This leaves the tiniest scratches. They are much smaller than with conventional abrasives, but they can still be seen. The base is moistened, then cleaned with a melamine sponge, rinsed and wiped dry.
How to deal with stains
A popular problem is yellow stains. Most often they appear on an old light-colored fabric. It is very difficult to get rid of them. Chlorine and any other bleach is not necessary. They will only dissolve the dye. Products containing acid, including those designed for cleaning bathtubs, will help. Of the “folk” recommendations suit lemon juice or dissolved citric acid.
Remove dark streaks from shoes and furniture with a white eraser or toothpaste. If it does not help, spray WD-40, gently scrub. With green, felt-tip or pen can cope with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, acetone, turpentine or solvent. All of these are used very carefully. Mildew and rust are removed with lemon juice, traces of coffee or tea with gasoline. After the linoleum in the kitchen or hallway will be washed, it is important not to forget about regular cleaning. So that it is always clean and neat.
How to wash embossed flooring
Let’s figure out how to wash off the ingrained dirt rough linoleum. To do this is more difficult than with smooth. Modern finishes so well imitate different materials that fully reproduce not only the color, but the texture. An embossed surface is more difficult to clean. Contaminants get clogged up in the fluted pattern, compress and dry out. Therefore, the first thing to do is to soak the caked particles. To do this, they are abundantly moistened with a warm detergent solution and leave for a while.
Then scrub with a brush. Its bristles should not be too stiff, otherwise it will damage the cloth. It is desirable to use a device on a long handle, so it was convenient to work. The brush will quickly clean the dirty areas, but you will have to rub them intensively. To make the task easier, some people use other devices. A steam mop can help. It’s easy to clean the surface. But it should be used very carefully. Steam treatment can not withstand every material.
Some craftsmen prefer to clean the cloth with a drill, putting on it the nozzle for polishing. A detergent is applied to the fragment to be cleaned, turn the drill on low speed. An ordinary vacuum cleaner, if used in tandem with a foam cleaner for the car interior, helps a lot. The foam pushes the dirt to the surface upon contact with the dirt. All that’s left is to collect them with the vacuum cleaner. To effectively clean the floor, you must follow the foam manufacturer’s instructions exactly.