Vinyl floors or vinyl luxury floors! They are not just luxurious by name, but they also give an elegant touch to your home. However, you’d want to clean them on a regular basis to keep them looking shining and thriving.
Vinyl flooring or vinyl plank floors are easy to maintain. Additionally, it is important to understand how you can make it look fresh and preserve its durability for a longer duration.
Today we are going to have a detailed discussion on whether or not you can use bleach on vinyl flooring or not. Therefore, if you have any sorts of confusion regarding this, follow up the article till the end.
Without a further due, let’s get started, shall we?
Cleaning vinyl floors with bleach
You can clean vinyl floors with bleach. However, it’s not recommended. Commercial grade bleach may contain corrosives that can damage the shine and health of your vinyl floor. Using such products can also reduce the lifetime of your floors.
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As mentioned before vinyl flooring is easy to maintain but the products that are used to clean the flooring should be safe. Using ammonia, bleach and other corrosive chemicals can damage the shiny effect of the flooring and reduce its lifespan.
Apart from using such chemicals, you can use vinegar. Vinegar is largely used for household cleaning purposes. However, it should be diluted before using. Using a concentrated formula can harm the floors.
Vinyl wood flooring:
Vinyl flooring is usually considered more affordable than other floorings. However, it can be a bit less durable but considered as a great synthetic alternative.
Additionally, using bleach on vinyl wood flooring would damage the finish of the flooring. In severe cases it can also damage the flooring. Moreover, if you choose to use bleach, make sure you are using it in a very small amount, or dilute it in a large amount of water.
Vinyl luxury plank flooring:
Vinyl luxury planks are better and long lasting than vinyl sheets. It is a great option for you if you are looking for sustainability and easily repairable options then vinyl luxury planks are your thing. They are multifaceted, so they will go along with all types of commercial or homely interior settings.
However, using corrosive cleaning products or concentrated bleach in purpose of cleaning the vinyl luxury plank flooring, can be proven harmful.
Cleaning the floor thoroughly or leaving any mixture of bleach on the floor for too long can damage the health. Additionally, the top coat which gives the flooring its shine can go away when such products are used.
Vinyl peel and stick flooring:
Vinyl peel and stick flooring is a simple and low-commitment way to give your floors a new look. It’s mostly used for rental units or low-budget remodels.
However, they can have an average lifespan of 5-25 years. Moreover, how it will perform depends a lot on the process of installing.
Other factors such as how much traffic that area is receiving, and how often the flooring is exposed to water also has an impact. Additionally, using bleach or products that contain bleach will have an impact on these types of flooring. There’s a higher chance that exposing it to bleach will directly affect the sheets.
Does vinyl react with bleach?
Bleach can react with vinyl flooring. We use multiple products for cleaning purposes in our house. Whether it’s the flooring or clothes, bleach is used in many house cleaning tasks. Now, bear in mind that there are many commercial graded cleaning products that contain harmful chemicals that can cause damage to your belongings.
Every vinyl flooring has a top-coat that tends to shine and gives away an elegant look. Usage of products such as nail polish remover,undiluted bleach, ammonia, paint thinner etc can react with the vinyl. As it will create a chemical reaction, you may notice discoloration or destruction of the top coat in multiple areas of your vinyl flooring.
However, if there are no other options left rather than using bleach, then make sure to use it in a diluted form. You can use water to dilute bleach. Additionally, the bleach mixture should not be kept on the vinyl flooring for too long. Also, be sure not to rub the bleach too hard into the flooring. Doing all these can cause damage to the flooring.
What bleach is safe for vinyl floors?
Bleach is used in almost all sorts of house cleaning works. However, there are times when we should not use bleach.
Here is what bleach safe for vinyl floors:
Diluted bleach:
First of all, no bleach is recommended to use on vinyl floorings. However, you can use it in its diluted form. Applying excessive amounts of bleach can damage the floors in no time. Additionally, it can leave stains and make your vinyl floor look worn out.
Therefore,whenever you choose to use bleach, try not to go for full-strength bleach. Always remember to dilute it with water or other harmless materials.
Depending on what sorts of floor cleaning you need, you can change the cleaning material. You can use vinegar, baking soda, dishwashing liquid and other stuff like this. However, one thing is common for all the materials : the floor needs to be cleaned with water afterwards.
If you are just washing or cleaning your vinyl flooring with any of these ingredients and not cleaning it with water once dried, it could leave stains. Additionally, if the materials used in cleaning contain corrosives, it can also lead to damaging the health of your vinyl floor.
How much bleach to use for vinyl flooring cleaning?
You can use ¾ cup of bleach per 2 gallons of water, in order to clean vinyl flooring.
However, you can decrease or increase the amount depending on the area you are planning to clean. Remember that using too much bleach can cause damage to the flooring.
Moreover, you can use stuff like baking soda, water and isopropyl alcohol to remove stains. Additionally, no cleaning chemical should be used more than the required amount. You can either read the manual of the product or take expert help.
One thing that is able to hurt your vinyl in no time is standing water. Therefore, whenever you are cleaning your floors you should pay attention to the kind of mop you’re using. It is recommended to use a microfiber mop or a string mop.
Additionally, you’d want to make sure that you have wrung excessive water from your mop. This will prevent from creating any sorts of stains.
How to clean vinyl floors with bleach?
Bleach and cleaning go by hand in hand. And when it comes to cleaning floors, bleach is considered to be a common option.
Here is how to clean vinyl floors with bleach:
Making bleach and water mixture:
Using bleach over a vinyl flooring not just only helps you clean the floor, it also disinfects it. And by now you do understand that you cannot be using undiluted or concentrated bleach on your vinyl flooring. Therefore, you need to dilute the bleach with water.
You can use ¾ cup of bleach per 2 gallons of water. The density of bleach shouldn’t be more than that. Using this mixture, you can mop off the floor.
Additionally, you can keep this bleach and water mixture on the floor for five minutes if you want better cleaning results. Bear in mind that leaving the bleach-water mixture on the floor for too long will risk the health of your floors.
Over time you may also notice that the overcoat of the vinyl flooring is fading away.
Mopping of the floor with water afterwards:
Once you are done mopping your floors with bleach-water, you would want to mop the floor again. The reason behind that is, leaving the mixture on the floor could damage the flooring.
This would decrease the lifespan of the flooring. Additionally, while mopping be sure to get rid of the extra water present in the mop. Excessive amounts of water can leave traces and marks on the flooring.
Therefore, you would need to clean the bleach-water mixture with more water afterwards. This will prevent your floors from the risk of being damaged.
Drying the floor:
This is something that needs to be done if you want your flooring to last. Like corrosives, water can be harmful for your vinyl flooring. You cannot expose the floor to water constantly.
Additionally, once you have cleaned the floor using bleach-water mixture and water, there is already too much water everywhere. Therefore, it is important to use a rag or microfiber cloth to dry the floor. They absorb a good amount of water in no time.
Final Thoughts
You can clean vinyl floors with bleach. It will not only clean it but also disinfect the floor. However, it is not recommended to use bleach on vinyl floors. Usage of undiluted bleach or concentrated bleach can severely damage the flooring and leave marks.