Dirty Marmoleum - help!

July 5, 2011 3:41 AM

We have a black and white tiled Marmoleum kitchen floor, and dining chairs with metal bobbles on the bases of the legs. The metal bobbles have made dark marks on the white Marmoleum. So has the kitchen bin. Normal floor cleaner won't get it off. Worried about what to use as Marmoleum is an organic material, so can't be too harsh with it. There is a "Marmoleum" brand cleaner - anyone used that?

Can't get the metal bobbles off but are trying to source new chairs - seems a shame to get rid of them though. There is a mark where the bin was - since then it's been better in new position.

posted by LyzzyBee to home & garden (8 answers total)

We installed Marmoleum tiles in our kitchen. The thing to remember is that the material, grain, and color go all the way through the tiles--it's not a print but a composite organic material. This means that you can use very, very fine grit sandpaper, like double 00s, and gently work out the marks. After, clean super well with white vinegar and hot water, everywhere, getting everything super clean, then buff in carnauba wax. It's worth it to either rent a buffer or use a rotary sander with a buffing attachment. After that, damp mopping with vinegar and water works well and the wax will make everything bounce off and keep it clean. You shouldn't have to do this whole shebang more than a couple times a year (TOPS). Before your next wax, then, Marmoleum does make a nice cleaner that clean strips the floor. The company also makes its own sealer alternative to wax (some kind of polymer blend), but we didn't think it was as nice as plain carnauba.
posted by rumposinc at 4:25 AM on July 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

Alternatively, write a letter to one of your elderly relatives and ask how they took care of their lino, which has the benefit of beginning a nice little correspondence (this is how I learned the above).
posted by rumposinc at 4:26 AM on July 5, 2011

rumposinc: "This means that you can use very, very fine grit sandpaper, like double 00s, and gently work out the marks."

Another thing that would work in this case would be the magic eraser, as it is basically a very fine grit abrasive cleanser.
posted by Grither at 4:45 AM on July 5, 2011

Unfortunately, I don't have any elderly relatives to ask, but both of these answers are great, thank you - I'm pretty sure we have a magic eraser somewhere and will then look into the carnuba wax thing. Good old metafilter!
posted by LyzzyBee at 4:49 AM on July 5, 2011

Ooh - magic eraser works! Although it's made the rest of the tile look really dirty - but it's a solution!
posted by LyzzyBee at 5:44 AM on July 5, 2011

To prevent this in the future, try felt pads on the bottoms of your chair legs. They come in different shapes and sizes and you just have to peel and stick them.
posted by meringue at 6:10 AM on July 5, 2011

In the area of prevention, you could look for something like this where you are - little felt pads that go on the bottom of your furniture. Protects your flooring!
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:11 AM on July 5, 2011

ooh yes, we tried the pads - but they fall off the metal bobbles very very easily! So we're just going to try prising off the metal bits then adding the pads. Thanks, though!
posted by LyzzyBee at 2:18 PM on July 7, 2011