How do I deep clean my floor?

August 10, 2008 3:36 PM

How can I deep clean my linoleum floor?

I hate my linoleum floor but I still have to clean it. Since getting dogs, i noticed that there is a lot more ground in dirt. I was going to use ammonia to give it a really good deep cleaning. But that's a harsh chemical and smells so yucky. I will use it if I need to but I was wondering what is suggested to give linoleum a good deep cleaning.

posted by bodgy to home & garden (11 comments total)

I know this sounds bizarre: but I used WD40 to clean lino in my, relatively small, kitchen.

It worked, when every other cleaner didn't - it needed to be left some minutes (30ish) and also some scrubbing - but it worked very well.
posted by selton at 4:03 PM on August 10, 2008

Mr Clean Magic Erasers are true to their name. It would take a lot of elbow grease, but if you have a small area it might be okay.
posted by jschu at 4:17 PM on August 10, 2008

I wouldn't necessarily be comfortable using Magic Eraser on a linoleum or no-wax floor; they're actually abrasive, and I'd worry that they'd add tiny scratches that would make the floor stain more readily.
posted by amtho at 4:35 PM on August 10, 2008

WD-40 is Flammable.
I would rent a small scrubber or just soap it up and scrub it with a brush, then mop.
posted by lee at 4:46 PM on August 10, 2008

What you will need:

* Vacuum Cleaner
* Nylon-bristle scrub brush.
* Mop (sponge or cloth—preferably self-wringing)
* Bucket
* Hot Water
* Mild Dish Soap
* Old Towels
* Rubber gloves

Instructions:

* Vacuum the floor thoroughly on “hard floor” setting, paying special attention to under cabinets, refrigerator and corners where dust accumulates.
* Put 6 or 7 drops of dish soap in the bucket and fill with a gallon of hot water.
* Dip scrub brush in soapy water and scrub floor in a circular motion, dipping the scrub brush in the soapy water as needed.
* When done scrubbing entire floor, empty and rinse bucket, and fill with clean hot water. Rinse, repeat.

Restoring the Finish

After years of wear and/or improper cleaning, your linoleum may loose its shine. If your linoleum appears dull or dingy, you may want to refinish it.

What you will need:

* Nylon-bristle scrub brush.
* Mop
* Ammonia
* Bucket
* Hot Water
* Old towels
* Good quality floor wax
* Clean cloth or soft rags
* Rubber Gloves

Instructions:

1. Using the mop, spread straight ammonia on the floor, working in sections.
2. Allow to sit for a few minutes and scrub with the nylon scrub brush.
3. When the entire floor has been scrubbed with ammonia, remove remaining residue by rinsing with a mop dipped in a bucket of hot water.
4. Wipe dry using old towels
5. Apply floor wax according to the directions on the label (generally, liquid floor waxes should be spread evenly with a cloth or rag and allowed to dry completely before adding a second coat).
6. Wait at least one day before washing floor.

* Please note that ammonia can be a dangerous substance and should never be mixed with any other cleaners.
posted by netbros at 5:09 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Get some oxygen cleaner in granular formula that you mix with water. It does amazing work on my deck and I use it in mop water for cleaning vinyl linoleum flooring once in a while when it needs it.
posted by JayRwv at 5:56 PM on August 10, 2008

Hands, knees, soap, water, scrubbing brush.

Then mop with dilute bleach.

Horrifying to discover that your vinyl doesn't have any brown in the pattern.
posted by kjs4 at 6:23 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Use a steam cleaner with hard surface cleaning attachment. If your floor is real linoleum, don't use ammonia-based cleaners. They sell a specific cleaner for linoleum. They also sell a liquid finish for linoleum under the Marmoleum or Armstrong Marmorette labels.

If your floor is vinyl, steam or ammonia-based cleaners are the best choice. Armstrong brand floor cleaner works really well with vinyl floors.

Avoid floor wax, unless your floor is a commercial flooring (like VC tile) which does not have a finish applied.
posted by fiercekitten at 6:28 PM on August 10, 2008

Start with the soap/water/ammonia type cleaners, which will get out most ordinary dirt. If anything greasy is left, hit it with CitraSolve, a citrus oil cleaner that smells wonderful and is downright scary in its ability to dissolve oily gunk and tar. (I've used it to clean bike chains.) I once got some roofing tar on my kitchen floor (exterminator fell through the ceiling; long story) and undiluted CitraSolve was the only thing that got it off. Didn't hurt the linoleum at all, either.
posted by Quietgal at 7:34 PM on August 10, 2008

You might want to rent a floor buffer or hire someone to come do it. They finally got someone to do that at work, and the halls look amazing!

Make sure that you aren't using any "floor cleaner" like Mr. Clean or anything on the linoleum. All that stuff ends up leaving a residue and making the linoleum even grosser. Only mop with hot water that has a little Ivory soap and bleach.
posted by radioamy at 7:36 PM on August 10, 2008

Mop with hot water and detergent. Laundry or dish deterg is ok; I like pinesol. Use lots of water, and mop briskly. Wait an hour, and do it again. The 1st time acts to soften up dirt. Netbros is right about the refinishing. When they say a floor is no-wax, they're wrong.
posted by theora55 at 9:51 PM on August 10, 2008