How to clean my floor (linoleum kitchen edition)
May 28, 2018 7:24 AM Subscribe
I have the most crusty linoleum flooring my kitchen, and I would like to do something about this. Inspired by this post earlier.
We usually Swiffer the middle of the floor, but the edges are just one giant layer of million-year-old crust. Please imagine a co-op kitchen with générations of Cooking grad students too busy for a deep clean.
I have citric acid. How can I deep clean this linoleum nightmare.
We usually Swiffer the middle of the floor, but the edges are just one giant layer of million-year-old crust. Please imagine a co-op kitchen with générations of Cooking grad students too busy for a deep clean.
I have citric acid. How can I deep clean this linoleum nightmare.
Lots of residential vinyl flooring has a top layer of clear vinyl. When that begins to peel, it is nearly impossible to clean. Residential vinyl flooring is designed to be replaced frequently, because planned obsolescence. If you get vinyl flooring, which is made with a very toxic process and not recyclable, get commercial vinyl. Not as many pattern choices, but will last many times longer.
It needs to be soaked as jbenben says, but I would use regular cleaner because 409 hurts my lungs and Spic-n-span is TSP, which is a pollutant. TSP is a very good cleaner, just use sparingly. I like the scent of Pine-sol, and pine oil is a degreaser and disinfectant. Mop floor very messily using lots of cleaner and water, leaving it wet for 30 mins or so. Then use a scrub brush, big sponge, bucket of water. Swear liberally.
But take pictures first so if landlord says it's not clean when you move you have documentation.
posted by theora55 at 8:34 AM on May 28, 2018
It needs to be soaked as jbenben says, but I would use regular cleaner because 409 hurts my lungs and Spic-n-span is TSP, which is a pollutant. TSP is a very good cleaner, just use sparingly. I like the scent of Pine-sol, and pine oil is a degreaser and disinfectant. Mop floor very messily using lots of cleaner and water, leaving it wet for 30 mins or so. Then use a scrub brush, big sponge, bucket of water. Swear liberally.
But take pictures first so if landlord says it's not clean when you move you have documentation.
posted by theora55 at 8:34 AM on May 28, 2018
Yeah, both of those cleaners are hella toxic which is why I recommended gloves and a mask.
You could scrub, wait, scrub, then wipe with some combo of Bar Keepers Friend or Baking Soda + a drop or two of dish liquid.
I went for the toxic stuff because it's expedient, but it's not safest.
posted by jbenben at 8:49 AM on May 28, 2018
You could scrub, wait, scrub, then wipe with some combo of Bar Keepers Friend or Baking Soda + a drop or two of dish liquid.
I went for the toxic stuff because it's expedient, but it's not safest.
posted by jbenben at 8:49 AM on May 28, 2018
Best answer: I make a cleaner out of a ratio of 4:2:1 water, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, plus a couple drops of dish soap. Put it in a spray bottle. Spritz it on things you want to be clean. It's really good at lifting crap, especially if you allow it to soak a little. Doesn't smell terrible, won't kill your hands.
After you clean this floor, use something like Pledge (which used to be called Future) floor polish as directed. This is basically a clear acrylic paint that's specifically for "no-wax floors" like sheet linoleum. (It's removed with ammonia, not vinegar, so you can keep using the cleaning fluid as described to clean the floor further.)
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:13 AM on May 28, 2018
After you clean this floor, use something like Pledge (which used to be called Future) floor polish as directed. This is basically a clear acrylic paint that's specifically for "no-wax floors" like sheet linoleum. (It's removed with ammonia, not vinegar, so you can keep using the cleaning fluid as described to clean the floor further.)
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:13 AM on May 28, 2018
Best answer: I would use a method that I’ve heard called paño. Paño means ‘rag.’ Get several large terry rags (the terry is for scrubby texture), a bucket, and a large squeegee on a pole.
Get a bucket of hot water. Very hot. Put in a few drops of dish detergent, which is a good degreaser. Mix it up. Soak a big rag in your hot soapy water. Wring the rag out a bit so it’s still drippy by not streaming water.
Lay the hot wet rag flat on a spot in your floor. Do this with a few rags in adjacent areas. After the first rag has been soaking the floor for several minutes, get a fresh wet hot rag and lay it flat over the spot, using the squeegee on the pole, vigorously move the rag around to scrub that area thoroughly. Adjust the area of the rag that is on the squeegee to get fresh cleaning action.
Inspect your work. Soak and scrub again as necessary.
The squeegee on the pole not only saves your back, but it better covers the area because you’re less likely to miss spots. And the longer pole gives you increased leverage so you can move the rag further and faster with less effort.
Water is considered ‘the unicersal solvent’ but it takes time and heat in the case of grease. The soap will give a lot of boost and for the first few rounds you don’t need much soap. Keep the water very hot.
For a different approach you can also spray a layer of super cleaner on the area. I don’t like this method because I don’t want to breathe a mist of poison but I’ve seen people do it. You can also dribble concentrated cleaner on the floor and swoop it around with your paño. This method is good to keep in mind for your future kitchen cleaning needs.
posted by bilabial at 10:03 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Get a bucket of hot water. Very hot. Put in a few drops of dish detergent, which is a good degreaser. Mix it up. Soak a big rag in your hot soapy water. Wring the rag out a bit so it’s still drippy by not streaming water.
Lay the hot wet rag flat on a spot in your floor. Do this with a few rags in adjacent areas. After the first rag has been soaking the floor for several minutes, get a fresh wet hot rag and lay it flat over the spot, using the squeegee on the pole, vigorously move the rag around to scrub that area thoroughly. Adjust the area of the rag that is on the squeegee to get fresh cleaning action.
Inspect your work. Soak and scrub again as necessary.
The squeegee on the pole not only saves your back, but it better covers the area because you’re less likely to miss spots. And the longer pole gives you increased leverage so you can move the rag further and faster with less effort.
Water is considered ‘the unicersal solvent’ but it takes time and heat in the case of grease. The soap will give a lot of boost and for the first few rounds you don’t need much soap. Keep the water very hot.
For a different approach you can also spray a layer of super cleaner on the area. I don’t like this method because I don’t want to breathe a mist of poison but I’ve seen people do it. You can also dribble concentrated cleaner on the floor and swoop it around with your paño. This method is good to keep in mind for your future kitchen cleaning needs.
posted by bilabial at 10:03 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Vinyl and linoleum are not the same — which is it? For linoleum you should only ever use a mild solution of soap suds and hot water. Or special products for linoleum. You can get a cleaner for situations like the one you describe, and then you need to follow up with linseed oil to make it water and dirt proof again.
posted by mumimor at 11:39 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by mumimor at 11:39 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Depending on how thick the crust is, you might want to include a putty knife in your arsenal of tools. Soak the crust with whatever combination of hot water and cleaning solution you choose from the above selections, let it sit for a little while, and then carefully* use the putty knife to loosen big chunks of the crust at a time, instead of trying to power through it with a scrubber. Once most of the crust is out of the way, use a stiff plastic brush to scrub up any remaining residue. I like a brush more than a rag or scrubber because the bristles can get down into the texture of the flooring.
*If you've never used a putty knife before, you want to hold the blade as close to parallel to the floor as you can get. The idea is that you are trying to slide it under the crust to lift it up. What you don't want to do is use it to hack or chip away at the dirt, that's going to damage your flooring.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:19 PM on May 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
*If you've never used a putty knife before, you want to hold the blade as close to parallel to the floor as you can get. The idea is that you are trying to slide it under the crust to lift it up. What you don't want to do is use it to hack or chip away at the dirt, that's going to damage your flooring.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:19 PM on May 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
mumimor is right! If it is really linoleum, you need to take care, but it can be heavy duty cleaned and restored (up to a point of course). The linoleum floor care page of Forbo lists all the products you need. Don't forget to bring your wallet. No prices listed, but I love linoleum and I know from experience. Absolutely worth it, though.
posted by ouke at 2:25 PM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ouke at 2:25 PM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
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Spray. Wait. Scrub. Wipe. Repeat.
posted by jbenben at 8:05 AM on May 28, 2018 [1 favorite]