Did you know that vinyl plank floors can lose their sparkle if not properly taken care of over time? It is important that vinyl floors are routinely kept clean in order to keep their value and longevity. Otherwise, you may find yourself looking for replacement flooring sooner than may you expect!

Our beautiful luxury vinyl flooring lines have natural stone, wood, and abstract appearances suitable for a variety of environments. These design options can significantly enhance the aesthetics of your space and are available in both tiles and planks. By their very nature, vinyl floors are hardwearing and resistant to water, scratches and stains. And unlike hardwood, you don’t need to apply wax or polish the surface to restore shine. Rather, a deep clean with soap and warm water can often do the trick and restore the original appearance.

While luxury vinyl floors are relatively easy to maintain though, it’s still important to understand how to properly clean them and preserve long-term durability. This will help keep your floors looking as new as the day you first installed them.

Should I Wax My Floors?

We often recommend using an acrylic finish on areas where scuffing or scratching are more likely to occur. While vinyl floors are more durable and scratch resistant than other flooring types, they are still susceptible. An acrylic finish isn’t necessarily a requirement per say, but it can add shine and provide a protective barrier onto your flooring. By slowly buffing acrylic finish onto the surface of your luxury vinyl, this can really make a difference on it’s appearance and further the longevity of it. That being said, you should probably consult with your flooring professional or manufacturer before doing so (just in case!).

Use Entrance & Door Mats.

Door mats and entrance matting can also help keep away your vinyl floor’s two greatest enemies: dirt and chemicals. The more tracked-in dirt your floors are exposed to, the extra broom time will be required as a result. Further, most people don’t understand that there are potential consequences of using brooms too. A broom’s grit can act like sandpaper and remove the finish from your floors over time, so it’s always a good idea to reduce the frequency or need for it if you can. Floor mats are a great way to limit the amount of dirt and debris. They also provide many other benefits as well, such as safety from slip-and-fall accidents.

Other chemicals or fine materials, such as asphalt, may not always be noticeable to the naked eye either. These can be very difficult, sometimes impossible, to brush away or remove. For example, chemicals from asphalt that initially stick to the bottom of shoes can easily spread onto floors and cause damage. As a result, a yellowish stain may appear over time if not treated properly. We highly recommend using entrance mats and door mats near high traffic areas as a preventative measure for this reason as well. Floor mats will give you a head start by reducing the frequent need for cleaning and helping to preserve the floor’s longevity.

While these are the basic cleaning steps to consider for vinyl floors, keep in mind every scenario is different! The type of materials you use, as well as the frequency of maintenance required, ultimately depend on the type of flooring you have and the volume of traffic it experiences. Therefore, we recommend discussing the process with a flooring professional before you get hands on with it. You don’t want to risk damaging your floors by using the wrong material or overlooking something. If you need help with your floor cleaning or maintenance project, click here to get in touch with us at Eagle Mat. We’d love to hear from you!

We are experts at specifying the right product for your commercial flooring projects. @EagleMatFloors is family owned and operated, providing sales and installation of commercial flooring products to Property Managers and Commercial Building Owners in the Washington DC Metro area for over 35 years. Eagle Mat & Floor Products specializes in renovating facilities in the Corporate, Education, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality, Multi-Family and Public Spaces.

For more information please contact us at (301) 762-2000 or sales@eaglemat.net