Cleaning Vinyl

[mlartz]

My vinyl floor (new house) has a thin layer of grit in the heavily trafficed areas making parts of the floor look darker than the rest. I can scrape it off with a scraper, but it doesn't seem to come off with just soap/water/scrubbing and I'm worried that I'm damaging the floors. Also, I have a lot of little paint spots all over the floor. What is the best way to clean everything at once? I've heard recommendations for ammonia cleaners ... will this get the grit and paint off?

Thanks!

[roger61611]

You need to wash your feet !

hahaha

[Cheri]

I just had a new floor put in, and they told me to only use "Once and Done" on it for cleaning when it gets dirty, and to just damp mop with a well wrung out sponge mop using water only in between times. Most vinyl floors have those little (indents) I forgot what they called them, and using cleaners and too much water forces dirt into them, making the floor look dingy in spots. They told me not to use any other kind of cleaner, and not to use ammonia water as I had in the past. I'm going to try to stick to that this time, and see if I get better results.

Cheri

[Ed]

Is this floor a "no wax" floor or one that should have a finish applied? If "no wax" you should find out from the manufacturer what their recommendation is. Ammonia will remove floor finish (wax) along with soil and might not be good for a "no wax" floor. I would machine scrub the floor using a mildly abrasive pad and detergent. If "no wax" use a red pad; if waxable use a blue or green pad then rinse well and apply two coats of acrylic finish.

[mlartz]

Hmm, I don't really know. I just bought the house (built in 84). Is there a way to tell by sight?