Grooves on the floors are a nuisance. No matter how thoroughly you sweep the floor, they remain where they were, do not budge even a bit. Mostly because the pad or cloth you used to mop the floor couldn’t reach the dirt in the grooves. Also, such grooves attract dirt way easier. And as the dirt gets a place to gather, and even if you do regular mopping, you do not reach the grooves, all the moisture gets into the grooves and helps the dry dirt in them turn into stuck-on stubborn filth. It happens on all the floors, but the wood replicas like vinyl floors have the worst kind. The only positive thing is when you know how to clean it, you can go straight at it, and the durable, water-resistant, easy to clean vinyl floors handle it well.
Regular Cleaning a Must
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Here we will share with you the whole procedure of how to clean vinyl floors with grooves. But before that, let us tell you, putting effort not to let the dirt get into the grooves is better than struggling to remove the stuck-on dirt. Do the regular dusting and mopping? Please do not skip any of it. Trust us when we say cleaning the grooves is no fun. Yes, we know it’s the vinyl floor, but grooves in the vinyl floors have nothing to do with the easy cleaning.
Tool You Need To Clean
A toothbrush
A tiny brush with dense, soft nylon bristles
A brush with long bristles
Vinegar
Dishwashing Soap
Baking soda
Hot water
Mop pad or terry cloth
Broom and dustpan or vacuum cleaner
How to Clean Vinyl Floors with Grooves
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Let us say it loud and clear; cleaning the grooves is a time-consuming task. It is not easy on your body too because it’s all precise, manual work. You bend, kneel, sit all the time, and your hands are continuously at work, holding tools and using them with force. So, you can only do a specific portion at a time. And if you can manage perhaps a room in one day. But not more than that.
Step #1 – Dusting The Room
Use a vacuum machine to clean the dirt from the room thoroughly. Or at least the portion you are cleaning. It is powerful, picks the loose particles from the vinyl floor, and its grooves perfectly. We prefer vacuuming the whole room because we do not want any dirt around the grooves. After all, a slight wind blow is enough to fill the grooves with a new layer of grit. Close the windows, vacuum the floor. Do not have a vacuum cleaner; go with the conventional broom and dustpan, but be meticulous and thorough.
Step #2 – Scraping The Grooves
The next step is to scrape the dirt off the grooves. A toothbrush works the best to scrape the not so ground-in dirt in the grooves. Do not be too harsh, and try to clean them with the toothbrush only. You are scraping those to loosen the dirt particles as much as possible to avoid less stuck-on dirt inside them. That is it. Use a brush with thin, long bristles to clean the loose dirt off the narrow grooves.
Step #3 – Vacuum Again
Now when you have another batch of dirt layer, you will have to do the dusting once again. Use your dusting tools and meticulously remove every fine dirt particle from the vinyl surface and its grooves. Once again, vacuum cleaners will work better; no matter how thin the brush is, grooves will have loose dirt particles left in them, and only the vacuum power can pick those up.
Step #4 – Preparing The DIY Cleaning Components
You will prepare two, actually, one with vinegar and dishwashing soap and the other with baking soda. A half-liter of warm water in a spray bottle will need 1-2 tablespoon of vinegar and 5-6 drops of dishwashing soap, and your cleaning solution-cum-disinfectant is ready. Now, take baking soda as much as you need and slowly mix warm water in it. You will have to make a thick paste, so use water sparingly. Both your cleaning DIY products are ready. You can use the one you have or can use both depending on the stubbornness of the dirt.
Step #5 – Applying The DIY Products
For the grooves that look too filthy, apply the baking soda paste on them and let it sit there for 3-5 minutes. The baking soda paste will soak and adhere the dirt on it while it dries. Ensure the baking soda doesn’t dry hard because cleaning that mess will be more challenging. So, wait right there, after applying the paste, do not do other stuff. If not the baking soda, you have the vinegar solution, spray it sparingly, and let it sit the same way. Use the vinegar solution when the grooves are less filthy or too oily. The dishwashing soap works to break the oily mess perfectly.
Step #6 – Using The Brush to Scrub
Right here, you need to use the dense firm brush to scrub the dirt now loosened-and-weakened with cleaning components. The cleaning solution or paste has done half the job; you will do the rest by scrubbing. Continuously scrub the grooves with the brush, do not be harsh but be rigorous. The nylon bristles will leave no scratches. You will notice the dirt from the grooves is coming off.
Step #7 – Mop the Area
Use a mop pad or a soft terry cloth. Damp it in warm water, squeeze it well to remove excess water, and wipe the filth with it. You will see most of the grooves are clean, barring a few. Use the brush again, spray the vinegar solution on it, and then scrub the dirty portions. The dirt will this time come off. Clean it with a pad and water once again. If the second time it doesn’t clean up, keep it that way. The next cleaning session will be best to concentrate on those parts instead of continuously trying to scrub those off and damaging the already scrubbed-enough floor.
Step #8 – Drying
Do not waste even a minute and immediately dry the portion you have just scrubbed and cleaned. Otherwise, the dirt layers in the air will get a sticky surface to set in. Use a dry pad or cloth and pat it. Make sure you reach the grooves. Hold the dry pad for a couple of minutes on the grooves so that it soaks the moisture from them. Now you have finally cleaned and dried the vinyl floors with grooves.
You can clean any grooves on vinyl floors the same way. Even if a portion is slightly dented or warped or the planks have wide gaps in between, you can clean those the same way. And as a precaution, always maintain regular cleaning. It’s easy to clean vinyl floors, so no excuses should exist, all right.
+I am looking for a machine specifically designed to clean the groves in my vinyl plank flooring. Do you have any recommendations?.