How to remove stains from linoleum. Imagine getting into your perfect new house. The house is as magnificent as you thought it to be. The perfect floors, the marbled shades of your luxurious kitchen.
The glass panel windows, all you ever wanted, are right before your eyes. Starting in your kitchen, you get just too excited and splash some oil right onto your floor.
That’s the least you ever wanted; your perfectly set linoleum floor is now “STAINED.” Bravo lads! Couldn’t have been much careful, could you?
Linoleum and vinyl are considered to be sensitive materials that are easily damaged by harsh treatments. They can’t technically afford to get stained.
So, if by chance you got your shiny linoleum floor stained, just follow the right guidelines and methods to remove it and get your floor’s perfect glory back.
How to remove stains from linoleum
Linoleum stains are no doubt a pain in the neck, as they should be treated with some extra care. Well, the first and the best thing to do to remove a stain from a lino floor is to act “as fast as possible.”
The reason for this is that the fresh stains tend to stay on the surface of the floor and can be easily and quickly removed, but you let the stain stay longer.
It may penetrate through the material and cause the stain to turn stubborn. And you don’t wanna spend your whole day rubbing your stain off.
Stains and Their Types
Stains are believed to be of 2 types varying in their nature. They are cleaned with different methods. Once you know the type of stain, you can apply the right method to remove them from your linoleum floor. The types of stains are given as
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Wet stains
Stains like fruit juices, blood stains, coffee, red wine, paints, grease, oils, ketchup, dyes, or mud, are termed wet stains.
These stains are hard to remove and require some strong cleaning agents. With the right choice of cleaning agent, your floor can be cleaned within no time.
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Dry stains
Dry stains might be just dry dust particles or due to the habitation of bacteria or fungi on or under your linoleum floors. The floor turns yellow and looks super untidy.
So, these stains are not much hard to take off. Mild cleaning agents can be used to easily toss that dirt, off of your linoleum floors.
Tools to Use for stain removal
- A soft brush
- A mop/broom/vacuum cleaner
- Soft brush
- Steam cleaner
- Micro-fiber cloth/towel/tissue paper
Non-chemical way
The last thing you wanna get after staining your floor is to get it damaged as well. We all are aware of the fact that linoleum floors are quite sensitive and vulnerable to harsh chemicals.
So, the best thing to do is to try a nice and easy way out first. To clean the linoleum floor this way, there can be two possible methods:
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Simple! Use a cloth
Sometimes the stain doesn’t penetrate the Linoleum floor and stays on the surface. This is a good sign for you because you won’t have to make any extra effort to wipe that stain off your floor.
Just a piece of cloth or a soft-fiber cloth will do the job, I’m sure.
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Steam cleaning
Steam cleaning the floor is probably the best option you can avail yourself of.
The thing is, keeping the linoleum floor wet for a longer period of time will ruin it, and just dry cleaning won’t help much. So, the solution to this query is to use a steam cleaner.
A steam cleaner is actually very efficient in removing stains. It uses water which is utilized in the form of steam, and it also gives out a nice dry finishing.
The steam cleaner is termed as “A safe way” to get rid of stubborn stains from your linoleum floor.
It uses the high-temperature steam technology, which is quite the agent to get dust or stains off your lino floor along with the germs and the bacteria that might be staying on your floor.
Hard way
The reason why I termed it the hard way out is that some stains are so in love with your linoleum floor that breaking their bond with the floor is quite a sweaty job.
So, we use some cleaning agents, which might be naturally prepared or chemically. Some of them are mild to protect your floor from damage, and some are a bit hard, in case the stain doesn’t wanna let go off the floor.
Mild cleaning Agents
The mild cleaning agents go easy on your linoleum floors and tend to be more careful. They are made up of soft or mild ingredients to help you save your linoleum floors and get rid of the stain as well.
Mild cleaning agents mostly use a combination of water and another substance that will act as a cleaning agent to remove the stain.
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Water and Vinegar combo
You know what they say, teamwork is the best work. Hence, vinegar and water both make a great team when fighting against a linoleum floor stain.
Vinegar is a natural acid that has some mind-blowing cleaning abilities. However, it cannot be used alone because acid might damage the linoleum floor.
The water helps to dilute it hence preventing damage. Add this solution to the stain and wait for 15-20 minutes. Then rub off the mixture from the floor, and woof! The stain is gone.
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Water and Mild soap
The common yet easiest way to remove a stain off your linoleum floor is to use mild soap and water. Mixing the soap with the water gives it a milky texture.
Apply this mixture to the stain and let it stay for 5-10 minutes, then mop the floor or clean it with a microfiber towel or cloth.
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A detergent a day, Keeps a stain away
Cleaning the stain on your linoleum floor might be as easy as adding a detergent in water and cleaning the stain. There you have it. The stain is gone.
Rough and tough cleaning agents
Unlike the mild agents, the rough cleaning agents are called for help when the stain doesn’t get off your linoleum floors.
They are the user’s last option because they are strong in action and yet they also can cause harm to the linoleum floors. But. It all depends on using the right amount.
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Throw some baking soda
Baking soda is a strong cleaning agent usually used with white vinegar. This is used when the stain is a stubborn one and won’t get off.
Apply it directly to the stain, and then washing the stain will remove it.
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Using a dishwasher
A dishwasher is a strong blend of chemicals when it comes to removing stains like oils, grease, or other pigmented liquids.
Apply a small quantity of the dishwasher of the stain, then wash it with water. The stains will go off.
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Hydrogen peroxide and Rubbing alcohol
Last but not the least, if your stain is an extremely stubborn one, then fear not; the strongest of cleaning agents like hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol is one supermarket away.
They can tear apart any stain from your linoleum floor. It’s just we apply a little and the right amount.
Conclusion
How to remove stains from linoleum. Linoleum or lino floors are the perfect types of floors with a vast variety of designs. If they are stained with anything like paints, oils, etc.,
The above-described tips and tricks to remove a stain of any nature will help you get back your beautifully oriented linoleum floors.
It just needs the right selection of cleaning methods for the type of stain you’re dealing with. After that, nothing will be hard, not even your stain.
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