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How to Clean Vinyl, Engineered Tile & Rigid Core Floors

Your step-by-step guide to great looking vinyl, engineered tile and rigid core floors — from the very first cleaning to everyday care.

Related To:

Routine Floor Cleaning

  • Sweep or vacuum regularly — and don't use the beater bar on your vacuum as it could damage the floor.

  • Wash your floor occasionally with Armstrong Flooring Once ‘n Done® Resilient & Ceramic Floor Cleaner.

  • For tough cleaning problems, use Armstrong Flooring New Beginning® Extra-Strength Floor Stripper.

    Important! 
    Do not use New Beginning on grouted Alterna™ engineered tile. Floor strippers will degrade the acrylic grout. 
 
Low Gloss Floors

To restore the shine and protect the finish on low gloss and ultra-low gloss vinyl floors, use Armstrong Flooring Satinkeeper® Resilient Low Gloss Floor Finish. DO NOT USE on grouted floors. 


High Gloss Floors

To restore the shine on high gloss vinyl floors, use Armstrong Flooring Shinekeeper® Resilient Floor Finish. DO NOT USE on grouted floors. 

Cleaning Tips for Newly Installed Floors

Floors Installed with Grout

After the grout joints have dried and hardened, here's how to remove the slight haze of grout residue that remains:

  1. Lightly apply a layer of properly diluted Armstrong Flooring Once ’n Done Resilient & Ceramic Floor Cleaner.
  2. Use a white 3M pad to gently loosen the residue.
  3. Prepare two buckets of clear, cool water.
  4. Dampen a clean sponge in the water from the first bucket, then wipe up the residue. Rinse and repeat in the same bucket.
  5. Use the clean water from the second bucket to do a final rinse and cleanup.
  6. Buff dry with a soft cloth.

Floors Installed with Adhesive

Do not wash or scrub the new ALTERNA flooring for at least 5 days after the installation. This will prevent excess moisture and cleaning agents from interfering with the adhesive bond and hardening of the grout. After the five days, floors can be damp mopped immediately, using Armstrong Flooring Once ’n Done Resilient & Ceramic Floor Cleaner. 

Floor Protection Tips

  • Use floor protectors on furniture to reduce indentation. The heavier the item, the wider the floor protector needed.
  • Use rugs in high-traffic areas of your home. Opt for non-staining polypropylene rugs, colorfast woven rugs or vinyl-backed rugs. We discourage the use of rubber-backed or latex-backed mats as they can cause discoloration of the floor.