Luxury vinyl tiles are a perfect choice for heavy duty flooring, offering a wealth of attractive and super practical flooring finishes to suit all homes. While LVT is made from tough, resilient materials that require a minimum of maintenance, it still pays to look after your floor in order to get the most out of your investment.
Once your LVT floor has been fitted, it is important to be familiar with all the necessary precautions you should take to protect your LVT floor from general wear and tear and possible damage.
DAY TO DAY CLEANING
When cleaning your floor day-to-day, make sure to use a soft-bristled brush to collect up any dirt or dust. This should be done every day if possible, to reduce any build-up which could potentially scratch your floor. If you are going to use a vacuum cleaner, ensure you check with the manufacturer that the machine is suitable for use with Luxury Vinyl Tile beforehand. Ensure there are no sharp objects or grit on the floor or trapped in the vacuum roller before you start, as these could cause damage to your floor.
We recommend that you wash your LVT floor weekly, using a PH neutral floor cleaner. It is important that you check the bottle before you use it, ensuring that the cleaning agent is designed for use on LVT floors. Make sure that your mop is not overly wet – rather damp – mops which expel excess water are ideal here. A damp cloth or well wrung out mop should be used before letting your floor dry naturally and before letting children or pets back in!
Don’t forget that all hard floors can be slippery when wet, so take extra care and ensure the floor area is completely dry before walking on.
PROTECTING YOUR FLOOR
It is always good to keep on top of cleaning your LVT floor on a daily basis, but it is equally important to protect it too.
There are numerous ways you can protect your floor, all of which are simple and straight forward – and will be worthwhile in the long run. A good way to start is by placing doormats at all entrances. This can help reduce the amount of moisture and dirt that comes into your home, and on to your LVT floor. It is important to choose wisely though, as some mats can cause damage, discolouration or staining to your floor based on the type of backing they use. The golden rule: if you’re unsure, always check the backing of doormats before you place them on to your LVT floor.
It’s a good idea to use felt pads on your furniture legs to protect the floor from scratches and scuffs – this will also protect the floor when it comes to moving furniture in the future. If you don’t have felt pads and are looking to move heavy furniture, either lift the items that need to be moved or use strips of wood or hardboard runways as floor protection. In addition to scratches and scuffs from moving furniture, your floor could also be at risk of indentations forming from heavy furniture. To prevent this from happening you can use castor cups – they are a great idea as they will distribute the weight of heavy objects/furniture which will stop indentations occurring and will protect the floor for longer.
It is not advisable to use floor wax with vinyl floors, as this can cause the floor surface to become slippery and dull the appearance of the tiles. If desired, a liquid acrylic finish may be applied in heavy duty traffic areas to provide a protective barrier, added shine and greater longevity.
A professional clean and redressing once a year in heavy traffic areas such as hallways and kitchens is a good way to maintain your LVT flooring and get the most out of your investment.
Do’s & Don’ts
DO
Sweep or vacuum regularly
Once a week, wipe your floor with a specifically designed cleaner
Put doormats and rugs by doors
Wear soft soled shoes
Lift furniture to move it – even with soft pads, grit can scratch
Keep pets’ nails trimmed
DON’T
Use a steam cleaner
Use abrasive materials such as scouring pads
Use furniture polish
Wear high heels
Leave puddles to soak in
Push pull or drag heavy furniture across the floor
Gerrards Hard Floor Cleaning 