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desertsteph

Those with vinyl floors - do you use a steam cleaner?

desertsteph
13 years ago

are those safe for vinyl? won't undo the glue?

that'd be my luck...

looks like they are steam cleaning a section of vinyl on qvc with the Haan cleaner...

Comments (7)

  • Shades_of_idaho
    13 years ago

    I use my carpet cleaner for a really deep cleaning job. Says it is a steam cleaner but in reality you just put hot water in it. I am lazy and do it when there is extra carpet shampoo left in the cleaner. Then I rinse it and suck it up and the drag a towel around with my foot. Not sure you can use a steam cleaner. Never thought about loosening the glue.

    I do know the glue they used on our vinyl is a water based glue.

    We put down those squares once and it did not smell. What smelled was the primer we had to put on the floor. But at that time it was a raw floor in the house we had just built.

    Chris

  • User
    13 years ago

    Desertsteph, I'm guessing that the damage to vinyl will be in deglossing the top shine, if you get a shiny finish.

    I have a long unused steam cleaner which served well to clean bird cages when I had 16 parrots in big cages. Dried poop is hard to remove, and important for birdy health to keep things not just clean but sanitized.

    If you have an issue with bacteria or infections, you might need a steam cleaner. But for my vinyl and for the porcelain tile too, I use a Clorox ReadiMop. Swiffer makes a similar product too. Change out the cleaning pads often and it will clean like a champ.

    A plain surface on the vinyl will be easier to clean than a deeply textured surface.

  • desertsteph
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    thx guys! maybe if they have to put down a primer the guys can do it a day I plan to not be there... do they have to do that for sticky tiles too?

    I do plan on a low gloss - I don't like glossy on floors, counters... I was wondering last wk about one of those hand held steam cleaners for bathrooms etc - reviews i read on them weren't so good tho. maybe i'll try one of those down the road tho. I need things easy to clean!

    it's good to hear those swifter things work good on the floors tho. I'm so looking forward to the day I can just run one of those around on the floor!
    i was thinking maybe those steamers would be good every so often for a deep clean. they said (showed) you could use it on the mattress, carpet etc to steam kill those body bugs - can't think of the name of them... icky to think they are all around us. no way to prove it really works for that tho.
    hopefully, I won't have any carpet but the area rugs.

    I think the steamer would probably be ok on sheet vinyl - but if the steam gets around the edges of the tiles (which it'd have to) I'm not sure that would be a very good thing... will have to ask the mfg if I end up with vinyl tiles.

    "If you have an issue with bacteria or infections, you might need a steam cleaner."

    I usually don't - but I do have a compromised immune system - so maybe it's something I'll check out down the road for occasional cleanings - depending on what flooring I end up with. I want the minimum texture - I think that makes it harder to clean also. I'll have to check out that clorox redimop. That sounds like it'd be a good germ killer.

  • idie2live
    13 years ago

    I almost bought one from QVC (but I'm trying to be good about spending right now so I didn't).
    I have read the threads on GW and they have a ton of info from users. They work on wood, vinyl,stone etc. I am going to get one eventually.

  • User
    13 years ago

    Desertsteph, DH installed stickyback vinyl squares 16" on our kitchen and back porch. He put down the stuff recommended by the manufacturer of the tiles on both the bare plywood (back porch) and on the old sheet vinyl already in the kitchen, mostly to degloss it and improve adhesion of the tile squares.
    Its purpose was to make it stick better. It seems like I posted info about that on the bath forum in the last two days, someone else asked about it too. We bought the tiles and the sticky stuff at Lowes. I love the design/color we got, a mottled sortt of terra cotta and it really looks good all the time.

  • desertsteph
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    idie2live - is the info on 'cleaning' maybe? I'll search there...

    moccasinlanding - I'd love to have terra cotta looking tile - unfortunately it wouldn't go with the other stuff I've picked out. not to say I won't totally revise it before i get closer to the actual change. that's about a yr away.

  • idie2live
    13 years ago

    Steph, yes it is on the cleaning forum. They have a lot of info on them. I read enough to know I don't want one that you have to pump the handle for the steam. Some of them have more problems than others also.