Making Your Kitchen Floors Shine

Cleaning your kitchen floors can be a hassle, considering that they receive high traffic, and become greasy with oil after a couple of cooking sessions. If you have a busy schedule, it can become hard to maintain the shine in your kitchen floor.

For the common kitchen spills, including grease, food, or sticky messes, your first action should be cleaning the spot using a damp paper towel. If this is not effective, you should consider using the appropriate cleaners for your floor type. Here is how you can make your specific floor type shine:

Vinyl Floors

This is considered the most common kitchen flooring because it is easy to clean and maintain. However, any stains on vinyl surfaces should be removed as soon as possible before they dry up and become impossible to remove. Mop the surface frequently with plain water and a sponge.

For more intensive cleaning, you can use these techniques:

• Always start with vacuuming or dry mopping the floor to remove dust and surface dirt before wet cleaning
• Apple cider vinegar is considered the best cleanser for vinyl flooring. Mix it with warm water in the recommended ratio and use a clean mop to clean. If the floor is very dirty, you can add some liquid dish-washing soap to the solution. Remember to rinse the mop frequently using warm water
• Add a few drops of baby oil to the cleaning solution to make your vinyl floor shine
• Using a towel, rub WD-40 to remove stubborn scuffs, or baking soda to remove food stains

Ceramic floors

Ceramic tile is very low-maintenance. It is also very easy to clean and shine using basic items, including a vacuum or dry mop, mild dish soap, a bucket, non-abrasive sponge, and a dry cloth. Here is how you can make your ceramic kitchen floors shine:

• Dust makes ceramic tiles look dull, so dry mop or vacuum regularly
• Use dampened mops weekly using cool or warm water alone to maintain the shine
• Mix a little mild dish soap in your cleaning water, and use a non-abrasive sponge to remove greasy and sticky, hard water stains
• All-purpose cleaning products can be used on ceramic tile, but avoid abrasive cleansers or anything that contains vinegar, acid, ammonia, or chlorine
• Dry foggy or cloudy ceramic tile using a clean, dry cloth

Hardwood floors

While hardwood floors are beautiful and durable, they are also high maintenance. You cannot simply maintain their shine using water. In fact, the wood can absorb water and destroy the floor. So, how do you get your hardwood kitchen floor to shine?

• Dust mop the floor every day
• Mix equal parts of vegetable oil and vinegar and use a soft cloth mop to apply it on the floor once a week. Vinegar removes dirt, while vegetable oil helps to condition the wood, and keep it shiny
• Wipe the residue with a clean soft towel and dry the surface using circular motion buffs to shine

The best way to maintain your kitchen floor is by cleaning any spills as soon as they occur. Grease can be easily removed using water and standard dish soap.