Kitchen floor help please

**janis362529** · 10-28-2008, 08:51 AM

Ok we have linolemun floor in the kitchen that had ground in dirt and soot. I have tried everything I can think of(bleach, vinegar, baking soda and vinergar) and nothing has made it look clean.

Is there anything else I can try? Hubby hates that even after mopping the floor still looks dirty and with Emma's party and then my mom coming for Thanksgiving I want to have a clean floor

**perSue** · 10-28-2008, 09:23 AM

Linoleum floors generally require only warm water for cleaning. Most detergents won't rinse clean leaving behind a sticky residue. That residue becomes a magnet, attracting dirt off the bottom of your shoes.

try warm water and a dish soap. or what about a commercial cleaner like Mop&Glo (suited to linoleum)?

If that doesnt work it may be time for a strip & wax.

But I'd try scotch brite pads... but stick away from harsh chemicals (vinegar, bleach, comet, etc.) that just roughens up the surface & attracks more grime. (and you'll have to wax it a LOT more!)

hope this helped some.

**Momto2Boyz** · 10-28-2008, 09:29 AM

After 5 years of trying to get my linoleum tile in my bathroom clean, we finally broke down and retiled it! I think I tried everything on the market, and nothing could get the dirt stains out. Like you I tried pretty much everything. I even had a commercial steamer, and that didn't help at all!

I hope you find something that works. You might call up a flooring store and see what advice that they have. Sometimes they sell commercial type products that you can't get elsewhere, that are industrial strength and might do the trick. I just thought of that now, or I would have tried it!

**jdr250** · 10-28-2008, 09:30 AM

It's possible that the laminate has worn off and you might actually be the paper portion of the linloleum. My old stuff did hat and the more I scrubbed the futher down I got. By the time we replaced it you could actually feel the low spots (well more like craters). If that's the case, there's nothing you can do. Sorry.

**janis362529** · 10-28-2008, 09:44 AM

Well I checked the floor and it doesn't feel like the laminate has worn off so I am going to givve the floor store a call and see if they have any super cleaners. Right now we can not afford to replace it and hubby's boss will not pay for it so I hope the store sells somethig cheap. I am also going to give it another scrub with just warm water and see if that helps remove some residue from previous cleanings.

Thanks all

**nvmommyx6** · 10-28-2008, 10:21 AM

I think calling the flooring place, or even going in there would be your best bet! I was thinking maybe when your cleaning use one of those cleaning brushes and scrub so the bristles actually get into the little holes and grooves in there too!

**stinkbug** · 10-28-2008, 10:32 AM

We cleaned out a house that the kitchen floor was so bad and greasy/dirty we couldn't tell what color it was! We used liquid Spic and Span and warm water and lots of elbow grease and it came out really clean! Also, you might try laundry soap, as it should help dissolve some of the goo....

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 10-28-2008, 10:44 AM

I'm a Spic and Span and Mr. Clean fan. When I've got a really bad floor to do in someones home its one of those items, a bucket of hot water and my hands and knees. I fold a towel over double and kneel on it and work in small sections at a time. Allow the water to work for a few minutes. I always vaccum the floor first in order to get up all the loose stuff like hair and crumbs.

Laurie in Bradenton

**Patty A** · 10-28-2008, 11:19 AM

Here is what I found on a search from google: Life tips on Welcome to Cleaning tips:

"Ground-in Dirt in Linoleum
To remove ground-in dirt from linoleum, Armstrong makes a great product called New Beginning. It´s a floor stripper and cleaner and is great for removing tough ground-in dirt, especially if left to sit on the soiled area for a while to penetrate the dirt. Also, when cleaning that area, make sure to use a soft bristle scrub brush, not just a cloth or a mop. You may want to follow New Beginning with Armstrong´s Shinekeeper Floor Polish to keep the finish looking new after using the floor stripper."
http://cleaning.lifetips.com/cat/851...ing/index.html
Hope it helps!

**stinkbug** · 10-28-2008, 12:29 PM

I figured Laurie would post to this thread. Laurie is wise in the way of cleaning! The floor we cleaned we did exactly as she described. Amazing results.

**Trishagirl** · 10-28-2008, 01:25 PM

How about the Mr. Clean eraser pads I've used it on my linoleum floor in spots that were darkened by dirt that wouldn't come clean and it worked really good. I love those things. Works just like baking soda sometimes better.

**misscas** · 10-28-2008, 07:13 PM

The linoleum floor in my bathroom turned bluish. Nothing would get out the stain...even bleach. I had to refloor it. The room is so little it only costed $30.

**MyMelody** · 12-20-2008, 08:37 PM

I feel your pain. Our floor will get clean enough, but it has a pebble texture on top and it's so many decades old that there's no way it'll get shiny again.

**cejhome** · 12-20-2008, 08:55 PM

We have vinyl floor in our kitchen - its old and ugly, but can't afford to replace it - its a long galley style kitchen and eating area, so lots of area = expensive to replace. I had scrubbed and tried a bunch of different things and it still would look dirty. (Its a beige pebble textured fake tile - I HATE it.)

One day I spilled some of that stuff you use to remove the wax from fruit and veggies on the floor, and didn't get it up right away - I was interrupted and when I came back - guess what? When I wiped the area, the paper towel was BLACK! It was the wax coming up - the dirt had been ground into it, it was so nasty. I used a wax remover product and it was like magic - the floor doesn't look great - it is still worn, but at least it looks clean now! Definitely a big improvement over how it used to look.

Only took me 13 years to figure this out (and by accident).

I don't know about linoleum floors, though -whether you have to wax them after stripping and how to go about it, etc....

**pop goes the weasel** · 12-20-2008, 09:55 PM

The last house I lived in someone had waxed a no wax floor. The dirt wouldn't come off. We ended up dumping ammonia on it and letting it sit for a little and using a nylon scouring pad that you use on teflon pans to take the old wax off. Then we had to rewax since the finish was ruined by whomever waxed it in the first place. I t looked like a new floor. We opened windows for ventilation and went to town stripping it.