How might vinyl flooring impact your home sale?<\/h2>\n
Vinyl flooring may not sound as appealing as hardwood or marble, but it has its place in many homes, even higher-end homes now, thanks to more innovations in flooring over the decades. It comes in sheets, rolls, tiles (sometimes called luxury vinyl tiles or LTV), and planks in a wide variety of textures, colors, and styles.<\/p>\n
The humble vinyl floor can have preconceived notions among home buyers despite its many positive qualities, so it\u2019s advantageous to get them looking their best before listing your home for sale. It\u2019s important to know what to do \u2014 and what not to do \u2014 before deep cleaning this type of flooring.<\/p>\n
When floors are clean, it can convey a higher sense of value to buyers when they walk through your home. A dirty floor can leave a bad impression and be unappealing. When potential buyers see a dirty floor they may wonder what else may not be maintained in the house. A clean floor shows the home has been cared for and well-maintained.<\/p>\n
Dingy or faded laminate floors that have been neglected or worn down over time can be made appealing enough to help sell your home with the help of a thorough cleaning. Buyers who have plans to make major renovations in the home may not mind dingy floors, especially if the floor style is due for an upgrade. It\u2019s not hard to present the floors in their best light with a deep cleaning tailored to your specific material.<\/p>\n
![\"homelight](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\"){kind=logo}
\n <\/div>\n \n Get a Home Value Estimate Before You Replace Flooring<\/h3>\n
It can be helpful to see what your home is worth before embarking on any renovations. HomeLight\u2019s free tool makes it easy to get a preliminary estimate of value within minutes.<\/p>\n \n
How is deep cleaning different from regular cleaning?<\/h2>\n
Regular cleaning includes the usual tasks: dusting, organizing clutter, wiping down surfaces, and clearing dirt and debris from floors to give the home a fresh feel and a brighter appearance.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, deep cleaning goes beyond surface appearances to remove dirt, grime, and scum in the house and focuses on sanitizing and disinfecting to help keep people in the environment healthy. Deep cleaning has longer staying power and more noticeable results, but it typically takes longer because it involves more detailed work.<\/p>\n
Deep cleaning is also different from normal cleaning because it\u2019s more intensive and not done as often. Regular cleaning might be performed once a week for the average household. Deep cleaning is applied less frequently \u2014 perhaps only a few times a year.<\/p>\n
For this post, we consulted with Scott Johnston<\/a>, the owner of Carpet Care of Carolinas<\/a> in Raleigh, North Carolina, founded in 1970. Johnston has been involved in the family business his entire life and has become an expert on how to clean all types of floors, including vinyl surfaces.<\/p>\n He explains how to pay special attention to vinyl floors to keep them from discoloring, being gouged, or scratched. Floors that have been too enthusiastically scrubbed or neglected may require services like his to restore them beyond what the home DIYer can accomplish, or a professional may recommend replacing the floors entirely.<\/p>\n Before you pull out the cleaning tools, make sure you know how to give your vinyl flooring the special treatment it deserves to sparkle for years to come.<\/p>\n \u201cIdentify what type of floor you\u2019re dealing with first, although there isn\u2019t much difference in caring for vinyl floors and laminate floors,\u201d Johnston says. \u201cIt\u2019s a good idea to research and find out what type of floor you have because you can\u2019t treat all floors the same, there are so many types of materials now.\u201d<\/p>\n Before you begin cleaning your vinyl floors, gather the materials you\u2019ll need for an easier cleaning session. Tools and products you\u2019ll need to deep clean your vinyl floor include:<\/p>\n Johnston recommends starting with the easiest steps first and building on it as needed. \u201cLess is best when trying to clean flooring,\u201d he says. \u201cAlways start with dry cleaning a floor, or if you have a good vacuum that won\u2019t cause damage to the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n Step 1:<\/b> Sweep up loose dirt and dust with a broom or vacuum. Step 1:<\/b> Clean off the microfiber or use a new one and wet the microfiber. Lightly work the microfiber over the floor to loosen any caked-in dust or dirt grime. Step 1:<\/b> For more stubborn buildup, use a cleaner made specifically for your flooring\u2019s finish to avoid causing buildup or damaging the finish. Johnston doesn\u2019t recommend much more than this for homeowners to keep their vinyl floors clean. \u201cIf you’re going through the steps above, a little muscle and a soft pad is what you want to use,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you have a good finish, it’s impossible for dirt to get into or under the finish, it’s made to keep everything on top of the finish.\u201d<\/p>\n If you’re thinking about selling your house, partner with a top real estate agent early in the process. A proven agent will have the experience to know what to fix and what not to fix \u2014 and what to replace and what can just be cleaned. It takes two minutes to match you with the highest-performing agents in your market.<\/p>\n \n What you\u2019ll need for deep cleaning vinyl floors<\/h2>\n
\n
Steps for deep cleaning vinyl floors<\/h2>\n
Use dry methods<\/h3>\n
\nStep 2:<\/b> Use a microfiber dust mop to get smaller particles off the floor.<\/p>\nIntroduce water only<\/h3>\n
\nStep 2:<\/b> Repeat with a wet microfiber cloth if needed.<\/p>\nAdd cleaners as needed<\/h3>\n
\nStep 2:<\/b> Scrub. \u201cYou can be more aggressive with them when deep cleaning,\u201d says Johnston.
\nStep 3:<\/b> Use water again to keep buildup from the cleaner from sticking to the floor.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n Find an Agent Who Knows What Adds Value<\/h3>\n