How to Bleach Linoleum Floors

Whatever type of flooring you have in your home, be it hardwood, tile or linoleum, a regular sweeping and mopping should be part of your home care routine if you want to avoid damaging it. Linoleum, in particular, is relatively easy to clean as it will stand up to most cleaning products and ingredients. If your linoleum flooring needs a deep disinfecting, or if there's yellowing you're looking to remove, worry not — either of these concerns can be addressed in just a few simple steps by using bleach on linoleum floors.

To keep your linoleum floors looking great and lasting for the long haul, regular cleaning should be part of your upkeep routine. Deep cleaning your linoleum floors should be done to lift stains, reduce or eliminate yellowing and prevent buildup.

Before you get to that, you'll need to do some light prep on your flooring. First, be sure to sweep or vacuum any dirt, debris or crumbs from the surface of your floors. Next, be sure to open any doors and windows in the room that you'll be working in, which will not only help your wet floors dry faster but will also make breathing easier for you as you're getting your flooring cleaned up.

Bleach is safe to use for cleaning linoleum flooring, but you must dilute it with plenty of water. When cleaning floors with bleach and water, it's recommended that you mix ¾ cup of bleach with one gallon of water in a large bucket and use a mop to apply it to your flooring. Once your floors have been soaked, let the solution sit for about five minutes before rinsing it clean with water and letting it dry completely.

For an extra deep clean that lifts stains, removes scuff marks and helps prevent wax buildup, you can use a more concentrated mixture of bleach and water in addition to a vinegar rinse. To start, add a splash of vinegar to a bucket of water (about 2 gallons) and mop the mixture onto your floors. Once the floor has dried, mix 1 part bleach with 4 parts water and use a mop or sponge to scrub the floor or the affected area of the floor if you're dealing with a specific stain.

Then, give the floor one more mopping with the vinegar and water solution to remove the bleach, and let everything dry thoroughly before you use the floor again. For best results, follow this cleaning procedure regularly to keep your linoleum floors looking new.

While bleach is safe to use on linoleum flooring, it's not recommended for use on vinyl. Certain products like hard-bristled scrubbing brushes or pads, abrasive detergents and cleaners, steam cleaners and ammonia or bleach should never be used on vinyl material. Instead, stick with apple cider vinegar and water or vinyl cleaners like Pine-Sol, and opt for isopropyl alcohol, mineral spirits or scrubbing pads to disinfect or lift stubborn stains.