Floor cleaner?

SRL

Active Member
Any suggestions for an older linoleum floor that needs a really deep cleaning? I've got some Armstrong no rinse cleaner on hand but it's not cutting it.
 

mom_in_training

New Member
I used to wash my linoleum floors with diluted bleach and water. I have also found that the industrial strenght 409 cleaner works well with a greasy stove and other cleaning jobs but not to sure if it will damage the finish on your floor but have found it to be really good for cleaning. Might want to do a lil test spot with the 409 though if you try it.
 
TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) if you can get it. It's banned in some states because it's not too good for the environment. It's what used to be in :censored2: and Span and it will cut any kind of dirt without hurting the linoleum. It's a powder detergent that you mix with water and it is sold in hardware stores. It's wonderful stuff - if you can find it. (Use gloves if you have sensitive skin.)

I used it when my exH bought us a filthy, roach infested house in Tennessee. The kitchen floor was BLACK with acummulated yuck and nothing I used would make a dent. My Dad reccommended the TSP and it worked like a charm.

Good luck,

Amy
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
I have hand scrubbed my old linoleum floors with those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers... they were the only thing that would do the job!!! Pain in the @#$ but it got the job done!!!
Or else oxyclean??? Or Simple Green??? Maybe
Good Luck
 

crazymama30

Active Member
I second the tsp, look for it at home improvement stores. Sometimes near the paint, as some people use it to clean the walls before painting.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
My vinyl kitchen floor is only a few years old but it's light-colored and has a texture to it. NOTHING would get the dirt off the high traffic areas and the places like around the dog bowls and in front of the stove. So I was another one that ended up on my hands and knees, crawling around the kitchen floor with the Magic Eraser! It worked but it's a HUGE amount of work!
:slap:
I never heard of this TSP stuff, but I'll be looking for it if it works!
 

SRL

Active Member
Thanks everyone. Those Magic Erasers are wonderful but they sure don't hold up through the job. Donna, this is also a light floor with texture so it's a pain.

Years ago I used Bon Ami and a lot of elbow grease and it cleaned it up but I was hoping for something easier on my carpel tunel hands and creaky knees.
 

SRL

Active Member
Update-I tried a number of products including the fake TSP and nothing really cut the dirt until I grabbed something from under my cupboard called Zep Commercial Citrus Cleaner and Degreaser. I'd found it at Home Depot and hadn't really got around to using it on anything but this stuff cut through the grimy stuff with a fraction of the effort. I sprayed it on the really tough spots and let sit for a minute before rinsing well with hot water then I did the whole floor with a diluted solution which I changed often. Afterwards rinsed well and swabbed with towels. Don't get me wrong--it's still work and after washing and waxing the kitchen floor today my carpel tunnel is wild--but it beat using a scrubber and/or scouring powder and going square by square.
 

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
I've been watching this thread closely - SRL, I've got the same flooring issues you do. Very old floor with some ground in spots.

Thanks for the info.
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: timer lady</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've been watching this thread closely - SRL, I've got the same flooring issues you do. Very old floor with some ground in spots. Thanks for the info. </div></div>

Me too - my linoleum flooring is circa 1966!! I do spot cleaning for that under the cabinet grime (I don't know where that stuff comes from, I swear) with the Magic Eraser, which works like, well, like magic!! But when I mop the kitchen floor, I use Mr. Clean OR slightly diluted 409 and I do it twice full strength and then I do a rinse and shine with some kind of mop and glow crap just to give it a nice sheen. It's a lot of work and I wish it lasted longer, but it doesn't, so sometimes it hardly seems worth the effort. I've been after H to replace that floor for years, but since it's not HIS top priority, it will be last.

Good info in this thread - I'm going to look for that stuff!
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
My floors are new. But with my high traffic problems keeping them clean is a major chore. I'm glad I clicked into this post. I'm sure this will come in handy. :smile:
 

SRL

Active Member
Those Magic erasers are great and I wish they'd made them sooner! difficult child was Hyperlexic which means that he was seriously into letters and words from age 2 and wrote them on every conceivable surface. I managed to get it off the regular walls using Ajax with bleach and a lot of elbow grease but I had a cabinet I couldn't get it to budge off of until these were invented. I was wiping it down the other day and saw the faint markings of the growth chart he drew on it when he was little. I think this was less work than the Magic erasers--I did use one on a really tough spot but I saturated it with the cleaner first. I also had a razor blade nearby to scrape off paint spots and some silver stuff difficult child got on the table and floor (from a permanent marker?).

I'm guessing this flooring is early 80's--good quality Armstrong to begin with but it's had a workout. Besides the dirt it has spots where it's turned purple by the deck door from light exposure. My cabinets need refacing or replacing and while I've grown quite fond of my harvest gold 70's fridge and stove, they won't last forever. The carpet needs replacing as does the 23 year old sofa.

No money for all that replacement so I'm going for the free nap on the sofa.
 
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