Cleaning lino

Aril

Hi
I've been looking at lino today for my kitchen and got chatting to the chap in the showroom. Up until today I have washed my existing lino over with water and vinegar [I sweep it on other days]. However, he has told me that vinegar and other cleaning products such as Flash shouldn't be used on it as it burns the lino and will damage it:eek: Instead he said that you should be using washing up liquid as the oil in it feeds the lino.
Shall have to rethink my cleaning strategy for the floors me thinks!
Aril

Jack's_mummy

The one time I used washing up liquid to wash my lino it turned into an ice rink. I have never run out of floor cleaner again

victotoro

I lifted the vinyl in my kitchen to expose the old lino, and have been washing it with ecover (I know, not the cheapest, but only half a capful per bucket) floor cleaner which has linseed oil in it - the lino's looking great. As a bonus, this is the nicest-smelling floor cleaner I've ever used - I think it's got orange oil in it too.

Reminds me, it's about time the floors got done....

ceridwen

Personally - I use half a bucket of hottest possible water with a decent squeeze of Ecover washing-up liquid in it and a squeeze of white vinegar. (maybe he's thinking white vinegar - oooh acetic acid - so I guess you could google acetic acid to check it out).

dandy-candy

When I had lino put in the kitchen and bathroom I went for the textured kind that still has a grip even when wet. It is excellent but the downside is when I wash it with my mop (the type like shredded J-cloths) it never really comes clean. The only way to get it looking really good is to get on my hands and knees with the scrubbing brush and go over it, which is a killer on my back! Does anyone have any fabulous alternative suggestions for getting it clean please?

meanmarie

No solutions dandy...you have my sympathy though as I had that type of stuff in my kitchen years ago and had the same problem keeping it clean.

Am sure that someone will come up with something.....

Marie

meritaten

simples! a medium sweeping brush - mop the floor a bit with the mop quite wet, then scrub with the brush. mop again with a drier mop. does take a bit longer to do the floor but better than going down on knees.

Sagz_2

Steam clean

downshifter

I've got the same in my bathroom, I always thought that hands and knees was good for bad backs anyway. I used to have an enormous kitchen floor with this stuff, I spent half my life on all fours carefully cleaning each indentation - nightmare.

Now I hoover and then it's a hands and knees job - but I don't have a problem with doing that, I do my kitchen floor like that too, even though it's pretty big. I never find that mops get it clean enough, marks like fly spots need rubbing and scrubbing brushes are too wet.

When I hurt my back I was given exercises to arch my back, then pull it down, then arch again and so on to strengthen the muscles. It's a shame it doesn't help you.

DS

mummyslittleboy

I used to tie an old wet cloth over my broom head and that way could scrub the floor with out having to bend down all the time was glad when we moved though as no more textured floors:D

Patchwork_Quilt

We have the same problem in the bathroom. Don't anybody buy textured lino in a dark colour with all those towels around shedding fluff.

Firstly, I vacuum. Then, I use a sponge with hot water and a squirt of Flash - but not much, as it foams up in the sponge - on hands and knees.

Now and again, I use a very soft long-handled floor brush and a bucket of hot, soapy water and just scrub it. I could do this every week but I am worried about taking the surface off the lino.