While I’m not a big fan of vinegar for most cleaning jobs (takes too long), there’s one place that vinegar does a great job, especially if you use the tips I’m going to give you right now. These are what I use on most wood, LVP and laminate floors, even when there’s no salt residue because it just produces a sharp clean streak free look 99% of the time.
These tips are not difficult or strenuous, but they can add an extra 15 to 60 minutes depending on how much floor you have, if you have pet fur around, and if you do this right. Now if you’re just trying to get the salt residue by your doorways where it’s the worst… just spray a little vinegar and water on a mop or towel and rub lightly til it comes off. Should take 1-3 minutes
For a more complete cleaning…
- Start by sweeping & vacuuming the floor that you’re cleaning, paying attention to corners and along baseboards. Personally I usually sweep first and then vacuum, but it varies from job to job. The more loose salt, dust, pet fur, and other crap that you remove first, the better your results overall.
- Pre damp mop the floor… Personally I like to use a Zep brand spray bottle or 1 gallon Ace Hardware pump-up sprayer. Both can lightly mist cleaning solution on floors. With the pre-mop step, just use water. This step helps remove the non-salt residue that gets in the way of the vinegar on the final step. I know you want to add soap here, but don’t… unless your floors are very dirty with grease and grime. That takes a different process.
- Final step…. grab a clean flat mop head or whatever your mopping with. Add 3-4 ounces of white vinegar to a 32oz spray bottle of water. The white vinegar that you buy at Jewel or where ever works best imo. Lightly spritz the floor and your mop with your vinegar and water solution. You’ll have to determine how much based on your specific floor, but the idea here is to put just enough to produce an even mopping pattern, without soaking the floor.
The diluted vinegar removes the salt residue easily, while also neutralizing any remaining soap residue from past cleanings. Yes, most people use way more soap then what is needed! Too much soap residue and too high of pH are common reasons why wood and LVP floors get that dirty smeary look so quickly. The vinegar, along with that quality prep work you did will give you a great looking residue free & SAFE floor for people and pets.
Regardless of what you do… patience, cleaning solution dwell time and some pH knowledge are the keys to many cleaning projects. For the others… there’s cleaning pro’s such as myself. 😀
