How to clean marmoleum

Being 100% natural marmoleum needs very special care – here are some detailed tips on how to clean marmoleum correctly.

Being laid in the apartment, as a rule, marmoleum is not a subject to serious pollution, but for commercial buildings it may need very special care. Here are some important tips on how to clean marmoleum properly.

For the apartments, it is often quite enough to vacuum or mop marmoleum with warm water. It is recommended for regular cleaning – floor washing with warm water adding a small amount of liquid detergent (a cap on the bucket of water). Modern manufacturers produce a variety of different cleaners that make it easy to get rid of various kinds of dirt on the natural linoleum without much effort. Regular use of cleaning agents increases the life of marmoleum.

With regular care via washing with warm water and special cleansers, no more extra actions should be performed. Once a year – (for the apartments) and every six months (for commercial buildings) marmoleum should be treated with special mastic. If marmoleum had been used for a long time or care without care, the material would loose its appeal. But in most cases its appearance can be easily restored with the help of general cleaning.

Marmoleum: general cleaning tips

Step 1

You need to add cleaner into warm water a ratio from 1: 10 to 1: 3, depending on floor dirt – the higher the degree of contamination, the less water. Apply the cleaner to dilute contaminated sites (trodden areas, dark streaks and spots) and leave for 10-15 minutes. If the surface is heavily soiled, apply concentrate diluted 1: 1 with water.

Step 2

After 10-15 minutes, the highly polluted places should be rubbed with a brush or sponge for washing dishes – most of the spots will disappear. Then, wash it with warm water all over the floor with cleaner (1: 100, or a cap on the bucket of water) and, after the complete drying, rinse the floor with clean lukewarm water for 2 times.

Step 3

This step if performed 1-2 times a year, as it was already mentioned above. Use the polymer mastic for linoleum – distribute it across the whole floor surface in a circular motion with a clean cloth or mop. The main thing is that the fabric should be lint-free – for it not to be strewed. Make sure that the sealant is evenly distributed – do not leave mastic clusters on the flooring. Monitor the flooring – these places usually look whiter. After applying the mastic. let it dry, try not to walk on the polished floor for half an hour. For glitter or deep matt effect, mastic can be applied in two layers. In this case, after 30 minutes after the drying of the first layer, apply a second one.

Extra care for commercial buildings

For commercial buildings, such as business centers, sport clubs or shops, marmoleum should be cleaned daily using cleaner. But above all, you need to create effective protection against too much “heavy” dirt. To do this, there is a three-step system of protection:

1. Near the entrance from the street side put metal mesh for cleaning coarse dirt from the soles of shoes.
2. Put tight “bristly” pad near the entrance from inside – it will collects the remains of a large dirt, absorb moisture and fine dirt.
3. Put the pile mat, which absorbs and retains the rest of the dirt and dust from the shoes.