This question was submitted from Kirsten M.
“I just moved into a new apartment with a vinyl tile kitchen floor. The tile appears to be older than I thought and in some spots it’s very dull and has lost its gloss. Is there any way to clean the tiles and give them back some of their texture and shine?”
Vinyl tile which looks dull are usually low on wax or finish.
Try these techniques :
Give the floor a good cleaning with a strong ammonia based cleaner. Bbe sure you scrub the floor evenly and rinse with clean water until there are no soap suds in the mop water. You want to be sure that there are no traces of soap residue.
Next buy a floor wax or sealer, either from local hardware store or janitorial supply store. (You will have better results with a commercial product and they cost not much more than what you would pay in a grocery store for far inferior products).
Then apply a fresh coat of wax to the floor. Apply at least 2 coats – the second coat should be applied at a 45 degree angle to the first coat for full coverage of the floor with no spots missed.
If you want the floor to shine even brighter add a couple of thin top coats and your vinyl floor will shine like new.
