Vinyl floors are engineered to be beautiful while maintaining a high level of durability. However, if you spend some time with it, you will notice that the flooring has a tendency to turn yellow. If this is a problem that you’re having, this guide can show you the best way clean discolored vinyl flooring and fix that right up!

What Is Vinyl Floor Discoloration?

Discoloration is what happens when the wood core of the flooring is damaged. It manifests as a series of yellow or brown stains on the floor. Usually, they appear near door thresholds, underneath heavy furniture and kitchen appliances, or on exposed surfaces (although seldom).

Because the damages are deep down within the flooring, it can be challenging to deal with. No matter how much you try to scrub at the spots, it just won't come off.

Why Does Vinyl Floors Discolor?

There are many reasons why your vinyl floorings could develop discolored spots. It’s important to pinpoint the exact reason why, as it can help you fix it up.

Bad Installation

If the vinyl floorboards were shoddily or incorrectly installed, it would only be a matter of time before discoloration starts to show. Many people use the wrong kind of substrate when they install their floor, thus allowing moisture to build on the underside of the floorings. Over time, this moisture seeps through the floorboards, eventually damaging the wood core. The damage shows up at the top in the form of an off-color stain.

You may need to hire a professional to re-install the floor again.

Too Humid Environment, Mold and Mildew

If you see a discolored spot on your floor, 9 times out of 10, it’s because of moisture. A humid environment encourages the growth of mold and mildew. If you don’t deal with these nasty things quickly, they’re going to eventually damage the floorboards.

Sunlight Exposure

Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight and heat will cause vinyl floors to fade over time. It’s not a problem that’s unique to vinyl floorings, mind you. Just about every type of wood-like floorings are going to be degraded by sunlight exposure.

This problem is very easy to diagnose. If the faded spots are near windows or doorways, there’s a good chance that the culprit is the sun.

Chemical Exposure

The cleaning chemical that you use can also be the explanation for faded or discolored spots on the floor. Certain kinds of adhesives, strong detergents, or bleach can immediately cause a yellowing reaction on the floor when they’re used in too high concentration. So, read the labeling carefully before you put anything onto the floor. You don’t want to use too much.

Crayons and markers contain chemicals that can cause discoloration, too. So, pay attention while your children are playing on vinyl floors.

Liquid and Food Spills

Many types of liquids and foods are infamous for their ability to stain. Coffee, tea, and wine, for example, are all high-caliber stainers. Acidic (sour) foods can also cause the floor to turn a different color.

Fortunately, the protective layer at the top of your vinyl floors can protect the vinyl floor’s core for a brief period of time before the stains set in. Therefore, immediately clean them up the moment they spill. If you let the liquid or food sit for too long, they will seep through the vinyl floor’s protective layer and ruin the wood core.

How to Clean Discolored Vinyl Floors

There are many different cleaning methods that you can use to deal with discoloration on vinyl floors. However, do note that the efficacy differs depending on the extent of the damage and the kind of damage. Sometimes, it’s better to just replace the entire flooring altogether.

Clean with Baking Soda

Baking soda, other than being useful in cookery, is also an excellent cleaner.

In a bowl, mix equal parts of baking soda and water together (half a cup of each will do). Swirl with a spoon until the whole mixture condenses into a thick paste with consistency similar to toothpaste.

Apply the paste to the spot on the floor, then scrub gently. The stain should eventually come loose.

Using a separate clean cloth, scrub all of the baking soda residues away when the stain comes off.

Clean with Vinegar

Vinegar is something that almost everyone has in their kitchen or their pantry. And just like baking soda, it can be used as a highly effective cleaner, as well. Note that the best kind of vinegar to use for cleaning is white vinegar. Other kinds of vinegars, especially colored ones like wine vinegars, can worsen the stains.

In a bucket, mix the vinegar together with hot water. Add 1 cup of vinegar for every gallon of hot water. Dip a mop into the solution and begin to clean the floor (if you haven’t had one yet, you can find yourself How to clean discolored vinyl flooring here). Pay extra attention to the heavily-stained areas on the floor.

After you finish, mop the entire place again with clean, hot water.

Clean with Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol is a last resort if the stains don’t come off even after you clean them with baking soda or vinegar. It can damage your floor if you’re not careful, so you need to be very careful while handling it. Additionally, you should wear gloves, protective goggles, and masks. Avoid directly touching rubbing alcohol whenever possible.

Put some rubbing alcohol into a bowl. Then, dip a clean cloth or a sponge into the alcohol.

Now here’s the important part: simply blot the spot on the floor with the stains. Do not use the rubbing alcohol to mop the whole area. If you do, the rubbing alcohol is going to damage the varnishing at the top of the vinyl.

Keep blotting until the rubbing alcohol removes the stains.

Once you’re finished, use a clean cloth to take care of the rubbing alcohol residues on the floor.

Further Reading: Best Mop for Vinyl Floors: TOP Options for Long-Lasting Flooring

Conclusion

Like we mentioned earlier, these three techniques don’t guarantee a 100% success rate. Sometimes, the floorings would be way too damaged for even rubbing alcohol to clean. In that case, if you want your floor to look spotless again, you’ll need to replace the floorings in that area completely.

We hope this guide has been useful for you and successfully restored your beautiful vinyl floors to its original state.