Skip to Content

Can You Use Bleach to Clean Vinyl Floors? (How To)

Luxury vinyl tile floors have a protective finish. Bleach is one type of cleaner that is very harsh, therefore, it’s important to know whether bleach is safe to use on vinyl flooring. Today, I will explain whether bleach can be used on all of the different types of vinyl flooring.

As a general rule, you can not use bleach to clean vinyl floors. Vinyl flooring manufacturers recommend not using bleach because it will remove the finish. If this happens a new finish will need to be applied. But, a liquid cleaner with a maximum of 1.5% bleach can be used.

White bleach container

However, for bleach to be effective it needs to be applied at a concentration of about 10%, or 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Below, I will explain how to clean vinyl floors with bleach, and explain if bleach can be used on the different types of vinyl flooring such as luxury vinyl flooring, and vinyl tile flooring.

Can You Use Bleach to Clean Vinyl Floors? (How To)

You can tell that bleach is a very strong cleaner because of the strong chemical smell it gives off. Bleach is known to be quite harsh, which on the flipside means it’s effective for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and floors. But, is it OK to use bleach to clean vinyl floors?

Overall, you can not use bleach to clean vinyl floors. If bleach is used it will remove the protective finish that vinyl floors have. It’s possible to apply a new protective finish but is inconvenient. Cleaning solutions that contain a maximum of 1.5% bleach are safe to use.

It is not recommended not to use bleach at all on vinyl flooring. However, other flooring manufacturers recommend certain products that contain bleach. But, only in very minor concentrations, of around 1% to 2% bleach.

Also, in general, it’s not recommended to mix different cleaning products because it can cause chemical reactions that give off harmful fumes. Therefore, if you are going to use bleach you should only use it with water. However, for bleach to work as a cleaner and disinfectant it needs to be used at a concentration of 10%.

For example, you should add 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Therefore, it’s generally not worth using it to clean vinyl floors.

Because the concentration of bleach needs to be too low to not to damage the protective finish that vinyl floors have. As a result, bleach will only have a minor effect.

Is Bleach Safe to Clean Vinyl Flooring?

Collection of cleaning bottles

Cleaners like bleach and ammonia are very strong, and some chemicals are so strong that they can damage surfaces such as flooring. Vinyl flooring has a special type of finish that protects it, and is different to other common flooring types. So, this is whether it’s safe to clean vinyl flooring with bleach.

As a general rule, bleach is not safe to clean vinyl flooring and it will remove the finish. The general recommendation for using bleach to clean with is a ratio of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. But, for vinyl only use a cleaning solution that has a maximum of 1.5% bleach.

You can use bleach on vinyl. But, should limit it to a solution that is 1.84% bleach. To make it easier to measure, aiming for 1% to 1.5% bleach is typically easiest. That way you’re well below the limits of what will damage your vinyl floors.

In the guidelines linked to above, they recommend cleaning vinyl with Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner with Bleach, which contains 1.84% bleach. Therefore, anything under this amount will be fine for your vinyl floors.

Will Bleach Disinfect the Vinyl Flooring?

Hand wiping cloth on vinyl flooring

Disinfecting floors is a great idea because it’s easy for bacteria to get on floors. Bleach is known to be an effective disinfectant provided the right amount is used, and the right method is used to apply it. But, here’s a rundown of whether bleach will disinfect vinyl flooring.

As a general rule, bleach will not disinfect vinyl flooring. Bleach is only safe to use on vinyl flooring when it is not more than 1.5% concentration. Or, a ratio of about 1 part bleach to 100 parts water. For bleach to be effective at disinfecting it needs to be at a ratio of 1 to 10.

A better option is a soap based disinfectant. These have other chemicals that don’t damage the finish that a vinyl floor has. But, will also disinfect your vinyl floors.

A good example is Pine-sol, which is safe to use on vinyl floors. And is a disinfectant.

To use bleach as a disinfectant you would need to use too much bleach. Which will damage the polyurethane finish that vinyl floors have. Therefore, it can’t be used to disinfect vinyl floors.

Can You Use Bleach to Clean Vinyl Plank Floors?

Hand wiping cloth on vinyl flooring

Vinyl plank floors look great, and are well known for being easy to install. Once they are installed they need to be sweeped and mopped fairly regularly to keep them looking great. There are various cleaners that work well on floors, this is whether bleach can be used to clean vinyl plank floors.

Overall, bleach can not be used to clean vinyl plank floors. Vinyl plank floors have a polyurethane finish that protects the vinyl. Bleach is too harsh for vinyl flooring and will remove the polyurethane finish. But, a cleaner that contains a maximum of 1.5% bleach can be used.

The drawback of using a cleaner with this amount of bleach, is that the bleach is ineffective. The University of Florida says for bleach to be effective, it needs to make up about 10% of the liquid cleaner used.

For example, a liquid that is 1 part bleach, and 10 parts water. But, a cleaner that has this much bleach is too harsh for vinyl plank flooring, and will remove the finish.

How to Clean Vinyl Plank Flooring Using Bleach

Mop cleaning house flooring

Bleach is an effective cleaner that also disinfects surfaces and floors. Provided, you follow strict guidelines about the amount of bleach you use, it’s fine to use it to clean vinyl plank flooring, and won’t damage the finish. So, here’s how to use bleach to clean vinyl plank flooring.

In general, you apply a bleach and water solution to vinyl plank flooring using a mop. But, never use a bleach solution that contains more than 1.5% bleach. A bleach cleaning solution with more than this will remove the polyurethane finish.

The chemical name for bleach is sodium hypochlorite. Typically, the product label for a cleaner will state whether it contains sodium hypochlorite rather than the word ‘bleach’. But, not always.

However, to know how much bleach is in a specific cleaner, you need to do a Google search for it. Or, read the FAQ for the specific cleaner. In my experience it’s easy to find what percentage bleach a cleaner has such as 10% or 20%.

The main thing is to only use a cleaner that has about 1.5% bleach or less. Typically, if you are going to use bleach to clean your vinyl plank flooring it’s best to create a mixture of water and bleach yourself. But, don’t mix bleach with any other types of cleaners, and it can create harmful fumes.

Can You Use Bleach to Clean Luxury Vinyl Tile Floors?

Luxury vinyl tile floors are different to regular vinyl flooring because they have another protective layer. Although this protective finish makes luxury vinyl tiles more resistant to wear and tear, it’s also important to know how best to clean it. This is whether bleach can be used to clean luxury vinyl tile floors.

Overall, you can not use bleach to clean luxury vinyl tile floors. Luxury vinyl tile floors are finished with polyurethane. Bleach will remove the finish on luxury vinyl tile floors. But, vinyl floor manufacturers recommend a liquid cleaner that contains no more than 1.5% bleach.

Commonly a mixture of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water is recommended for cleaning floors and surfaces. However, for luxury vinyl tile floors this is too strong.

The other issue with using bleach is that the amount that is safe to use results in the bleach being very diluted. Diluted to the point where it has little to none of it’s positive effects.

How to Clean Vinyl Luxury Tile Flooring Using Bleach

Vinyl flooring

If you are going to use bleach to clean luxury tile floors it’s important to use a method that won’t damage your luxury vinyl tile floors. Therefore, below I’ve explained exactly how to clean luxury vinyl tile flooring using bleach.

In general, create a liquid solution of 1.5 parts bleach to 100 parts water. Anymore that this and it will remove the polyurethane finish that luxury vinyl tile floors have. Mop the luxury vinyl tile floors with this solution using the standard mopping method. But, don’t mix it with other cleaners.

Other cleaners like ammonia react with bleach, and cause harmful fumes. Also, virtually all liquid cleaning manufacturers state to not mix bleach with their cleaners. In my opinion, it’s better to use a liquid cleaner that’s safe to use on vinyl floors like Pine-sol that is also a disinfectant.

Rather than use bleach. The reason is that bleach at the concentration above is so weak, it will have next to no effect and cleaning your luxury vinyl tile floors.

Can You Use Bleach to Clean Vinyl Sheet Floors?

Vinyl flooring

Vinyl sheet flooring comes in large sheets. It’s typically necessary to use a few pieces to cover an area. Bleach is a well known cleaner that is effective at disinfecting surfaces, but this is if it’s OK to use bleach to clean vinyl sheet floors.

This article was first published on Mar 6, 2023 by Wabi Sabi Group..

As a general rule, you can not use bleach to clean vinyl sheet flooring. Bleach needs to be used at a concentration of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water to be effective at disinfecting surfaces. But, anything over 1.5% bleach will remove the finish that vinyl sheet flooring has.

Many liquid cleaners you can buy come with bleach, and in general, this will always be stated on the bottle. However, not always so it’s always a good idea to first check on the manufacturers website in the FAQ section, or give them a call or email to ask them. Otherwise, you do run the risk of damaging the finish on your vinyl sheet flooring.

How to Clean Vinyl Sheet Flooring Using Bleach

Mop cleaning flooring

Now that you’re aware that bleach can be used to clean vinyl sheet flooring with bleach, it’s good to know the right method to clean vinyl sheet flooring to make sure that it does not damage your vinyl sheet flooring. But, also cleans your vinyl sheet flooring as well as possible. Therefore, how to clean vinyl sheet flooring using bleach.

Overall, mop vinyl sheet flooring with a bleach solution that contains no more than 1.5% bleach, otherwise it can damage the finish. Bleach is not very effective at removing dirt at this concentration. So mop the floor using a floor cleaner beforehand such as Pine-sol.

Before, doing so mop the floor using a floor cleaner beforehand such as Pine-sol. Also, only mix bleach with water, and don’t mix it with any other cleaners or chemicals.

In general, bleach can be used to clean vinyl floors. Regular vinyl floors and luxury vinyl floors have a polyurethane finish. If you use a solution that contains more than 1.5% bleach it will damage this finish. So, only use a bleach and water mixture that is about 1 part bleach to 100 parts water.

Related Articles

Can You Use Goof Off To Clean Vinyl Floors?

Can You Use Mr Clean to Clean Vinyl Floors?

Can You Use Fabuloso to Clean Vinyl Floors?

Can You Use Pine-Sol to Clean Vinyl Floors?

WabiSabi Group is the owner of this article and was published on Mar 6, 2023 and last modified on .

Can You Use Magic Eraser To Clean Vinyl Floors?