How to clean and remove dirt from Amtico floors
What’s the best way to clean an Amtico floor?
This article describes how you can clean your Amtico floor. The problem that often occurs with Amtico floors is that a build up of dirt and grime can accumulate on the surface of the floor. Another problem that can occur is when cleaning products can build up on the floor and cause the dirt to be trapped on the layer of residue. This layer of dirt and residue can be impossible to remove with regular mopping of the floor. Scratches and scuff marks on an Amtico floor can also be a problem as these can make the floor look dull and also retain dirt.
This article will also describe how you can seal your Amtico floor afterwards if it is required.
So lets take a look at the dirt on our Amtico floor
Opposite is a close up look taken from the first image of our floor at the top of the page. As you can see the Amtico floor is scratched. These scratches will need to be cleaned out with a stiff brush. We will also use a professional floor cleaning product which is capable of dissolving the dirt and grime.
If you are a home owner and doing this as a DIY job you will need to purchase a high PH floor cleaning product and a stiff hand brush. Alternatively you could hire a floor cleaning machine if you have a large Amtico floor to clean. I cleaned this floor using a small floor scrubbing machine.
Scrubbing the floor
Here I am scrubbing a few Amtico floor tiles to see what the result will be. After cleaning the tiles you can see the floor is perfectly clean and the scratches have been cleaned out. On this floor in particular I am going to seal the floor with Amtico floor polish. This will tend to hide the scratches and also fill them in so as dirt will not accumulate in them afterwards. Sealing the floor will also make the floor easier to clean in the future as it will make the floor smoother, especially if the floor is textured as this one is.
Dirt removed from Amtico floor
Here is the area that has been cleaned. As can be seen, the area is many shades lighter and the floor should look impressive when it is cleaned and sealed.
Cleaning the Amtico floor
Here I am using a small scrubbing machine to clean the Amtico floor. First of all I cleaned around the edges of the room and skirtings and also the kitchen units using a hand brush so as not to get the cleaning chemical on the paintwork and kick boards as this could cause damage. So take care not to get any cleaning products on surfaces that may come to any harm. The cleaning product was first sprayed onto the floor and allowed to dwell for around 20 minutes before cleaning.
Removing dirt and slurry form the Amtico floor
Do not allow the floor to dry before rinsing off the slurry. You can use a mop and a bucket of water to rinse the floor. To a bucket of water add around 100ml of white vinegar so as to neutralize any of the cleaning product. Here I am using an extraction machine instead of a mop and bucket. This rinses off the floor with a jet of water and the slurry is taken outside into a machine. When using a bucket of water, it is better to clean off the floor and then use a fresh bucket of water to follow up to ensure the floor is as clean as possible. You can also follow up with a flat mop to remove any remaining residue.
Is it possible to remove scratches from an Amtico floor?
Scratches and scuff marks can appear on an Amtico floor due to wear, foot traffic and furniture marks.
How to deal with scratches and scuff marks.
The only way to deal with scratches and wear marks on an Amtico floor is by applying a floor seal. As can be seen from the image opposite, the left photo is before cleaning and sealing and was quite heavily scuffed by furniture and foot traffic. The photo to the right is after the floor was sealed and the result is very satisfactory indeed. An application of floor polish will help hide scratches and scuff marks so they are no longer as noticeable or in some cases the floor may look nearly new again. Where heavy scratches or gouge marks are evident, it may be necessary to replace the affected panels. Sealing will not always hide deeper scratches but it can make them less likely to be seen and the floor will generally look much better.
The other benefit of sealing is that it will tend to fill in the textured finish that some types of floor have, so as the dirt has less chance to get trapped in the surface. Sealing Amtico floor tiles should make them a little easier to mop clean as well.
Sealing an Amtico floor
If your floor is not very old or worn and in reasonably good shape, it is not always necessary to seal the floor. However sealing the floor can protect it from further wear and also enhance the looks with a nice satin sheen.
Go to the next page on how to seal Amtico floors here.
Please note: this page and it’s content and images are copyrighted.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best cleaner for Amtico flooring?
On a day-to-day basis, the best type of Amtico floor cleaner is one that is neutral PH. Avoid using a high alkaline cleaner as this will remove any seal from the floor. You can use Amtico’s own floor maintainer. It is important to consider that Amtico recommends their own Floorcare Maintainer as to not void any remaining warranty. Otherwise you can use neutral PH floor cleaner from another company which works out much cheaper. The one I recommend is Jangro Neutral floor cleaner which can be found here: Jangro Neutral floor cleaner
What's the best floor stripper for Amtico?
You can use Amtico Floor Dressing Remover to remove existing polish. However there are many products on the market that will do the same job.
I use Jangro floor polish remover which can be found here: Jangro Floor Polish Remover
What's the best mop for an Amtico floor?
There are 2 types I would recommend. The traditional cotton string mop with a wringer bucket or a microfibre noodle mop as pictured. I find these noodle mops very good. Rather than using a bucket, you may need to fill your kitchen sink with water and also the cleaning product.
Can I use a steam mop to clean my Amtico floor?
You should avoid using a steam mop on an Amtico floor.
Here’s why; a steam cleaner could penetrate between the joints of the panels and loosen them. The panels are fitted with adhesive and it could degrade the adhesion. A steam mop will be far less effective than using a recommended mop with a good cleaning product.
Should I use a vacuum cleaner on my Amtico floor?
Avoid using an upright vacuum cleaner on your Amtico floor. I have seen many floors where the plastic wheels of the vacuum cleaner have scratched the floor or the seal.
The best way is to use a brush before mopping the floor. The use of a hand held vacuum could be used as long as it doesn’t scuff the floor.