I love hosting small friend-gatherings at my place. The kitchen is kind of a sanctuary for me as I love cooking and experimenting with fruit, veggies and food combos. My current favourite is a mashed olives dip with salty bread sticks to go along with the endless amount of wine we drink when we get together for a movie time, chit-chats or a game of monopoly. But when I usually organize small get-together parties, it’s mainly after 9pm, which is why I try to keep the snacks light. Meaning, less meat on the table.
Everything is great before people start coming over. And when they do settle in and grab their wine glass, things start to change after the first few sips. The mood turns to loose and relaxed, hands start getting shaky and wine starts flying around the place because well, who doesn’t like being gesticular when holding a big glass of wine?
I’ve often been in situations of this kind – red wine gets all over my sofas, on the small and absolutely delightful carpets, and on the floors! And naturally I immediately start panicking because red wine is notoriously known for its staining ability. But regardless of it all, I can’t just stop hosting, so I started researching a little about all the convenient ways to keep wine stains off my furniture. The conclusion? Unless you take wine off the list, there’s only one other way to clean it – clean it thoroughly right after it has spilled on the floors or furniture.
I have vinyl floor planks, which were very carefully chosen so that their colour matches my particular interior design. And although vinyl floor planks are water resistant, hygienic and generally easy to clean, that doesn’t mean that you should be reckless when drinking wine near them. Yes, they do come with a rather long warranty, but I don’t want to create a complete mess in my home to repair them, or worse, change them!
What’s important about vinyl floors is that they’re gentle and can’t be treated with harsh abrasives. And because of that, it’s important to remove stubborn stains very promptly, as substances like wine or tomato sauce will pigment them very fast which is what you’ll certainly want to prevent. Here are some cleaning tips I’d like to share with you.
Preparing the cleaning products
In the particular case of wine stains, I’d normally use something mild, like a mild dish soap directly on the stain. Then I’d simply wipe it all with a non-abrasive sponge dipped in water. It is something like washing dishes, but more gently and less messy. If the stain is something that could cause more damage to the floors and it is very sticky, I’d use only a little baking soda in a pot with water. Baking soda acts as an abrasive but in reality is a very mild one that won’t do as much damage as actual abrasives.
When to use hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching element, so it’s only to be used if the stain is too stubborn, like a forgotten wine stain. As a substance that has a bleaching effect, you want to be extra careful with hydrogen peroxide. Make sure you prepare a dish washing soap, a bowl with water and a sponge to remove the hydrogen after you’re done with it. Rinse with water very thoroughly because it’s not particularly good for your health either to have hydrogen peroxide around you.
What to never use on vinyl floors
Never use ammonia on vinyl. Ammonia is corrosive to materials such as vinyl and will completely eat it. Also, never mix cleaning products or chemicals together because this could result in a rather dangerous mixture. Throw away every cloth or sponge you used for cleaning with harsh chemicals. Remember, don’t even think about cleaning without protective gloves and eyewear, especially when using harsh chemicals. And, always ventilate after cleaning with chemical-rich cleaning products.
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