Have you ever been excited to own something and then when you finally have it you’re a little disappointed? That’s how I felt about owning my new Luxury Vinyl Floors. We’ve lived in our rustic beach cottage for six months now and the remnants of the floor glue (from installation over 8 months ago) are still showing up! I guess the more we walk on it the more the dirt will stick to the remaining exposed floor glue. I’ve been frustrated because I couldn’t seem to find a good product or way to remove it…..until now. I’m so glad I found an easy way to clean floor glue and heavy dirt off of our new luxury vinyl flooring.
It’s kind of funny how I learned this little floor cleaning hack.
I was helping my daughter “paint her fingernails” (she’s three) and in her usual fashion she spilled some of the nail polish on the luxury vinyl (LVT). That’s one thing I do love about this new flooring; things wipe up so easily.
I grabbed the nail polish remover just in case a paper towel wouldn’t wipe it clean. I wiped it with the paper towel and then with a dab of nail polish remover.
While I was wiping up the nail polish with nail polish remover I scrubbed a little to the left over one of the floor seams that had an excess amount of floor glue.
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You see that crud that I’ve mopped multiple times and it still won’t come up?
What happened next was rather exciting to this boring stay at home momma (it’s sad when you get excited about new cleaning hacks :))
Cleaning luxury vinyl tile
Y’all ready for this?
Ta Dah!
With little to no effort, all of that grime on our Luxury vinyl tile wiped up in no time with nail polish remover.
Best product to clean floor glue off of Luxury Vinyl flooring:
Before the flooring experts jump all over me (or slam my comments), I have to share that they don’t typically recommend using a harsh chemical like acetone to clean the floor with.
What they do recommend is a wire brush and soapy water. Really?
Honestly, who has the energy to get on your hands and knees with a wire brush and scrub and scrub for days? It makes me tired just thinking about it. Maybe I should blame the floor guy that did a sub par job in cleaning up his mess. 🙁 Either way, it wouldn’t help the problem at hand.
That being said, I wouldn’t pour acetone in a bucket and mop the floor (although it would be clean once and for all, lol), but I think a little here and there to pull up the tough grime is ok.
Once again, I’m not a professional flooring guru so take my advice at your own risk. 🙂
SHOP A FEW ACETONE PRODUCTS BELOW:
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I’m off to clean my luxury vinyl tile floors, for good this time!
Lindsey**
I am living this nightmare with what was dream flooring! I’ve called all the experts (not the cowboys who bodged the job so badly) and they suggest the same as you’ve written above. Off to get a spare plank and test acetone, against all their advice. Thank you for sharing this ❤️
I’m sorry you are dealing with this! I’m still cleaning spots 4 years later….
Isn’t acetone highly flammable?
It can be. But if you use it to remove the glue and then clean it up with something else, you should be fine.
When my LVT floors were finished I was really happy. Then later on, I started to see a few shinny spots where clear glue was left. I had the stairs done in LVT too and I noticed a yellowish glue on some of them. I have been looking for something to remove the glue for months. I tried the recommended soapy water and a brush and absolutely nothing happened.
I was a little hesitant to try the acetone so I tried it on an inconspicuous spot and it worked so I continued to rub off the other glue spots and now my floors look great. Thanks so much for your cleaning hack.
Oh good so glad it helped!
I have glue still coming up and it’s been 8 years. I wish I knew how to stop the glue from coming up in the seams! Tired of it. Going to try your method of cleaning. Thanks, Michelle
We had vinyl flooring laid in February this year (2022). We have glue coming up around the planks. I was wondering if you know what caused it his and how did you fix it?
Thanks
You know I’m not sure. I would call a flooring professional and ask.
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lol YES that’s why I had to place the disclaimer in there because I know your really “not supposed” to use acetone, but like you said, if you go back with soap and water it’s ok right? 😉
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