Question for LVT floor care guys

[encapman]

What are you finding works best for LVT floor cleaning: Do you have any tricks that assures success? Any problems that you sometimes encounter? Any pads, brushes, bonnets that you feel work best? I'm just trying to uncover any hidden mysteries or aspects to achieving the best results when cleaning LVT. Appreciate any observations you'd care to share.

 

[hogjowl]

I can honestly say that my experience is a detergent and hot water is usually enough. When it isn’t, the CRB is certainly enough. I don’t need anything special, so far.

 

[encapman]

Thanks Marty. The reason I'm asking is that one of our vendors is pitching a new type of bonnet that's supposed to make a huge difference for LVT. Looks cool, but it's expensive. Frankly, I don't think it's viable. To me cleaning LVT seems pretty straightforward. But I wanted to hear from guys in the trenches to see if there's something I'm not seeing. Are there LVT problems/issues?

 

[hogjowl]

Thanks Marty. The reason I'm asking is that one of our vendors is pitching a new type of bonnet that's supposed to make a huge difference for LVT. Looks cool, but it's expensive. Frankly, I don't think it's viable. To me cleaning LVT seems pretty straightforward. But I wanted to hear from guys in the trenches to see if there's something I'm not seeing. Are there LVT problems/issues?

I’ve encountered no problems with cleaning so far; however: there’s plenty of mfg. and installation problems.

 

[SamIam]

Saigers Sauce LVT and LVP Multi Surface Pro Cleaner | Clean Pro Supply https://share.google/0M6DrI4B21Kbz87yR


This stuff is great on laminate LVT LVP And natural stone.

 

[Mikey P]

Thanks Marty. The reason I'm asking is that one of our vendors is pitching a new type of bonnet that's supposed to make a huge difference for LVT. Looks cool, but it's expensive. Frankly, I don't think it's viable. To me cleaning LVT seems pretty straightforward. But I wanted to hear from guys in the trenches to see if there's something I'm not seeing. Are there LVT problems/issues?

Check your email..

 

[encapman]

That's some comprehensive info.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

We have a lot of it in classrooms and the only problems we've had is poor installation, which occurs frequently. So, we've had a lot of different kinds and it is pretty simple. We treat it like a light vct scrub with a red pad. You don't have to get fancy with it.

 

[encapman]

Thanks Kenny,
That's pretty much been my take on it too.

 

[MasterCarpet]

I have done a few of these now. I never have needed to do any pre scrubbing. I just mix up some really potent high ph cleaner like saiger tsunami or whatever I have on hand, then I go at it with the tile spinner, brush head. No issues.

 

[they live]

Keep the heat and pressure down and clean with the grain.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Just like any vinyl floors, LVT/LVP has a sealer over the surface. so it's always a must to use a neutral floor cleaner. But that should be common knowledge. Because all you're really trying to do us suspend the funk that's sticking to the surface. So get something with a very high level of surfactant.

Me personally, I just use plain ol zep neutral floor cleaner. And if it's a trashed, nasty rental apartment or almost biohazard...I don't care about the sealer because the floor is already ruined. I mix up the hottest juice I have on the truck, because the slumlord doesn't care.

But for all clean, normal people floors, neutral is the way to go

 

[Mikey P]

I have done a few of these now. I never have needed to do any pre scrubbing. I just mix up some really potent high ph cleaner like saiger tsunami or whatever I have on hand, then I go at it with the tile spinner, brush head. No issues.

soon you'll get beyond a few and if you keep cleaning as you are, you're going to ruin a floor, guaranteed.

Insurance claim will be denied if still under warranty.


Stay tuned for a Resilient/Laminate Standards/ Manual to learn how to go about it SAFELY.

 

[they live]

So if they follow your guideline and it still gets damaged are you warrantying it?

 

[Luky]

What are you finding works best for LVT floor cleaning: Do you have any tricks that assures success? Any problems that you sometimes encounter? Any pads, brushes, bonnets that you feel work best? I'm just trying to uncover any hidden mysteries or aspects to achieving the best results when cleaning LVT. Appreciate any observations you'd care to share.

I've used my Tenant T1 on LVT. I didn't have to post- bonnet. T1 works well on laminate floors, too.

 

[scotty747]

If the install is good and tight I use the spinner, if not crb and Mikey wand. Some guys are using rexpro finish after, I'v never tried it.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

It's expensive!!!

 

[Axel70]

I use a Powr-Flite Multiwash with a neutral cleaner and that seems to do the job for me. I try to keep it really simple.

 

[Farenheit251]

We clean a large dining hall at the University twice a year whether it needs it or not….
Manufacturer recommended equivalent of red pad. Tried softer brush that worked great on LVP but ended up having to reclean. Now use 175 and red pad. Was using Chemspec Prekleen(Mikey’s recomendation way back when he paid for chemicals)
Now we use Phenom Cleaner not so important but fresh red pad is a must
We rinse with Devestator wand and GG brush glide

 

[MasterCarpet]

soon you'll get beyond a few and if you keep cleaning as you are, you're going to ruin a floor, guaranteed.

Insurance claim will be denied if still under warranty.


Stay tuned for a Resilient/Laminate Standards/ Manual to learn how to go about it SAFELY.

Just curious what would cause this to ruin an LVP floor? if it's waterproof. Are you saying that the Jets will damage something or that the ph will strip a finish?

 

[Mikey P]

Just curious what would cause this to ruin an LVP floor? if it's waterproof. Are you saying that the Jets will damage something or that the ph will strip a finish?

Turbo/Spinner Tools

Unsafe because:

• 700 psi minimum working pressure is often excessive for most resilient and all laminates
• seam flooding
• wear layer burnishing
• circular distortion patterns
• risk of joint failure

Designed for tile and stone surfaces—not resilient surfaces.

---

​

 

[BIG WOOD]

Just curious what would cause this to ruin an LVP floor? if it's waterproof. Are you saying that the Jets will damage something or that the ph will strip a finish?

LVP is not water proof. Ignore the advertising on the box. It’s only water resistant. High pressure water is a no go. My max pressure is 600 on that with a wand, not a spinner

And yes, the high ph powder damages the finish as well

 

[MasterCarpet]

Turbo/Spinner Tools

Unsafe because:

• 700 psi minimum working pressure is often excessive for most resilient and all laminates
• seam flooding
• wear layer burnishing
• circular distortion patterns
• risk of joint failure

Designed for tile and stone surfaces—not resilient surfaces.

​

---

Interesting. The only ones that I have done have been very dirty. Like I tested a small area and go "oh wow its supposed to be THAT color". I try to test a small spot and then look at it from an angle where theres a bright light to make sure it still has whatever shine is supposed to be there. But yeah maybe in the future I'll try something else. What would you recommend thats still fast? I do have a brushpro. That with a neutral cleaner and a hard surface wand?

Also, I have been realizing in recent years that I am an "over cleaner" and been looking at a lot of older threads on here about that, that you have posted about. I got a bristor wand with a sight glass a couple years ago. It's a good want but the bracket that holds the spray bar is a bit cracked so the jets aren't perfect. So now there's a bit of a dirty streak in the middle on some carpets. So i have to overlap. Then, the sight glass. I swear I clean every job 50% slower now that I have a sight glass. I have been reading about wands that everyone recommends and saw that you have a newer one. The "chosen" wand. It's funny because when I had my company on Maui, I couldn't stand the evolution wands or anything like that, and I loved cleaning with the AW29, as I've seen mentioned here. The chosen wand seems a bit similar. I just think its funny that I tried getting fancy with everything and now making less money, I'm now realizing that keeping it simple was the way to go all along. Anyways, I think I'm probably going to buy your wand here shortly. One question, I had gotten used to this big 2 inch tube on my wand, it makes me feel like I'm able to suck up a lot more with my butler, but I'm not even sure how true that is after reading some things you wrote. I spent 3 hours at a job yesterday with some grimey frieze carpet. It was just 3 rooms and a hall with some dining chairs. That realistically would probably take me an hour and a half with my crb and a wand where I can't see the dirt through a sight glass to obsess over.

 

[frank fratto]

175
water with small amount of neutral or 8 ph cleaner
microfiber scrub pad
then mop it with baby blue microfiber pad
DONE! " easy peezy"

 

[Mikey P]

Interesting. The only ones that I have done have been very dirty. Like I tested a small area and go "oh wow its supposed to be THAT color". I try to test a small spot and then look at it from an angle where theres a bright light to make sure it still has whatever shine is supposed to be there. But yeah maybe in the future I'll try something else. What would you recommend thats still fast? I do have a brushpro. That with a neutral cleaner and a hard surface wand?

Also, I have been realizing in recent years that I am an "over cleaner" and been looking at a lot of older threads on here about that, that you have posted about. I got a bristor wand with a sight glass a couple years ago. It's a good want but the bracket that holds the spray bar is a bit cracked so the jets aren't perfect. So now there's a bit of a dirty streak in the middle on some carpets. So i have to overlap. Then, the sight glass. I swear I clean every job 50% slower now that I have a sight glass. I have been reading about wands that everyone recommends and saw that you have a newer one. The "chosen" wand. It's funny because when I had my company on Maui, I couldn't stand the evolution wands or anything like that, and I loved cleaning with the AW29, as I've seen mentioned here. The chosen wand seems a bit similar. I just think its funny that I tried getting fancy with everything and now making less money, I'm now realizing that keeping it simple was the way to go all along. Anyways, I think I'm probably going to buy your wand here shortly. One question, I had gotten used to this big 2 inch tube on my wand, it makes me feel like I'm able to suck up a lot more with my butler, but I'm not even sure how true that is after reading some things you wrote. I spent 3 hours at a job yesterday with some grimey frieze carpet. It was just 3 rooms and a hall with some dining chairs. That realistically would probably take me an hour and a half with my crb and a wand where I can't see the dirt through a sight glass to obsess over.

Using Spinner/Turbo tools on resilient is Russian Roulette. You might get away with it ten times, but that eleventh floor will have a weak seam or a cheap core, and you’ll own it. The pressure (even at 700 psi) drives moisture right into the locking mechanism, and the heat can warp the wear layers.

For the Floors: Since you already have the BrushPro, you have the winning ticket.

1. Pre-spray with a neutral cleaner (or a specialized LVT cleaner).
2. Agitate with the BrushPro and the soft white (thin bristle). This does 90% of the work without the risk of high-pressure injection.
3. Extract with a hard surface wand at low pressure (200-300 PSI max).

This method is incredibly fast, safe for the seams, and leaves the floor bone dry compared to mopping.

For the Wand & Over-Cleaning:The sight glass is what I call the "Profit Killer." It creates "paralysis by analysis." You end up chasing clear water that isn't necessary for a clean carpet, just to satisfy your own anxiety. Duct tape over the glass unless you REALLY need to know what's coming up (urine and detergent spiils)

Regarding the Chosen Wand and your fear of losing the 2-inch tube:The "bigger is better" mentality with 2-inch tubes is often a trap in residential cleaning.

1. Ergonomics: A 2-inch wand is stiff, heavy, and fights you on every stroke. That physical fatigue slows you down more than you realize.
2. The Butler: Your truckmount has massive blower power. Necking down to a 1.75" or even 1.5" wand at the very end of the hose run isn't going to cause a noticeable drop in cleaning performance for residential soil loads. The air velocity (speed) at the slot is what matters for water recovery.
3. Speed: The Chosen Wand is designed to be lightweight and agile. If you aren't fighting the hose and the weight of the wand, you move faster.

Three hours for a 3-room frieze job is unsustainable. That should be an hour to an hour and a half max. Ditch the sight glass, get a lighter wand that seals well, and trust your chemistry and agitation. You’ll double your hourly rate immediately.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Using Spinner/Turbo tools on resilient is Russian Roulette. You might get away with it ten times, but that eleventh floor will have a weak seam or a cheap core, and you’ll own it. The pressure (even at 700 psi) drives moisture right into the locking mechanism, and the heat can warp the wear layers.

For the Floors: Since you already have the BrushPro, you have the winning ticket.

1. Pre-spray with a neutral cleaner (or a specialized LVT cleaner).
2. Agitate with the BrushPro and the soft white (thin bristle). This does 90% of the work without the risk of high-pressure injection.
3. Extract with a hard surface wand at low pressure (200-300 PSI max).

This method is incredibly fast, safe for the seams, and leaves the floor bone dry compared to mopping.

For the Wand & Over-Cleaning:The sight glass is what I call the "Profit Killer." It creates "paralysis by analysis." You end up chasing clear water that isn't necessary for a clean carpet, just to satisfy your own anxiety. Duct tape over the glass unless you REALLY need to know what's coming up (urine and detergent spiils)

Regarding the Chosen Wand and your fear of losing the 2-inch tube:The "bigger is better" mentality with 2-inch tubes is often a trap in residential cleaning.

1. Ergonomics: A 2-inch wand is stiff, heavy, and fights you on every stroke. That physical fatigue slows you down more than you realize.
2. The Butler: Your truckmount has massive blower power. Necking down to a 1.75" or even 1.5" wand at the very end of the hose run isn't going to cause a noticeable drop in cleaning performance for residential soil loads. The air velocity (speed) at the slot is what matters for water recovery.
3. Speed: The Chosen Wand is designed to be lightweight and agile. If you aren't fighting the hose and the weight of the wand, you move faster.

Three hours for a 3-room frieze job is unsustainable. That should be an hour to an hour and a half max. Ditch the sight glass, get a lighter wand that seals well, and trust your chemistry and agitation. You’ll double your hourly rate immediately.

I used that wand today.

Mainly for the reason that I left my stair wand in the other truck and this wand is manageable on stairs, unlike my PROCHEM TITANIUM. So I used it on the whole job and didn’t mind it.

 

[Mikey P]

I used that wand today.

Mainly for the reason that I left my stair wand in the other truck and this wand is manageable on stairs, unlike my PROCHEM TITANIUM. So I used it on the whole job and didn’t mind it.

Use it on a dozen jobs and report back on how you mind the PCTI

 

[BIG WOOD]

Use it on a dozen jobs and report back on how you mind the PCTI

I have. It's a good tool.