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The Effects of Water on Linoleum

Yvonne Van Damme

Linoleum flooring is considered long-wearing and relatively easy to maintain. It's made from cork, powdered limestone, linseed oil and pine resins. That makes linoleum an environmentally friendly choice for flooring. It's also hypoallergenic and resists allergens, so you may not have to spend much time cleaning it. Often, you just can use water and vinegar to clean the floors. However, water in large amounts and standing water can damage the floors.

Discoloration

Use a damp mop to clean linoleum.

Linoleum is not recommended for use in bathrooms, because if the toilet, tub or sink overflows, the floor can easily become discolored. When water gets underneath linoleum flooring, the flooring becomes discolored. Nothing can be done to remove that stain once it's there. When mopping linoleum floors, always use just a damp, not wet, mop. Using a soaking-wet mop can cause water to be trapped between the linoleum and the subfloor.

Loosening

If water is left on linoleum for an extended period, the seams may begin to loosen. In addition, if you have linoleum tiles, they can begin lifting from the floor. Once that happens, the floor cannot be fixed. This usually only happens when the water sits on the floor for a long time. This type of damage does not occur with just surface water from mopping or cleaning.

Bubbles

While cleaning linoleum floors, you must take care to not scrub the them too vigorously and, of course, to not flood them with water. Besides causing discoloration, water can damage the linoleum and make it warp and bubble on the surface. After mopping your floor, you can allow it to dry naturally. However, if there are any remaining puddles of water, you should hand dry those with a towel.