Hybrid vinyl flooring has all the benefits of luxury vinyl and laminate combined, but you’ll still want to be able to take care of your new flooring once it’s been installed and keep it in tip-top condition. Simply follow this guide and your hybrid flooring will last a lifetime for you and your family.

Know Your Flooring

Stone Plastic Composites (SPC) v Wood Plastic Composites (WPC)

These are the 2 types of hybrid vinyl floors are both fully waterproof. SPC is slightly more durable and a bit more affordable than their WPC counterparts. They contain limestone powder which is a bit stronger than wood powder. WPC is more comfortable under your feet though as it’s slightly softer. There is a bit more movement so it feels more like wood, but it’s a bit less abrasion-resistant.

Moisture and Water

All hybrid flooring is fully waterproof, but this doesn’t mean that you can flood your floor with water. The planks are waterproof yes, but the water will seep through the joins and into the subfloor which can cause damage and mould, so don’t flood the floor with water.

Abrasion Resistance

Hybrid flooring comes with an Abrasion Coefficient rating (AC Rating) from AC2 to AC3 making them ideal for medium to heavy use in residential environments. Whilst weaker than most laminates, they are more abrasion resistant than natural wood flooring.

Stain Absorption

Both types of hybrid flooring are waterproof, but this doesn’t mean they are immune to staining. In fact, almost nothing is so don’t let any fluids or spills that will stain linger on your floor. Wipe up all stains as quickly as possible.

Choose the Right Cleaning Tools

Due to hybrid flooring water resistance and its composition, you can mop quite freely with water up to 70 degrees centigrade. As the flooring is waterproof, excess rinsing water will linger on the surface for longer so to prevent slips by mopping up the excess.

• Scrubbing is fine for small patches, but excess scrubbing can lead to abrasions.
• Use neutral pH cleaning solutions for either SPC or WPC hybrid as they cane worn down by acidic compounds over time.
• When mopping, always rinse. This leaves less sticky residues on your flooring and is safer for you and your family.
• Wipe up spills that may stain immediately to avoid the colour being absorbed. Remember, blot it up with paper towels, don’t rub it in or spread it.
• Avoid anything abrasive. You should avoid anything too abrasive as regular use will cause many small scratches and affect the way it looks. Soft cloths are better as opposed to steel wool for example.

Vacuuming and Sweeping

Regular sweeping with a soft-bristled broom or vacuum cleaner with its bristles down is the quickest and easiest way to pick up all loose dirt and more importantly dust. Dust just slowly gets wet and oily and sticks to the surface over time making it more difficult to remove. All hybrid floors require more vacuuming than carpets to reduce dust anyway, but doing this will reduce build-up and require less mopping which requires more water.