How to Remove a Red Stain from Vinyl Floor Tile

By Matt Oden | Comments | Tile and Ceramic Stains → Vinyl

Vinyl floor tiles are a popular flooring option for many people, and a broom, vacuum or damp mop are ordinarily all that is needed to keep them looking great. Removing a red stain from vinyl floor tile, however - or any other type of stain, for that matter - may take a bit more work.

Remove a Red Stain from a Vinyl Floor Tile

Removing Red Ink From Vinyl Floor Tile

What You'll Need Before You Start:

Rubbing Alcohol
Baking Soda
Cleaning Rag
Nylon Scrubber Sponge

Red ink is a stain that no one wants to see on any floor, but on vinyl floor tiles, red ink may seem impossible to remove. Not so! It may take more than one try to remove it from your vinyl floor tiles, but chances are good that you'll be able to restore your floor to a clean, ink-free state!

The first method to remove red ink from vinyl floor tiles involves using rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is a recommended ink stain remover for a variety of surfaces, including fabrics, wood, leather and vinyl. The quicker you attack the stain with rubbing alcohol, the better your chances of removing the stain completely, so don't let the stain wait - get to it now. To remove a red ink stain from vinyl tile with rubbing alcohol:

Wet a cleaning rag with rubbing alcohol.
Gently dab at the red ink stain with the rag.
Re-wet a clean section of the rag or a new cleaning rag with rubbing alcohol and repeat as needed.

Red ink on textured vinyl floors may be a bit more difficult to remove. When the ink sinks down into tiny grooves or indentation in the floor, rubbing alcohol alone may not be enough to remove it. Using a gentle abrasive, such as baking soda, can help dislodge ink that has settled in these grooves and indentations. To remove red ink with baking soda:

Removing Red Tomato Sauce or Fruit/Vegetable Juice Stains From Vinyl Floor Tiles

What You'll Need:

Baking Soda
Nylon Scrubber Sponge
Liquid Chlorine Bleach
Cleaning Rags

When you spill tomato sauce, fruit juice or tomato juice on your vinyl floor tiles, quick action is needed. Fruit or vegetable sauces or juices can stain vinyl floor tiles quickly, so removing the stain agent as soon as possible is the best way to prevent these stains from happening. However, if you've just discovered a spill, and a stain has already formed, don't lose hope just yet -- it may be possible to remove it completely.

First, use a bit of scouring action:

Wipe up any remaining juice or sauce completely.
Dampen a nylon scrubber sponge.
Sprinkle baking soda on the scrubber sponger.
Gently rub the stain with the scrubber sponge until it is removed, using a clean section of the sponge as the sponge becomes stained.
Wipe up any remaining baking soda with a clean damp rag.

If the stain has already set in, scouring alone may not be enough to remove it. In this case, bleach may be used to lift the stain.

How to Remove Red Tempera Paint Stains From Vinyl Tile Floors

What You'll Need:

Baking Soda
Nylon Scrubber Sponge
Paint Thinner
Rubber Gloves
Cleaning Rags

You love to see your children create works of art by using tempera paint -- until you realize you have a red tempera paint stain on your vinyl tile floor! A red tempera paint stain can be a hard one to remove from your floors, but using the right method can make it happen.

Like any stain, the quicker you get to a tempera paint stain, the easier it will be to remove from your vinyl floor tiles. Don't let a tempera paint stain set it, if at all possible. If you do, it will be more difficult to remove.

To remove a red tempera paint stain from your floor, try the least harsh method first. Sometimes, a little scouring is all it takes to get the stain up. Use baking soda first:

Wipe up any wet paint completely.
Dampen a nylon scrubber sponge.
Sprinkle baking soda on the stain.
Gently rub the stain with the scrubber sponge until it is removed, using a clean section of the sponge as the sponge becomes stained.
Wipe up any remaining baking soda with a clean damp rag.

Sometimes, a paint stain requires a bit more than just scouring to remove. Mineral spirits or paint thinner are the best way to get these stains out of a vinyl floor tile, but you must be careful when using paint thinner on vinyl floors. Oversaturate vinyl with paint thinner, and you could dissolve the tile. Follow these instructions for using paint thinner very carefully:

Put on rubber gloves.
Open windows or doors, and turn off any pilot lights or other sources of ignition.
Barely dampen a cleaning rag with paint thinner.
Gently rub the stain with the cleaning rag until the stain is removed, using a clean section of the rag as it becomes stained.
Wipe up any remaining residue with a clean damp rag.

The key to keeping your vinyl floor tiles looking great is keeping them clean and attacking stains as soon as you see them. With care, your vinyl floor tiles can last for generations.