I use a steam cleaner, and technically, plain water will clean floors just fine - people are just trained otherwise, due to all the commercials on TV, to pull out a bottle of chemical cleaners for any and every cleaning purpose. We no longer require all these chemical cleaners with the type of flooring used today, in fact, many of the products sold for floors will damage, yellow, or leave a gunky build-up on the surface of vinyl. Personally, I don't like to use harsh chemicals in my home, so I clean and sanitize nearly everything with steam.

You can safely use a cup of white vinegar to 1-gallon of water for cleaning vinyl flooring, if you really need something that will cut grease and also sanitize the floor.

If you have any black scuff marks (usually from shoes), you can remove them with a dab of oil (I use coconut oil) or a spritz of WD-40, but clean with vinegar/water to remove the oily residue from the lubricant. If you have other identifiable stains/marks, do a search on how to clean stains of vinyl floors for more information, or check with a flooring store who sells it.

Here are some things NOT to use:

• Never use highly-abrasive scrubbers or steel wool.
• Do not use detergents, abrasive cleaners, or “mop and shine” products, because these can leave a dull film on the floor.
• Do not use paste wax or solvent-based polishes.
• Do not use ammonia or ammonia-based cleaning solutions on vinyl flooring; these can break down the material and cause cracks in the flooring.