Material
Cork flooring
A soft cellular material that absorbs and swells, protected entirely by a lacquer or wax seal that wears through in traffic and at tile edges.
- SurfaceSemi porous
- WashingSpot only
- Colour run riskLow
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What cork flooring can and cannot take
- Heat Avoid
- Water and soaking Use with care
- Acids, including vinegar Use with care
- Strong alkalis Use with care
- Solvents Avoid
- Chlorine bleach Use with care
- Abrasives Avoid
Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.
General rules for cork flooring
Get the spill up before it finds a tile edge, because cork tiles have joints all over the floor.
Clean with a barely damp cloth and dry immediately. Cork is soft, so abrasive cleaning cuts through the seal quickly and then the material underneath absorbs.
If the floor no longer beads water, the seal has worn and resealing is the answer rather than more careful cleaning.
Check the label
Cork is a soft, cellular material sealed with a lacquer or a wax, and the seal is doing all the work. Cork itself absorbs and swells, and a worn or broken seal on a traffic route or a tile edge is where a spill gets in.
Stains on cork flooring
- Baby sick Blot it up quickly, because cork tiles have a joint every few hundred millimetres and the cork itself absorbs...
- Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
- Body oil Lift free oil from cork flooring, then clean a small area with a maker-approved mild detergent solution and a...
- Breast milk Blot the spill, identify the finish and use a controlled cold clean only where permitted. Use plain cold wate...
- Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from cork flooring before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care...
- Coffee Wipe coffee off cork flooring promptly with a soft cloth. Use moisture only on a confirmed sound finish whose...
- Concealer Lift thick concealer from Cork Flooring, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of diluted washin...
- Cooking grease Lift and blot cooking grease from Cork Flooring, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid only if...
- Deodorant Lift loose deodorant from cork flooring with a dry white cloth, then wipe the remaining film with cool water...
- Hair dye Blot hair dye from Cork Flooring, test the mildest compatible cool detergent route, clean inwards, remove res...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Cork Flooring with a blunt edge, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of dil...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Cork Flooring, absorb as much as possible, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up...
- Nail polish Lift free polish gently if the face permits contact. A maker-approved mild damp wipe can clear loose residue,...
- Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
- Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity cork flooring can tolerate. Use a labelled pet u...
- Sweat Blot sweat from Cork Flooring, test a weak cool detergent wipe, remove residue with minimal moisture and dry...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Cork Flooring, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution. Remove...
Cork flooring is compressed cork bark, laid as tiles or as a floating plank, sealed with lacquer or wax.
The seal is the surface
Cork itself is absorbent and compressible. Everything that keeps a cork floor usable is the finish on top of it.
It is soft
So abrasives cut through the seal quickly, and once through, the cork beneath absorbs and swells locally.
Tile joints are everywhere
A cork tile floor has a joint every 300 millimetres, so a spill finds one within seconds.
It can be resealed
Lightly sanding and recoating a cork floor is normal maintenance, which makes a worn seal a routine job rather than a disaster.
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
-
Luxury vinyl tile care guide, Tapi
retailer
UK flooring retailer guidance to avoid steam cleaners and overly wet mops on smooth flooring because steam forces moisture into the joints and lower layers and causes warping, to avoid cleaners containing harsh chemicals, ammonia or wax and abrasive materials because they permanently damage the surface, to spot test any new cleaner, and that the wear layer on LVT cannot be refinished the way engineered wood can.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
Marmoleum floor care guide, Forbo
manufacturer
Linoleum manufacturer guidance not to over wet the floor when cleaning, that all cleaning solutions must be pH neutral between 7 and 8 because highly alkaline or acidic solutions are harmful to the floor, never to use abrasive liquids, powder cleaners or scouring pads, and to avoid steam cleaning equipment, undiluted solutions, strong solvents such as acetone and soap based products.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
Care and maintenance guidance, Atkinson and Kirby
manufacturer
UK wood flooring maker's guidance to clean spills immediately and not leave wet items on a wood floor, to damp mop with a well wrung mop or a barely dampened microfibre cloth, that steam cleaners and steam mops are not recommended, that oil based, wax based and ammonia based cleaners can damage the floor, and that an oiled floor is maintained by reapplying maintenance oil and polishing it until the surface looks uniform.
Checked 7 September 2026