I use water and vinegar for my tile and laminate. I use a mop with a removeable microfiber cloth. I take it off, soak it, wring it extremely well, mop and repeat when needed. I vacuum first before mopping (my vacuum has a bare floor setting). I think I got the mop at Lowes or Bed Bath Beyond. Main thing with laminate - do not spray anything directly on it and make sure any mop you use is wrung out very well. You do not want to saturate the floor.

ma-bookreader - I have done the vinegar and water mix, but then also had to wipe dry with a towel because of spots. I will add alcohol to the mix and see if it makes a diff. Thanks! mileaday - we actually have considered Alloc for our kitchen. I was just finding other colors and finishes I liked in other lines as well. Thoughts? I had both Alloc and Shaw installed exactly 5 yrs ago this month. Alloc is in my foyer and my living room. We have the Domestic Traditional Oak. I can see some scratches on it in certain light, but only because I know they are there. We have a dog, two cats and a teenager so considering that, I think they have held up well. There is a good size chunk missing from one piece behind the loveseat, probably damaged when we moved some furniture. Someone dropped a sharp object on it right after installation and it chipped. Other than those two things, Alloc has taken the abuse of daily living (we don't take our shoes off in our house)and we use this room a lot. I am very satisfied with it. When we replace all the floors in the hall and bedrooms this fall, we will continue with the Alloc we have right now. the Shaw floor? It was the look that mimics tile in an off white/tan/grey pattern. It was surprisingly easy to clean and I only chipped one small corner in the "grout" line but no one looking at it would even notice it. This took kitchen abuse, an icemaker line flood, a dishwasher line flood and an older cat who had a habit of missing the litter box, if you know what I mean. No problems at all and the only reason it is coming up after 5 yrs is because we opened up the wall to the dining room and I want a continuous floor, but no longer in love with the tile look. We did purchase the extra padding/underlayment and so glad we did. It doesn't have that hollow sound when you walk on it and these floors are pretty comfortable in bare feet. HTH let me know if you have any other questions. I wouldn't rule out either floor from my experience.

Yes those bricks have been sealed. To find out if it is WAX (which is the original way that brick floors were protected) you can put a drop or two of water on the surface and let it sit for 5 minutes. Wipe it up. If there is a "white spot" left over from where the water was sitting then you KNOW you have WAX. Personally I would have a stone company come in and offer their cleaning services if you want to get the brick back the the ORIGINAL surface/colour. They will strip off ALL of the protection (wax/polish) to expose the RAW BRICK. They will then RESEAL the brick with more UP TO DATE products that take LESS EFFORT to maintain. You will then PURCHASE the complimentary products that are to be USED with the sealant. You will follow the MAINTENANCE procedures for the sealant/cleaning product as per manufacturer's guidelines. Whew! Brick is fun isn't it? I think you have DECADES of wax/polish on those floors. These used to be waxed/polished every 4-6 MONTHS. Now image 40 years of doing that. That's a LOT of material that needs to come off. You cannot apply "something" until you find out what is on there RIGHT NOW....or until you REMOVE every stick of old product and reseal with something new (which you then KNOW what it is and how to care for it).

I’d love to see your revolution suceed. Sheet vinyl is a fabulous flooring and seammed floors just cannot compare. Mannington has has some great patterns. https://www.mannington.com/Residential/LuxuryVinylSheet/Search?FilterCollections=0 As does Shaw... https://shawfloors.com/flooring/vinyl/////sheet Some fabulous patterns here... https://www.atrafloor.com/vinyl-flooring/pattern-vinyl-flooring/ And of course, Armstrong has a very good product. https://www.armstrongflooring.com/residential/en-us/vinyl-flooring/vinyl-sheet.html Good luck on your revolution!