Caring and cleaning for your floors is an important part of up keeping your home. Different floors require different types of floor cleaners and care. It’s important you treat your flooring with floor cleaners that are best suited for each flooring type. Here are some tips and tricks for cleaning and taking care of floors.
Cork Flooring
Basically all you need to do to care for cork flooring is sweep and mop regularly. To keep your cork floors in pristine condition, wipe away spills immediately, damp mop weekly, place door mats and pads at entry ways to prevent dirt and sand debris from being tracked in, and only use recommended cork floor cleaners to clean heavy spills and messes.
Wood Flooring
Sweep, vacuum, or dust mop wood floors to remove loose dirt before it can scratch or be ground into the wood’s surface. Wax your floor once or twice a year, about as often as you would shampoo your carpet. Do not clean or wet mop with water.
Carpet and Area Rugs
Spot clean stains as soon as they happen. Blot excess moisture from the stain with a paper towel, and then use a carpet cleaning spray to remove the stain. Be sure to scrape off any solid materials before you apply the spray. Use enzymatic floor cleaners on pet accidents to remove both the stain and the odor. Vacuuming as much as three times each week to remove dirt and dust is best. If you don't vacuum regularly, dirt can be ground into your carpeting, causing stains that are difficult to remove.
Granite Tile Flooring
Granite should be dry mopped daily to remove sand and dirt and keep your floor from being scratched. Once each year you should re-apply the sealant to give the granite a glossy shine and protect it from any damage caused by heavy objects, or regular foot traffic.
Concrete Flooring
Most concrete floors experience little foot traffic, and a simple cleaning routine of occasional sweeping and damp mopping will guarantee they look like new for many years. Protecting concrete floors with a good sealer and a coat of floor finish or wax will make them even more resistant to stains, chemicals, and abrasion.
Marble Flooring
It is important that the floor cleaning solution used on marble be pH neutral. Do not use acidic floor cleaners on your marble or it will scratch and lose shine. This means no vinegar! You can clean your marble floors with a highly diluted mixture of ammonia and water or with a highly diluted mixture of dish soap and water.
Tile Flooring
Sweep or vacuum your glazed tile floors regularly to keep them from becoming dull. Tiles may be resistant to dirt, but sand and grit can dull glazed surfaces. Clean tile with mild detergent and clean water, using a rag or chamois-type mop rather than a sponge mop. Radiant heated tile flooring should be cleaned the same way normal tile flooring is cleaned. Check with your manufacturer or installer to make sure they don’t have any more specific instructions.
