Cleaning your floors typically feels like a lengthy task. However, it’s necessary to clean your floors regularly in order to maintain them and help them last longer. When it comes to floor cleaning there is unfortunately no catch-all method. Each different floor type requires different products or techniques. To help guide you during your floor cleaning, here are the basics for each common floor type.
- Carpet – You may run your vacuum over your carpet and call it a day. However, not even the best vacuum in the world will fully take away stains without some sort of spot treatment or shampooing your carpets. Consider using a detergent and water solution to clean your carpets and a baking soda and vinegar solution (equal parts) to treat stains.
- Hardwood – Hardwood floors require a lot of attention. First you want to identify the finish of your hardwood. If you have a wax finish or untreated wood, you should not wash them, but they should still be vacuumed, swept, and dust mopped regularly. For polyurethane finishes you should clean your floors with either a pH-neutral soap with water or a vinegar mixture. Both solutions should be applied with a mop and dried with a microfiber cloth.
- Laminate – Laminate floors are made to look like hardwood. However, they should be treated very differently. Laminate floors should never receive liquid polish — the liquid could get under the boards and ruin them. For cleaning all you need to do is dry mop, sweep or vacuum regularly, and use a damp cloth for spot treatment.
- Tile & Vinyl – For tile and vinyl flooring cleaning, try mixing in a spray bottle – warm water, a drop of dish soap, and ¼ cup of vinegar. Spritz this solution on your floors and wipe with a microfiber mop or cloth. If you’re looking for a deep clean, steam the tiles and the grout to get rid of bacteria.
We hope these tips will help guide you in your floor cleaning. If you have any questions regarding floor cleaning, treatment of other floor types, or the services we provide, please contact us at April’s Cleaning Services today!
