There’s already so much one is responsible for; knowing how to properly clean and maintain the flooring of our home is probably the last thing on our minds. And the price of floor cleaning services can be steep for a one time cleaning. Though, whenever asked what part of your home receives the most wear and tear, our floors hold that title. There are many different types of flooring; tile/grout, hard wood, vinyl– and each requires a different kind of cleaning regime, which may seem overwhelming, but ease your mind with this guide and feel confident in your abilities to clean your flooring in the best possible way.
Proper Tile Flooring/Grout Maintenance
Tile flooring when cleaned and maintained truly adds a beautiful and sharp look to any room in the house. There’s many different kinds of tile flooring; stone, ceramic, and porcelain to name a few examples. Typically tile flooring also has grout, which is the adhesive that binds the tiles together. With cleaning floor grouting, the grout is typically beneath the tiles surface, making it so that running a floor cleaning product over just the surface of the tiles does little to nothing to clean the cracks that hold the grout. Also, it’s best to hand scrub them using a solution specifically made for the grout and a handheld brush or with a handheld steam cleaner for grout. Especially with cleaning bathroom floor tiles, where film tends to build up the fastest, it’s wise to do a deep scrub once or month or every other month.
The Different Types of Tile
Ceramic/Porcelain:
These materials are considered the easiest to work with due to the surface being permanently polished and smooth, making it harder to scratch, making it difficult for dirt to hold to the surface. It also makes it so floor cleaning robots or floor cleaning solutions have an easier time of cleaning as well as they can glide across easily. There is the daily build up of bacteria and allergens though; such as pet hair and pollen, so it’s recommended to run a microfiber mop over the surface every day just to pick up the daily dust. It’s convenient because this type of mop does not require a floor cleaning solution, and is best used dry.
Marble/Stone:
Marble and Stone flooring and surfaces are a stunning addition to any home but can scratch very easily and somewhat difficult to maintain. It’s highly recommended to use soft bristled brushes, grout cleaning scrubber and vacuums designed for tile cleaning with these types of materials, as well as floor cleaning recipes that are meant for marble and stone. When washing the surfaces, it’s important to be sure that the recipe you’re using for the marble/stone has a neutral pH level to prevent etching or scratching.
Vinyl Floor
This material, much like the Ceramic and Porcelain floorings, are pretty easy to maintain. Having the weekly microfiber dusting of the surface as well as a monthly mopping will help keep the original look to the surface. One thing about not keeping up with Vinyl flooring is that it can keep the dirt particles around easier and longer, so the actual color of the flooring will eventually be lost to the color of dirt if not properly cleaned! Not the best look.
Laminate, Cousin to Hardwood
Laminate flooring is a great option for people who don’t want the cost and maintenance of Hardwood Flooring, though it does still require some weekly or monthly maintenance. Most don’t really know how to properly maintain their laminate flooring, which later causes chips and cracks that can sometimes be costly. Hopefully with these tips we are able to avoid any breaks to that beautiful flooring.
Depending on how much and many environmental factors play a role into your home daily, such as intake of pollutants (dust, dirt, pet hair, ect), it’s recommended to vacuum weekly to keep up with the cleanliness of the floors and home. Though if your vacuum cleaner has rotating brushes, it’s best to remove or turn them off so as to not damage the laminate flooring.
For a deeper clean use a damp mop and cleaning solution over the surface but be careful not to oversaturate the mop and use an excess of water because there’s potential for what’s underneath the laminate surface to bubble and warp. Turning on a fan after mopping is a good idea to help the flooring dry faster.
Make Hardwood Flooring less Hard to Maintain!
Having Hardwood Flooring in your home makes your floor an art piece of its own, but most that do already understand the struggles of keeping it clean. You have to clean it enough so that you maintain the wood and the cleanliness of it, but you have to be careful not to use abrasive floor cleaning products or solutions, as well as not using too much water while mopping so that the wood doesn’t become damaged and warped. It’s a tricky process, but here’s a few tips to make it easier.
Microfiber dust mops is a great option for removing dirt and contaminants without scratching the surface of the wood flooring. Microfiber mop pads are also a great eco-friendly choice as they are washable and reusable, unlike disposable pads. Instead microfiber mop you can use a wood floor cleaning machine as well. If you’re looking for a deeper clean on your floors, the best and most natural way is to mix a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar in a gallon of warm water. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar handy, you can substitute half a cup of white vinegar, though the vinegar solution doesn’t have the best smell. To help mask the scent, you can just add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. A benefit of using the natural floor cleaning solution is that unlike other floor cleaning solutions it doesn’t leave behind a sticky or filmy residue!
Q & A
What do you recommend for Basement flooring or Garage Flooring?
Unlike a lot of the surfaces mentioned before, with Basement or Garage Flooring it is okay to use a more coarse and rough brush on the surface, a large handheld bushing broom is best because of both the size of the brush as well as the materials for the bristles. Using the brush to remove all of the debri and dirt from the surface, you’ll see that it is (typically) a very smooth and scratchless surface. After doing so, wetting the surface is the next step then using that same brush from before, a bucket of warm water and a cleaning solution of your choice- go to town! Good old fashioned elbow grease, hitting the problem areas such as oils spills is recommended first before moving on to the rest of the garage. Pushing out the dirty water that’s built up also helps.
Does using my floor cleaning robot count as my daily sweeping?
Honestly, depending on the level of “activity” you have in your home, I would say so! I wouldn’t count it as, per say, your weekly deep cleaning because of the areas that floor cleaning robots can often miss as well as its ability to fully contain all of the debri. But it definitely helps to run it daily, so that the weekly sweeping is less of a hassle.
Can I use a vacuum that both washes and dries on my flooring?
That depends on a few factors; such as what type of flooring you have as well as to what kind of vacuum it is. Those types of vacuums are best on carpeted areas because the brushes can be really rough and penetrating which is great for plush surfaces like carpets, but not so much for surfaces such as any tiles (marble/stone, vinyl, ect). You can use it on some hardwood floors and laminates, but it’s best to exercise caution, only doing a small area to see if it causes any damage to the surface before moving on.