Rules Of Maintaining Various Types Of Floors
Dirt is an ever-present threat to your floor. Regardless of how well it is scrubbed and made sparkling clean, a day later there will still be dirt that will have accumulated on it. After all, tiny bits of dust settle on the surface each minute, there’s that soiling that gets tracked into the building from the outdoors, and also those unfortunate cases of staining – whether it is from beverages that have been accidentally spilled or you have a pet that went peeing all over the floor. Focus shifts to finding effective methods to carry out the floor cleaning. Methods that will reduce the amount of time and resources that you spend on the task, while still ensuring you get the desired quality of results. Here are tips on how to go about cleaning the different types of floors.
- Wood floors
This focuses on both solid hardwood floors, as well as engineered wood floors. Here, too much water will be an enemy to the floor. Drenching the surface during the floor cleaning will increase the risks of water damage, which can ruin the structural integrity of the installation. Then there is the choice of cleaning agent to use. Wood’s sensitivity to the pH of the different floor cleaning formulations reduces the number of options that you can safely use to work on your floor with. Here, the product used should have a neutral or mild pH. Stay away from the likes of vinegar, bleach, ammonia and lemon juice solutions for the floor. Using such cleaning agents will have effects ranging from dulling that finish coat that has been applied, to dissolving the lignin of the actual wood.
- Marble floors
These natural stone installations are highly absorbent, and the pH of the floor cleaning products used is also a critical factor. Speaking of which, avoid using acidic products such as vinegar on the floor. They will react with the finish and stone itself, causing etching. When such damage occurs, it usually requires the help of a professional stone restoration crew to reverse the damage. With marble floors, the first line of defence is treating the floor with a sealer. This provides a barrier of protection against spills and staining, since the bare marble slabs will readily absorb the liquids. Note that using the wrong floor cleaning agents here will also strip away the protective sealer. Here, use products that have been specifically developed for working on marble floors. Note that just because it is a natural stone, this does not mean that products used on other tone installations will be suitable for marble. For instance, the solutions that are usually used for granite can be stronger since the material is able to handle more acidic elements, but these would end up damaging marble. Let’s delve into that next.
- Granite floors
This siliceous stone gives you a wider range of floor cleaning agents to work with – even those that are slightly more acidic – but don’t go overboard. A natural solution remains the most ideal for these installations. Remember that you also don’t want the sealant used getting degraded by acidic agents. Instead, after sealing the floor, work with the products that have been recommended by the manufacturer to be compatible with the sealant – and certainly these should be safe for granite floors as well. If you’re preparing homemade DIY solutions then it is recommended that you first use it on an inconspicuous section of the floor to see if it will be safe for the rest of the installation. The other rules when it comes to natural stone floor cleaning still apply – where you shouldn’t use abrasive tools like scouring pads or steel wool, and you should also clean up spills as soon as they occur.
- Vinyl floors
Those popular ‘Mop & Shine’ products will end up leaving a film of residue on your vinyl floor. Abrasive scrubbing equipment will lead to scratches being formed. Drenching the floor in water will cause the glue bonds which are holding down the vinyl to get ruined, leading to curling corners and loose floors. Even extra care should be taken when vacuuming, such as ensuring the beater bars should be turned off since these will damage the floor. Carry out the deep clean with a mild or neutral floor cleaner, and ensure that you have properly rinsed the surface to get rid of all the soap residue.
- Ceramic tiles
With a mild detergent and some hot water, you can deal with most dirt and grime problems on tile floors. One particular point of concern is the grout. Its absorbent nature causes it to soak up the dirty water while the mopping is being carried out, so extra scrubbing action will be required here. Avoid scouring pads, steel wool or other such items that contain metal. Scouring powders can be used – but first test out the product on a small area before proceeding to use it on the rest of the floor.
Professional Floor Cleaning Services
Occasionally bringing in the pros to give the floor a thorough scrub is beneficial in prolonging the life of your installation. Working with a company that has an experienced crew, with high-powered machinery, enables them to deal with those stubborn dirt spots and stains that have riddled the floor, while also carrying out restorative measures like polishing the surface to bring back that new look and feel. Moreover, the local companies offering the floor cleaning also come with additional service packages., ranging from window cleaning, end of tenancy cleaning, spring cleaning, working on heavy appliances like ovens, to pressure washing systems for the sidewalks and other outdoor surfaces. As such, you get the opportunity to give the property a top to bottom clean, rejuvenating and enhancing the health standards for those in the premises.
Note that you should do some background work when selecting the floor cleaning company to work with. This includes going through the reviews and testimonials left behind by their previous clients on their social media pages and business directory listings, all through to asking for their licence, and state of insurance, since you want the extra protection in case an accident occurs during the cleaning task.
