Taking Care Of Your Floors At Home
It’s one of the largest structures in the house, and basically receives the most abuse – handling all that foot traffic, those occasional spills, heavy furniture weighing down on it, all through to the solar radiation beaming through the windows and baking the floor. You want your floors to remain in top condition, given that their state reflects on the rest of the premises, and that making repairs can be very costly. Here, we will go over issues to note when handling the floor cleaning on different kinds of installations.
- Hardwood floors
These are highly durable, and bring a natural look and feel to the space. Regular floor cleaning here, coupled with the occasional refinishing every few years, will enable the installation to last a lifetime.
While wood is a strong structure, its hygroscopic nature means you have to be particularly keen on the amount of water that is used during the floor cleaning process. When mopping you should use a damp mop. Wring it out to remove the excess solution from the material, then proceed to work on the surface.
The choice of floor cleaning product used also matters. The wood tissue is sensitive to the pH of the chemicals available for chores at home. This means you can’t just go sloshing a random detergent onto the surface and scrubbing away. Ensure that the floor cleaning solution that you work with has been particularly designated to be safe for use on hardwood.
- Ceramic tiles
The wide range of options with tiles allows you to have your unique style installed to bring out your personality. While they are both beautiful and durable the floor cleaning itself here can get frustrating. This is especially because of the tendency of the grout that is between the tiles to hold dirt and stains. So, after sweeping and mopping the floor, you will need to place extra energy in scrubbing the grout between the tiles. Fortunately, there are grout cleaners available to work with here, which reduce the amount of energy that goes into the task.
- Natural stone installations
These are the likes of marble and limestone floors. They can scratch easily – so you’ll need to be careful during the floor cleaning. The stone appears soft when you touch it, but it can quickly get scratched.
Avoid abrasive cleaning tools. Stick to the cleaning tools that are gentle on the surface, to avoid a case of ruining the floor during the cleaning process.
Also stay away from acidic cleaners like vinegar. This is because they will react with the stone itself, and cause it to become dull. Using them regularly erodes the top layer of the stone – which in turn reduces the lifespan of the installation.
With these kinds of floors remember that you should always avoid placing hot items on them. They will strain the structure, causing damage to the natural stone. Also, since the high absorbency that is seen with these floors makes them susceptible to staining, it is recommended that you treat them with a high quality sealer. This aids in preventing liquids that wind up on the floor from being absorbed by it.
- Laminate installations
The floor cleaning here is a breeze. Simply vacuuming or regular dry mopping will keep them in shape. During the cleaning, you can also use hot water to make it easier to remove the stubborn dirt, without worrying about the structural integrity of the stone. Note that there are some types of laminate floors which will be harmed by acidic cleaners – so ensure that you get a confirmation from the manufacturer about the kinds of solutions that you can safely use for your particular kind of installation. You can always carry out a spot test on an inconspicuous area to determine if the floor cleaning agent that you have is suitable for your specific type of floor.
Schedule Professional Floor Cleaning Services
Even with the regular vacuuming and mopping, it is still recommended to get an occasional once-over done by the professionals. This is essentially a deep clean that serves to remove that stubborn grime as well as the stains that stick around defying the conventional cleaning measures you undertake. Certified professionals have access to a wider range of floor cleaning chemicals that they can use for the task – formulations whose sale is strictly controlled and difficult to acquire, especially when dealing with potent solutions. These are products that need extra care when handling them, to enable the floor to be worked on without putting the personnel carrying out the cleaning at risk, or damaging the floor itself. Moreover, an experienced floor cleaning contractor, who has been in the building maintenance industry for years, will know the appropriate measures to undertake for your particular floor, that way you can rest assured that your property is in safe hands.
The residential floor cleaning services can also be part of a broader approach – such as spring cleaning your home, carrying about an end-of-tenancy cleaning for the landlords and property managers in cases of spaces where the tenants have recently vacated, all through to a subscription kind of services where the cleaners come in regular intervals to give your premises a top-to-bottom wash. This is particularly handy in ensuring that the different surfaces in your home have been well taken care of.
There are some questions that you need to ask the particular contractor you’re engaging before you hire them. For starters, which type of processes will they use when cleaning your particular type of floor? How will they deal with those stains – like for situations where there are pet urine stains that require specialised cleaners to get rid of? What about their licence and insurance status? A company needs to be insured in order to protect you from liabilities should an accident occur while the floor cleaning is being carried out. Be sure to go over their reviews to see what past clients had to say. These can be found on business directory listings and even social media pages of the brand. Also get a written quotation detailing the services that will be carried out, and price breakdown to avoid arguments later on and clear up any grey areas.