The Ultimate Cleaning Guide for Every Floor
Whether you’re spring cleaning or cleaning your floors mid-winter, it’s vital to the longevity of your new flooring that you keep it clean. But here’s the catch: every surface requires a different cleaning method. A mop isn’t the universal floor cleaner, and you could be more harm than good to your flooring by not cleaning them correctly.
So if you want to prolong the life of your floors, then keep reading for our guide on how to clean all flooring types.
Here’s How to Properly Clean Every Flooring Type
You can help maintain your flooring investment by keeping your floors clean. Not to mention, all that build up of dirt, grime, pet hairs, etc., isn’t healthy for you if your floors aren’t routinely cleaned.
These are the tools you’ll need to keep every flooring in your house clean.
Hardwood
The quintessential flooring for homeowners is hardwood, and if you’re fortunate enough to have hardwood floors in your home, you know how critical it is to maintain them. Cleaning your hardwood flooring is just part of the maintenance package that you signed up for when you had flooring contractors install them for you!
But first, do your wood floors have a polyurethane or wax finish? By running your finger across a plank, you can tell if a “smear” appears that you’ve got wax floors.
- Cleaning Supplies:
- Polyurethane: Use a microfiber cloth or mop with a mild or neutral pH soap mixed with water. Try not to soak your floors while mopping, as it’ll result in streaks and a slower drying time.
- Wax: Broom, dust mop, or vacuum.
- Cleaning Frequency:
- Polyurethane: Sealants protect your floors from stains, UV, and water damage and require cleaning once a week for high traffic areas or once a month for areas that aren’t as busy.
- Wax: Once a week or as needed.
Laminate
Laminate floors are durable flooring that can withstand water, UV, scratches and more, but even tough floors need care too.
- Cleaning Supplies:
- Vacuum and a mop with a mild neutral soap.
- Cleaning Frequency:
- Vacuum once a week, mop once or twice a week, and spot clean with a mop when necessary.
Vinyl Sheet or Plank
Vinyl is a manufactured plastic flooring that can handle just about anything you can throw at it, including water. However, vinyl sheet flooring shows dirt, mud, and grime easily, which is a pain, whereas vinyl plank tiles will get dirt trapped between planks, so both require routine maintenance.
- Cleaning Supplies:
- Mop or cloth and vinegar, warm water, and neutral dish soap mix, or steam cleaner.
- Cleaning Frequency:
- For weekly cleaning, use a mop or cloth to whisk away grime. For vinyl plank, steam clean the tile and grout every two months as this will erase stains and banish bacteria.
Natural Stone Plank or Tile
If you’ve gone the extra mile and hired a flooring contractor to install beautiful natural stone tile or planks in your home, now it’s time to ensure they stay in showroom condition thanks to regular cleaning. This will prolong the grout and keep the stones free of bacteria, dirt, and blemishes.
- Cleaning Supplies:
- Microfiber mop and gentle cleanser (not vinegar or anything acidic) or a steam cleaner.
- Cleaning Frequency:
- Monthly, you’ll want to use a microfiber mop and gentle cleanser, but you should only use hot water on unsealed stone flooring.
- Once a month, you should also consider steam cleaning your tiles to help lift bacteria and grime trapped in the grout.
Porcelain or Ceramic Tiles
A popular flooring that flooring contractors often install is porcelain or ceramic tiles, as they are excellent for rooms that see a lot of moisture or water. But as with every other flooring, tiles benefit from frequent cleaning.
- Cleaning Supplies:
- Microfiber mop or cloth with a vinegar, warm water, and neutral dish soap mix, and a steam cleaner.
- Cleaning Frequency:
- Weekly mop or spot-clean your porcelain tiles using a vinegar, water, and soap mix, and once a month, use a steam cleaner to remove bacteria and stains.
Concrete
Concrete flooring comes in tiles or poured concrete (as you often see in a basement), but this material is quite porous, so it would benefit from a sealant to keep the water or moisture out. Otherwise, routine cleaning is a must!
- Cleaning Supplies:
- Vacuum, mop or cloth and a mild soap and water mix (for sealed concrete).
- Cleaning Frequency:
- Weekly, you should vacuum your concrete floors. If you have sealed concrete floors, then once a month, you’ll need to mop the surface.
Carpet
Even though most homeowners envision hardwood flooring as the ideal flooring choice, carpet remains popular for certain rooms like bedrooms. However, as flooring contractors, we can’t recommend enough that in order to maximize the life of your carpet, ensure you regularly clean it and only install carpet in appropriate rooms—i.e., in rooms that aren’t affected by water or moisture.
- Cleaning Supplies:
- Vacuum and a steam cleaner with carpet-specific cleaner.
- Cleaning Frequency:
- Vacuum twice a week to remove pollutants or bacteria that collect on the carpet surface, and use a steam cleaner once or twice a year for thorough deep cleaning.
Key Takeaways: Cleaning Your Floors Right Every Time
Once a flooring contractor has laid new flooring in your space, it’s up to you to maintain them with regular cleaning to prevent the buildup of dirt, bacteria, and pollutants that could affect your health, while also slowly but surely reducing the longevity of your flooring.
What this means to you is you must know the best cleaning tools and how frequently you should clean your flooring to maximize your flooring’s lifespan. Not all floors are made equal; having the right tools and cleaning methods can make a big difference in protecting your investment and also creating a comfortable, inviting living space in your home.
If you’re unsure how to care for your flooring correctly, don’t forget to ask your flooring contractor at installation for advice on how to clean the flooring. And if you find you still have questions, give us the Brothers Flooring a call today for a free consultation!
