How do you Clean Timber Flooring?

Engineered timber flooring needs to be cleaned at least once a week. Micro-fibre or anti-static mops work best on this type of flooring to help remove both dirt and dust. Don't use a lot of water when you are mopping. Check to see if the mop you are using is designed to mop timber floors. Some mops are not ideal, and may even damage the material. Use hot water instead of cold water when mopping timber floors as it helps absorb the moisture faster.

To avoid moisture soaking into the floor, clean up immediately after spilling liquid. The quicker you tend to the spillage, the easier it will be to remove the stain.

Not having dirt in the house is the best way to avoid the floor from getting damaged. Doormats at each doorway can help, and asking visitors to take off their shoes will prove beneficial. Dirt and grit can easily damage the flooring.

Putting pads on the legs of your tables and chairs can also help. Furniture can easily scratch and mark timber flooring.

If you are serious about long term maintenance of wood flooring, your floors should last for many years.

 

How do you Maintain Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring needs to be swept regularly. The best types of brushes you should use on laminate floors are soft-bristled brush, electrostatic brush, or a floor mop designed specifically for wood. A soft-bristled vacuum cleaner is a good alternative. If you take off the vacuum head, be careful not to damage the flooring with the sharp head.

Similar to timber floors, the second someone spills liquid on the floor, you need to clean up. Clean the spillage with a dry cloth or a dry sponge. Use a damp cloth or sponge to clean up the stain after the liquid has dried into the dry cloth.

If you have pets in your apartment, clip their nails so they won't scratch the floor.

Use mats at each doorway, to help avoid traffic bringing in dirt and grit. Use a rug or stick pads on furniture to avoid damages.

 

Vinyl Planks

Loose lay vinyl planks have been a very popular choice of flooring in apartments in recent years. Use a soft broom when sweeping the floor.

You can easily find cleaning products specifically designed to clean vinyl flooring. If you are considering waxing your floor speak with the contractors who fitted the flooring or the company that sold the material for advice. Waxing is normally done with older vinyl flooring.

Don't use too much water when you are mopping as sometimes water will gain access to the cracks in the floor. This could affect the glue that is holding the vinyl in. If this happens, your floor could get destroyed.

Using a fresh mop helps you get rid of all the soap residue which can change the color of your flooring.

If you have office chairs in your apartment that have wheels, put a mat or some form of padding underneath so it doesn't damage your vinyl. Put pads on all other furniture too.

 

Carpet Cleaning Tips

Carpets are a great choice of flooring for an apartment. In the United States, over 50% of homes have carpet in them. It can help reduce the amount of sound coming from your apartment when somebody is walking, it looks great, and it is safe in case a young child or an elderly person was to fall.

Unfortunately, maintaining your carpets can cause a lot of frustration. Pets. children and heavy traffic can be a nightmare for your carpet.

If an area experiences heavy traffic, for instance, a hallway that everybody walks through each day, you may have to vacuum daily to maintain the carpet's original appearance. In areas that experience lesser traffic, like a bedroom, you might only need to vacuum once or twice a week.

Asking visitors and other people living in the apartment to leave their shoes at the doors can help the lifespan of your carpet. If sharp debris gets stuck in the fabric of the carpet, it can cause serious damage.

If a drink is spilled, let's take coffee as an example, the stain is still fresh, don't waste any time and tend to it immediately. Grab a clean towel and pour cold water over it and absorb the coffee before it gets into the fabric of the carpet. Make sure you dab the towel instead of scrubbing it. Scrubbing can make the stain much worse as you might spread the coffee into other parts of the fabric. If you don't have a kitchen towel, microfiber towels will also work.

 

Homemade Cleaning Solutions

To save money and to maintain your carpets in your apartment, you can easily make cleaning solutions at home.

 

Vinyl Cleaning Solution:

1. You will need 2 spray bottles
2. Pour in 2 tablespoons of isopropyl alcohol
3. Fill the rest of the water with distilled water
4. Add a few drops of dish liquid

 

Carpets: Dried coffee stain remover:

1. 1 spray bottle
2. Add cold distilled water
3. A few drops of dish liquid
4. If the fabric is wool you may need to add ammonia

Blot with a clean dry cloth and then a wet cloth. Don't scrub the solution into the stain.

 

Wood Flooring Cleaner:

1. Get a spray bottle
2. Fill 50% of the bottle with lemon juice
3. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil
4. Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water

Although it does sound like a salad dressing, this solution is a great way for your floors to look clean and shiny.

 

Homemade solution for laminate flooring:

Laminate floors;

• Add two cups of warm water into a bucket
• Put 2 drops of castile soap in
• 4 drops of lemon essential oil
• 1 1/2 drop of tea tree oil

This will leave your flooring looking and smelling fantastic!

 

Summary

Before purchasing new flooring for your apartment, consider how you are going to maintain them. If you are a busy person, and time is not on your side, carpets are probably not for you. Having carpets have advantages and disadvantages, but to remain clean and smelling good, frequent cleaning is vital. Harder floor surfaces are easier to maintain.