How to Clean Different Types of Flooring: A Comprehensive Guide

You take a calculated amount of time and effort into choosing the right flooring for your home, so why wouldn’t you do the same when cleaning them? Clean floors are essential for creating and maintaining a healthy and hygienic environment in your home or workplace. However, not all floors are the same and therefore require different treatment. 

So, what general cleaning tips and techniques can you use to take care of the floors in your home? In this post, we will provide a comprehensive guide on how to clean different types of flooring, just the way SweepStars do in their professional capacity. 

Cleaning Hardwood Flooring 

Hardwood flooring is popular in many homes due to its natural beauty and durability. Follow these 4 steps to clean your hardwood flooring clean:

1. Remove dust and dirt particles using a dust mop or vacuum cleaner.
2. Clean the surface using a microfiber mop dampened with water or a hardwood floor cleaner.
3. Use a clean mop or a sponge and clean water to rinse the floor before drying with a towel or dry mop.
4. Avoid using excessive water and stay away from harsh chemicals as they can damage the wood surface.

Tips for Avoiding Damage to Hardwood Flooring

Use the following tips to avoid damage to your hardwood floors through good maintenance practices:

• When spills occur, wipe them up immediately to avoid moisture damage.
• Prevent scratches and dents by using rugs or mats in high-traffic areas.
• Avoid using abrasive cleaning tools or harsh chemicals. Stick to soft cleaning tools and natural green cleaning products.

Cleaning Tile Flooring

Many people opt for tiled floors because they are easy to clean and fairly inexpensive. It’s also a great option for animal lovers that want to provide a cold surface for their pets during the warmer months. Clean your tile flooring using the 4 following steps:

1. Remove loose dirt and debris with a broom or a vacuum cleaner.
2. Clean the surface using a tile cleaner or a combination of warm water and mild detergent.
3. Use a clean mop or a sponge and clean water to rinse the floor before drying with a towel or dry mop.
4. Avoid using abrasive cleaning tools or acidic cleaners, as they can cause damage to the surface.

Tips for Avoiding Damage to Tile Flooring

Keep your tile flooring free of scratches, chips, and other damage risks using the following tips:

• Avoid stains by cleaning up spills immediately.
• Prevent scratches and chips by using mats or rugs in high-traffic areas.
• Stay away from steel wool or scouring pads when cleaning, as they can cause scratches.

Cleaning Carpet Flooring

The warmth that carpet flooring provides is a popular choice due to its comfort and insulation properties, especially during the colder months. To keep it clean, follow these 4 steps:

1. Remove loose dirt and dust particles with a vacuum cleaner.
2. Use spot-cleaning techniques to get rid of stains and spills on your carpet.
3. Once all stains are taken care of, use a carpet cleaner or a combination of warm water and mild detergent to deep clean.
4. Avoid using excessive moisture and stay away from harsh chemicals, as they can damage the carpet fibres.

Tips for Avoiding Damage to Carpet Flooring

Although carpet flooring provides lots of warmth and comfort, maintenance requires careful thought and consideration, as damages could be costly. Use the tips below to keep your carpet flooring in good shape:

• Vacuum regularly to prevent a buildup of dirt and debris that will require a deeper clean later on.
• Place mats or rugs in high-traffic areas or areas leading in from outside.
• Don’t use bleach or strong detergents during the cleaning process, as they can cause discolouration.

Cleaning Laminate Flooring

Choosing laminate floors is an easy way of replicating that warm, cosy look of wood flooring, but at a cheaper price. Keep your laminate flooring clean using the 4 following steps:

1. Remove dust and dirt particles using a dust mop or a vacuum cleaner.
2. Dampen a microfiber mop with water or a laminate floor cleaner to clean the surface.
3. Use a clean mop or a sponge and clean water to rinse the floor before drying with a towel or dry mop.
4. Steer clear of excessive water or abrasive cleaning tools as they are able to damage the surface.

Tips for Avoiding Damage to Laminate Flooring

While laminate flooring may replicate the look of wood, it isn’t as strong. Be sure to keep yours in good condition using the tips below:

• Clean up spills immediately to avoid the floor from soaking up the moisture and getting damaged.
• As laminate flooring scratches and dents easily, use furniture pads to prevent this from happening.
• Stick to cleaning products suited to laminate floors and avoid wax or polish, as they can cause buildup and discolouration.
• Do your best to avoid wearing high heels on your laminate flooring.

Cleaning Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring has a similar look to laminate flooring and therefore requires similar treatment. If you’ve chosen it for your home, use the 3 steps below to clean your vinyl flooring:

1. Remove loose dirt and debris using a broom or a vacuum cleaner.
2. Clean the surface using a microfiber mop dampened with vinyl floor cleaner or a solution of warm water and mild detergent.
3. When cleaning, stay away from excessive water or harsh chemicals, as they can cause damage to the surface.

Tips for Avoiding Damage to Vinyl Flooring

When maintaining vinyl flooring, there are certain vital points to keep in mind. Keep yours in the best condition possible using the tips below:

• Clean up spills immediately to avoid moisture from getting soaked up and damaging the floor.
• Use furniture pads on your furniture to avoid dents and scratches.
• Use rugs and mats in areas where lots of foot traffic occurs.
• Do your best to avoid wearing high heels on your vinyl flooring.

Cleaning Concrete Flooring

Concrete flooring may not be the most popular option for homes, but there are certain areas where its durability is required. If you have concrete floors in your home, use the 4 steps below to clean them:

1. Sweep or vacuum the floor to eradicate loose dirt and debris.
2. Use a solution of warm water and a pH-neutral cleaner to mop the floor.
3. For any stubborn stains, scrub the floor with a stiff-bristled brush or a floor scrubber machine if needed.
4. Use clean water to rinse the floor thoroughly before letting it dry.

Tips for Avoiding Damage to Concrete Flooring

While concrete floors may be able to withstand more than most flooring options, they still face the risk of getting damaged. Use the tips below to avoid damage to your concrete floors:

• Steer clear of harsh cleaners or chemicals to avoid damaging the flooring.
• Stick to a pH-neutral cleaner specifically designed for concrete floors when cleaning.
• Don’t use a wire brush or abrasive cleaning tools, as these will scratch and damage the surface.
• Avoid using a high-pressure power washer when cleaning, as it can cause damage such as pitting.
• Place rugs or mats at entryways from outdoor areas to prevent dirt and debris from being tracked in.
• Avoid dropping heavy objects on the floors to keep from cracking them.

Conclusion  

Use this all-in-one guide to clean and maintain all types of flooring in your home. Be sure to do so regularly, as floors are one of the dirtiest surfaces in a home. If you’re too busy taking care of other daily chores in your life, book a SweepStar to help. They are trained and experienced in a wide range of SweepSouth cleaning services, all available at the click of a button. Book today and look forward to a clean, happy home.