General Tips To Keep Your Hard Surface Flooring in Great ShapeYour hard surface flooring will give you so much satisfaction in the years to come, but only if you keep it in great shape. Here are a few tips — common-sense precautions that will make your relationship with any hard surface flooring a long and happy one.
Keep Doormats At Every Door
Use quality doormats outside each entrance to your home to prevent dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, and driveway sealer from being tracked onto your floor. To minimize potential staining from asphalt tracking, we suggest you use a latex-based driveway sealer.
Take Special Precautions When Moving Heavy Objects
Use a dolly with wide-base air tires when moving heavy appliances or furniture. But first, put down a clean sheet of quarter - inch plywood or masonite, or similar hardboard, to protect the floor. Never try to slide or roll heavy objects across the floor without adequate protection. Some objects may be too heavy to be moved across a hard surface floor under any circumstances.
Close Curtains or Blinds
Close your curtains or blinds where extreme sunlight hits the floor. A combination of heat and sunlight causes most home furnishings and solid surface flooring to fade or discolor.
Support Furniture with Floor Protectors
For increased indentation resistance, support furniture with wide-bearing, non-staining floor protectors or wide-bearing leg bases/rollers. As a general rule of thumb, the heavier the item, the wider the floor protector should be. Protectors should be at least one-inch in diameter, made of non-pigmented, hard plastic, and rest flat on the floor. Non-staining felt protectors are acceptable. Barrel-type casters with a minimum 3/4" flat surface width or flat glides are best for moveable furniture. If you choose to use metal protectors, make sure they are rustproof. Replace your narrow-dome furniture rests with wide-bearing ones.
Routinely Clean Your Floor
Routine care and maintenance are essential to maximizing the beauty and life of your flooring. Over time, normal foot traffic and soiling will cause a change in any flooring's appearance. Vacuum (without a beater-bar), dust mop, or sweep the floor on a daily or weekly basis to minimize abrasive grit and dirt. In very sandy areas or at the beach, you may want to vacuum or sweep more frequently. When using a liquid cleaner, be sure to dry it thoroughly to avoid a film. Read and follow the manufacturer’’s directions for care and cleaning and for recommended products.
Blot up spills and spots immediately
The best cure for a spill is a fast response. Blot and clean spills and spots immediately to prevent staining. Begin at the outer edge and work toward the center to prevent the spill from spreading. Caution: Hard surface floors can be slippery when wet. Use extreme caution when walking on a wet floor.
Vinyl
Follow the general tips listed under the section titled, "General Tips to Keep Your Flooring in Great Shape."
Use non-staining mats on your vinyl floor. Do not put rubber-backed, latex-backed, or cocofiber mats on your floor because they will stain or damage the surface.
Initial Maintenance
Keep traffic light during the first 24 hours after installation, so the adhesive can dry properly. If your floor has been seamed, avoid stepping on the seam sealer for 24 hours so it can dry undisturbed. Avoid scrubbing or washing your floor for at least 3 days after installation. Clean any adhesive residue with a clean, white cloth dampened with mineral spirits.* *Caution: Mineral spirits, lighter fluid, painter’’s naphtha, and isopropyl alcohol are flammable liquids. Take all precautions listed on the container.
Routine Maintenance
Occasionally damp mop the floor with the manufacturer's recommended cleaner to remove dirt build-up. As a substitute, 2-3 capfuls of clear, non-sudsy ammonia in one gallon of water may be used. Using more than the recommended amount of cleaner may leave a dull film. See your flooring retailer for more information.
Ceramic Tile
Follow the general tips listed under the section titled, "General Tips to Keep Your Flooring in Great Shape."
Routine Maintenance
Clean wall tiles by wiping with a damp cloth or sponge. Sweep or vacuum (without a beater-bar) floor tiles, then use a damp mop.
Grout Care
Grout is the material used to fill the spaces between tiles. Since it is porous, sealing it will simplify maintenance and cleaning. Shortly after installation, when the tile has been cleaned and dried, grout joints should be treated with a sealer. Our MaxCARE Cleaning Division offers grout sealing as one of our services.
Call MaxCARE to pressure clean old grout and ceramic for a "Like New" look. Tired of scrubbing your grout and it still doesn't come clean? Our special equipment uses pressure cleaning and special cleaning detergents to strip your grout of dirt and greast and make it look like it was just installed yesterday. We can pressure clean (indoors) without overspray to your carpets or furniture. IT REALLY IS A MIRACLE!
Hardwood
Follow the general tips listed under the section titled, "General Tips to Keep Your Flooring in Great Shape."
Use Area Rugs
Use quality area rugs inside entryways to further prevent dirt and moisture from being tacked onto your hardwood floor. To prevent slippage, only use quality vinyl rug underlay from your retailer. Don't use rubber, foam back, or plastic mats as they may discolor the floor. Avoid excessive exposure to water from tracking during periods of inclement weather.
Area rugs and furniture should be rearranged occasionally as they block sunlight, which may give the appearance of discoloring under the rug. UV sunlight and direct lighting will change the color of different wood species to varying degrees.
To Minimize Natural Expansion and Contraction
Maintain a normal indoor relative humidity level of 40% to 60% throughout the year to minimize the natural expansion and contraction of wood. A humidifier is recommended to prevent excessive shrinkage of wood floors due to low humidity levels. This is especially important during the winter or when using electric heat, which tends to cause very dry conditions. In damp conditions, proper humidity levels can be maintained with an air conditioner or dehumidifier, or by periodically turning on your heating system during the summer months.
Wood is a natural product and will expand and contract at different times of the year. This is natural and will not affect the long-time wear or appearance of your floor.
NOTE: Solid wood floors expand and contract in Florida's climate much more so than "Engineered" floors. For this reason, we do not recommend them except in special circumstances.
All wood floors can be scratched, gouged, or dented. Sharp or pointed objects, severe impact, or concentrated weight can damage your wood floor. Don't walk on your floor with "stiletto-style" heels, they may cause indentations. Keep all pets’’ nails trimmed and filed in order to minimize indentations.
General Maintenance
When in doubt, see your manufacturer's care instructions for guidelines. Your neighbors and friends may give well-meaning advice, but it could affect the warranty on your floor. Never clean or wet mop your hardwood floor with water; it can dull the finish and permanently damage the floor. Do not use any wax or cleaner that must be mixed with water, such as oil soap, as this may ruin your floor and result in the loss of the warranty.
Do not use wax, polish, abrasive cleaners, steel wool, or scouring powder.
Wood Flooring With a Urethane Finish
When a spill occurs, spot clean by applying the manufacturer's recommended cleaner onto a clean cloth and rubbing it onto the spot. Never topically apply wax to your floor. Periodically clean your floor by applying the recommended cleaner to a dampened sponge mop. DO NOT allow puddles of cleaner to remain on the floor's surface. Excess liquid may damage the fiber of the wood.
Wood Flooring With a Wax Finish
For wood flooring with a wax finish, you may need to clean and wax the floor as recommended by your manufacturer. Clean and wax your floor once or twice a year using the recommended product. DO NOT use "no-wax" cleaner on wax finish floors. Periodically buff your hardwood floor between waxing to restore its original sheen. Large, heavyweight buffing machines give a much higher sheen than small, lightweight machines. Use a fiber bristle brush attachment only. It may be desirable to wax the floor slightly more often in drier climates, during the winter, and in heavy-traffic areas.
Wood Flooring With a High Technology Factory Finish
For most spills, stains simply wipe off with a wrung-out, slightly damp sponge mop or cloth. Periodically clean your floor with a flat-head dust mop and the manufacturer's recommended cleaner. For some engineered wood flooring with high technology factory finishes, acetone or nail polish remover will remove the most persistent stains —— see the manufacturer's recommended maintenance for guidelines.