Keep Carpet Looking Great

Taking care of your carpet properly requires regular maintenance and a deep cleaning now and then. These simple guidelines will help you keep wall to wall carpeting in the best shape possible. 

Routine Care

Dirt is the number one enemy of carpet, causing the fibers to mat and discolor. So consider establishing a “No Shoes” rule inside your home. Or, place door mats at each entrance. Frequent and thorough vacuuming is essential to routine carpet care. Ideally, high traffic areas should be vacuumed often. Less traveled areas should be vacuumed at least twice a week. You should go over the same area four to twelve times (depending on the amount of traffic) forward and back, varying the direction in which you push the vacuum. Change the vacuum bag when its half full to increase efficiency. To prevent indentations caused by furniture, move pieces occasionally. Use coasters or pads under furniture legs, especially if the legs are on casters or rollers. Vacuuming alone won’t remove the dents, but steam ironing will do the trick. Place a damp cloth between the carpet and the iron to avoid burning the fibers, and press the steam surge button repeatedly. Gently brush the fibers back into place with your fingers or a brush until the pile is restored. 

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Spot Cleaning

It may surprise you to learn that most stains can be removed from carpeting with nothing more than soapy water. The key to getting them out is to work on a spill as soon as it occurs. Trying to rub out a stain is not a good idea; it pushes the spill further into the pile and cause fibers to mat. Instead, scoop up solids by covering the area with a clean towel or a thick pad of paper towels. Press down with your foot or with the heel of your hand. Repeat, using dry towels, until the liquid is absorbed. Mix your own spot cleaning solution by diluting a few a few drops of colorless hand dishwashing soap in water. Use less then ¼ teaspoon of soap per quart of water. Do not use laundry detergent or creamy looking hand dishwashing soap because it may leave a sticky residue. To remove colored spills or spot cleaning solutions, such as soapy water or vinegar, either mist the area with clean water, or blot it with a wet towel. Then blot the area with a dry towel. Repeat these two steps until no more residues come out. For stubborn stains that simply won’t come out with soapy water, attack the spot with an appropriate solvent (listed below). Avoid using oxygen cleaners, which have a tendency to strip carpets of their stain resistant coatings and break down dyes. 

STAINS

Organic Stains
(blood, berries, candy, chocolate, coffee)
Dab on 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with a soft towel. 

Alkaline Stains
(pet urine, beer)
Mix 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water in a spray bottle; mist stain, blot and rinse. 

Acidic Stains
(ketchup, mixed drinks, soy sauce)
Mix 1 tablespoon ammonia and ½ cup water in a spray bottle; mist stain, blot and rinse. Never use ammonia on wool rugs or carpet. 

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Oily or Waxy Stains
(tar, wax, crayon, hand lotion, ink, makeup)
Dampen with rubbing alcohol using a towel or cotton ball.

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Mud Stains
Allow spot to dry, and then break off pieces and vacuum. Rinse with soapy water. Use hydrogen peroxide if needed. 

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Nail Polish Stains
Dab on non-oily nail polish remover with a cotton swab (be careful not to get any on the carpet backing), blot with a towel and repeat. 
 
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Chewing Gum
Freeze with ice cubes, then break off bits and pick them out. If that doesn’t work, go to a janitorial supply store for a commercial spray that freezes gum instantly and allows you to chip it off.  

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Deep Cleaning
Even with good maintenance, most carpets require a deep cleaning once a year. Professional steam cleaning works best on wall to wall carpeting and may be required by the warranty.

Caring For Hardwood Floors

Protect Your Solid Investment  

Solid hardwood floors are among the easiest to keep clean. Protect their warmth and character with simple, everyday cleaning techniques. It’s important to know how to prevent damage to your solid hardwood floors.

Dirt & Grit - Dirt, grit and sand are your hardwood floors worst enemies. They act like sandpaper on the finish, causing scratches, dents and dulling. Place floor mats at entrances to trap dirt and prevent damage.

Water & Other Spills - Standing water can warp a poorly finished hardwood floor and can damage the finish. Simply wipe up all spills as they happen.

Hard Cleaners - Avoid oil soaps. They can build up and create problems when it’s time to put a maintenance coat on the floor. Instead, neutral pH cleaners made specifically for wood floors are recommended.

Furniture - Lift the furniture to move it — avoid dragging. Felt contacts under the legs will help prevent scratches.

Dents - Vacuum with a brush attachment – don’t use vacuums with beater bars.

Sun - Direct sun can discolor your hardwood floor. Close curtains and blinds or add sheer drapes to protect from the sun’s intense UV rays.

Regular Care 

Sweep - Brooms with fine, exploded ends trap dust and grit effectively.

Vacuum - Canister vacuums with special bare floor attachments are the surest way to get rid of all the dirt and dust.

Dust Mop - Use a good dust mop — one with a 12-18 inch cotton head —- and a special dust mop treatment. Spray the treatment onto the mop head 12 to 24 hours before dust mopping.

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Vinyl Floor Care

Sweep or vacuum vinyl flooring routinely to remove loose dirt that can scratch the floor. If spills are left until later, they can cause stains or attract more dirt. Wash floor with warm water as soon floor begins to look dirty. Soap is not always necessary. Change water frequently. If damp mopping does not get the floor clean, use a cleaning solution recommended by the flooring manufacturer, or an all purpose cleaner. Rinse thoroughly or the remaining cleaner can cause the floor to soil more quickly. A scrub brush may be needed to loosen some dirt.

Most vinyl floors have "no wax" surfaces. This means that you do not have to wax them often. But you may need to renew the shine. Use a floor polish made specifically for vinyl floors. The company that made your flooring may recommend special types of polish. Some types of vinyl floor polishes are available in grocery and variety stores. Be sure to apply thin coats of polish. To get an even coat, pour polish on the applicator rather than the floor.

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Marmoleum Care Tips

Laminate Floor Care

Laminate flooring is certainly one of the toughest and hardest wearing floor coverings around, and that's in addition to it being one of the easiest to care for. However, to get the most life out of your laminate floor, it will pay to regularly carry out some routine cleaning such as dry mopping, vacuuming and sweeping. 

Wet mopping should be avoided, as should the use of soap and abrasive cleaners. Instead, cleaning agents that have been specially formulated for laminate floors should be used. Typically, they are of the 'spray-on' variety and use of them will entail spraying the cleaning solution on to a suitable soft cloth or dry mop which is then used to wipe the laminate surface clean. Both, the manufacturers own brands as well as generic types are available from flooring stores and supermarkets. Usually there will be no harm in using a quality generic brand for cleaning your floor but be sure to first check that your warranty will not be invalidated by doing so.

A tough coating is applied to all laminate floors and it is this that provides long lasting protection against scratching and gouging. However this doesn't mean that it will be impossible to damage your floors surface! Steps should be taken to eliminate the possibility of damage causing objects coming in to contact with your floor in the first place. Dirt brought in on the underneath of footwear is one of the biggest causes of scratches and an effective way of keeping it at bay is to place wipe mats at your entrances, or even enforce a 'no shoes' rule if its in a household. 

Through daily use, most furniture items, like seating and tables, are subjected to small movements that can cause damage to a laminate floors surface at the point of contact. In the worst of cases the protective coating can wear through to the underlying image and may be cause for an expensive, and often inconvenient, repair or replacement. The best and easiest way to protect your laminate floor from this problem is to use felt protector pads under the feet of furniture items. Fabric backed caster cups placed under items with casters will also help in this regard. 

Furniture items should never be dragged across laminate flooring for this may cause deep gouging, which again is likely to be cause for premature repair or replacement. Always be sure to lift heavy items when repositioning them. If a piece of furniture is just to big and heavy to lift and the only option is to slide it it across the floor then try placing some rolled up or folded blankets beneath it first.

If you expect your floor to be subjected to heavier than normal use you may want to use an area rug on the area that gets the most foot traffic. Doing so will slow down the rate of wear and help to avoid 'lanes' appearing on your floor, but be sure to choose a rug that is suitable for use with laminate flooring as there are some types that may cause discoloration. A rug will also serve you well when used on the sections of your floor that are more likely to come into contact with water, for example by a bathtub or sink. 

Be sure to clean up liquid spills as soon as they occur otherwise they may seep into joints causing them to become weakened or damaged. Delamination can also occur in severe cases.

Minor damage, such as small gouge marks or scratches, can be repaired by using touch up kits that consist of silicon filler and colored wax sticks, that are much like crayons. 

More serious damage may necessitate the need to replace several planks or tiles. The difficulty of doing so may differ from one brand to the next. If you find yourself in need to carry out such a repair you would be well advised to seek professional advice beforehand.

If you live in a region that encounters extremes of low and high humidity throughout the year, it may benefit you to install a humidifier to maintain the humidity at a constant level. This will help prevent excessive expansion and contraction of the floor which, at its worst, may cause buckling or unattractive gaps between the planks or tiles.

As a final note of advice, it ought to be pointed out that steps to prolong the longevity of your laminate floor should begin at the installation stage by ensuring that the sub floor is suitable and adequately prepared. A laminate floor that has been poorly installed will be more likely to succumb to problems sooner than those that haven't.  Furthermore, it is also worth bearing mind that manufacturers will often stipulate that a cleaning schedule is followed in order for their warranties to remain valid.

As can be seen, spending a small amount of time looking after your floor will ensure that it continues to look its best and that it provides you with decades of carefree use without the need for costly maintenance or repairs.