Learn How People In Tucson Take Care Of The Floors In Their Homes
How to care for floors mostly includes cleaning regularly and preventing damage. Hardwood, tile, and laminate floors are the most popular.
Find out how to care for the three types of floors below:
Which Is The Easiest?
“Is lowest-maintenance really how we want to choose our flooring?” asks Amber.
Justin shrugs. “It can’t hurt. There’s going to be a lot of floor space to take care of. That means a lot of maintenance work. Less can’t hurt.”
Amber sighs. “I guess you have a point here. And we don’t have to go for a floor just because it’s easy to take care of. Alright, let’s look at how to care for floors. We can see which of the best floor types we want are easiest and go from there.”
She and Justin get out their phones so they can tackle this together. Here is what they end up finding out:
How To Care For Floors
In general, the best way to care for floors is by prevention and cleaning. Prevent damage by using furniture leg pads, not wearing heels, laying down rugs, trimming pet nails, and other methods. Clean up spills quickly. Sweep, vacuum, and mop at least once per week.
How To Care For Hardwood Floors
You can choose between hardwood vs engineered hardwood flooring, but regular care will still be about the same.
Daily sweeping or vacuuming with a felt or brush type head is the best method. At least once a week will do, too.
Clean up spills as quickly as possible with a soft cloth.
Trim pet nails and keep their paws clean. Dirt, grease, oil, and other damaging materials get stuck to their paws. The same can be said for shoes. Using doormats can get those materials off before they get into your house.
Use pads beneath furniture legs to keep them from denting and scratching the hardwood. Shoes with spikes and heels can also do this.
You’ll also want to keep your house at a certain temperature and humidity range. This keeps the wood from expanding and contracting a lot. 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity between 30 and 50 percent should work for most climates.
UV rays from the sun ages hardwood floors. This makes it fade and/or change color. You can rearrange furniture and rugs every so often to help the floors age evenly.
What Not To Do To Your Hardwood Floors
Never use water or steam. Water can dull the finish or even damage the floor beyond normal repair. This includes any wax or cleaner you mix with water.
Household cleaners with lemon oil, tung oil, or ammonia can also hurt your hardwood floors.
When using a vacuum be sure the wheels are clean and don’t damage the finish. If your vacuum has a beater bar make sure to switch that off first.
How To Care For Tile Floors
You can choose between ceramic vs porcelain tiles. While they are slightly different their care is still the same.
You can usually clean glazed and unglazed tile with water and a manufacturer-recommended tile cleaner. Always rinse with water to completely remove the solution.
Here’s the full process for how to care for tile floors:
- Sweep or vacuum
- Mix water with tile and grout cleaner following the manufacturer’s instructions
- Apply the solution to the tile
- Let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes
- Mop up
- Rinse tile
- Dry mop
- Wipe the tile dry
When mopping, you’ll want to rinse it and change the cleaning solution about every 500 square feet.
Tile with coarse surfaces needs more frequent maintenance. The solution will need changing more often too.
What Not To Do For Your Tile Floors
You don’t want to not maintain them or maintain them too infrequently.
This can lead to residue build-up and make the tile slippery. You won’t want to use wax cleaners or oil-based detergents because they can make it slippery too.
How To Care For Laminate Floors
Caring for laminate floors is just like caring for hardwood floors.
Daily sweeping or vacuuming is best. Vacuum with a felt or brush head and make sure the wheels are clean. Don’t use a vacuum with a beater bar head unless it’s turned off.
Clean up spills with a soft rag as quickly as you can. Mop occasionally with a damp mop. Use a mild cleaning product if you need a heavier cleaning.
Trim pet nails and keep their paws clean. Use a doormat so people clean their shoes. No heels or shoes with spikes! Use pads for furniture legs too.
You don’t need to worry about UV damage or having a certain temperature or humidity range with laminate floors.
What Not To Do For Your Laminate Floors
Don’t use soap or detergent-based cleaners, wax-based products, or any type of polish. These can leave a nasty residue on your floors.
Don’t flood your floor with water or use a steam cleaner.
You May Also Like To Read
“So tile floors are the easiest to care for,” Justin points out. Amber nods. “That’s true. Let’s see what else we can learn about flooring. It might make a difference.”