When having new flooring installed in your home, it’s important that you inquire about the safest, most effective way to clean them. Because shoes, drinks, pets, and natural outdoor elements will eventually find their way onto your floors, using the appropriate tools, products, and techniques will ensure they look their best and last as long as possible. If you want to avoid the potential of having to replace your floors every few years, try to avoid these 4 common mistakes.
1. Vacuuming with the Wrong Setting
Nowadays, vacuum cleaners can be used to clean all types of flooring. Whether it is carpet, hardwood, vinyl, laminate, or tile, these effective cleaning machines come with various settings to ensure your home is free of debris. But if you put it on the wrong setting, you can be faced with scratches on your hardwood or lackluster pickup on your carpet and rugs. The typical rule of thumb is to use a higher setting for harder surfaces and a lower setting for softer flooring, so it will penetrate and remove dirt, debris, and pet dander.
2. Saturating Your Floors with Water
When it comes to mopping, water is always a popular choice because it doesn’t contain anything that could potentially damage your floors. However, if you saturate them during the cleaning process, some materials will hold up just fine while others like hardwood can become warped, buckle, or even discolored. It’s best if you use a small amount of water to avoid potentially damaging your floors. If you need to add more during the process, that’s fine, otherwise, you run the risk of serious damage and a costly repair and/or replacement in the future.
3. Assuming All Cleaning Products Are the Same
After hours of research, you’ve found the right products to perform adequate floor cleaning throughout your home. By the time you get home and begin to put them to use, you decide to skip out on reading the instructions and instead just “go for it.” If this process sounds familiar to you, it can be a costly decision in the long run, and here’s why:
Floor cleaners have instructions on them for a reason, which is to help you avoid damaging them during the cleaning process. Using too much of a particular cleaner on your floors can leave a waxy buildup that takes lots of time to remove. It can also dull your floors and leave you with lackluster results. Before breaking open the bottles and getting to work, stop and take a few moments to read the instructions to ensure you’re using them correctly.
4. Using Whatever You Can Find to Clean Your Floors
Not knowing what to use or how to clean your floors will most certainly result in additional time and money spent replacing what is already new in your home. No matter the type of flooring you have put down throughout your house, it’s necessary to learn from the experts what you need to do to maintain them, so they’ll last as long as possible. From carpet to tile to hardwood, there are various products you’ll need to use to ensure the color remains vibrant and material stands up to regular wear and tear.
Although it may not be the most exciting information you’ll research, it will certainly be well worth the time when you see just how beautiful your floors can be with the right products and techniques.
About the Company
Prestige Floors is a small, family-owned and operated business based in Keller, TX. Their husband-and-wife team, Benson and Ashley Kelly, has been improving and transforming the homes of Keller residents and its surrounding communities since 2006. With years of experience and an eye for design, their team is trusted, bonded, and offer only the very best flooring for eager homeowners. If you are interested in replacing your floors or remodeling your home, contact us at (817) 988-2083 to schedule a FREE in-home estimate.