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Four Easy Floor Cleaning Solutions for your Home

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Ceramic, laminate, hardwood, and linoleum
are among the most popular types of flooring found at home. And in most cases, hardwood floors are easy to clean even with little maintenance efforts. If the spills are quickly wiped out and your floors are regularly vacuumed, then you don’t have to spend energy and time on your hands or knees scrubbing the floor. But time will come when grime and dirt set in the floor. Here are floor cleaning solutions that you can use at home.

Floor Cleaning Solutions for Hardwood Floors

Whether your floor is finished with shellac, polyurethane, varnish or lacquer, you need to use various types of cleaning methods. Polyurethane-coated floors may damp when mopped. Wood and water is always a bad combination. Do not soak floors whenever you are cleaning and quickly wipe stains off. Use polishes and solved based cleaners if your wood doesn’t have a polyurethane finish. Sweep or vacuum hardwood floors before applying wax, polish or cleansers. You may also use electronic floor polishers for finishes. Avoid the use of abrasive household cleaners as they can dull the surface.

Floor Cleaning Solutions for Laminate Floors

Laminate flooring is one of the easiest kinds of floor to maintain. Regular dust mopping, vacuuming and sweeping will keep laminate floors looking good. You may also apply felt pads underneath furniture to avoid damaging or scarring the finish. There are special cleaners used in laminate flooring and they are often applied into the head of the mop instead of spraying them directly to the floor. Avoid using wet mop on laminate floors and quickly wipe stains away. A damp cloth may be used to clean stains and spills on the floor. There are touch up kits available these days to repair minor dents and scratches.

Floor Cleaning Solutions for Tile and Stone Floors

Ceramic tiles are pretty easy to clean and maintain. All you need to do is add a household cleaner in warm water. Apply the water-vinegar solution using a sponge or mop. Dry the floor with a cloth for a flawless finish and then apply wax for a shiny look. But cleaning grout is another story. If the floor has been treated with silicone seal then it can resist spills and stains better. If you own a terrazzo floor, utilize a sealer that is specially made for such surfaces before applying an acrylic finish. Vinegar and water solution can also help restore luster.

Floor Cleaning Solutions for Vinyl and Linoleum Floors

Vinyl and linoleum floors need regular dust mopping, sweeping and vacuuming. If you have a floor with no wax finish, you can use detergent or a mild cleanser to remove grime and dirt. Avoid the use of very hot water or solvent-based cleansers that can destroy linoleum. Waxed floors may be cleaned and refinished with an all-around cleanser. You can also use felt pads beneath home furniture to avoid marring the floor. Soak heavy soil in cleanser before gently scrubbing with a brush.

How To Clean Tile Floors

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Tile floors typically come in either porcelain, travertine, or ceramic.  These 3 types of hard tiles are often very elegant in appearances, but difficult to clean because of the way that they are applied to the floor.  In between these tiles is a line of grout, or a mixture of concrete and sand, that waterproofs the flooring, and ensures that the tiles stay put.  Dirt, sand, and other debris makes its way into the grout line of the tiles, and is very difficult to clean out even with some of the best cleaners.  There are a few methods to getting this dirt out though.

When it comes to cleaning the grout line, it seems like no matter how often you clean it, it always seems to get dirty again.  This is especially true if you have darker colored grout lines, because of the lighter color of the dirty contrasting against them.  If you haven’t installed your floors yet, one great way to reduce the need to clean them is to use a brown in with the darker colored grout sand that you are using to help blend in the lighter colors of dirt and dust gathering on it.  This keeps you from noticing that it is dirty as often, which helps save your back.

There are brushes made that handle this duty for you as well, if the floors are already installed and you are having a tough time trying to remove all of the hidden particles that make your floor look unappealing.  These small brushes have stiff plastic wires in them that get in between the particles of sand that make up the grout mix, to remove dirt from all angles.  Keeping one of these brushes handy as you are sweeping the floor helps in having to get down and dirty.

Tile floors are by far one of the most preferred types of flooring because of their long life, as well as the beauty of well preserved ceramic or porcelain floor.  Tile is expensive to have installed, so properly taking care of it is essential if you are wanting to save yourself time and money in the long haul.  As long as you take care of your floors, and spend the time to clear the grout lines, you are going to get to enjoy the beauty for a very long time to come.  Keep these tips in mind while you are cleaning your tile floors.