Flooring and Carpeting
Whether you have carpet, tile or hardwood, the flooring in your home requires care and attention to make sure it stays in great condition. Simple things like regular vacuuming or polishing will help extend its life, prevent damage and provide lasting beauty.
Carpeting
Your attractive, durable carpeting will look great for years with regular cleaning and maintenance.
Care and Maintenance
Follow these care and maintenance suggestions for your home’s carpeting.
To Clean the Carpeting
Vacuum carpeting at least once a week. Vacuuming is especially important for some of the denser shear and shag patterns.
Have your carpeting cleaned professionally at least once a year to remove deep-down dirt and stubborn stains.
Dry wet carpeting immediately to avoid delamination.
To remove spots, use the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning products, and follow the instructions for spot removal.
If carpeting gets saturated, call a certified remediation company.
To Prevent Staining
Always attack stains immediately. Even half an hour after the accident can be too late.
Seek the advice of a carpeting expert to get the best stain or spot remover for your style of carpet. A number of good-quality stain and spot removers are available.
In cases of severe staining or spotting on carpeting, don’t hesitate to call a professional. The small expense will pay off in longer carpet beauty and service.
To Preserve the Carpeting
Protect your carpeting from direct sunlight, as it can cause carpeting to age.
Avoid excessive pile crushing by moving heavy furniture periodically.
Check for loose threads. Trim any loose threads, so they don’t unravel.
Loose carpeting can be re-stretched, and delaminating seams can be repaired.
To Protect Your Furniture
If your carpeting becomes wet or saturated, create a barrier between the wet carpeting and the bottoms of all wood furniture. Aluminum foil or plastic coasters work well as barriers.
For more information about carpeting, visit the manufacturer’s website.
Ceramic Tile Floors
Ceramic tile adds a beautiful decorative touch to your home and is easy to clean and maintain.
Care and Maintenance
Ceramic tile is generally easy to maintain. Follow these care and maintenance suggestions to help keep it looking new.
General Maintenance
Sweep or vacuum the floor areas to remove dust and debris before cleaning them.
Use protective mats at all exterior-to-interior entrances to tile floors.
Use protective pads on your furniture bottoms to help prevent scratching the tile.
To Care for the Grout
Clean the grout used between ceramic tiles with a brush and a mild cleanser.
Use a grout sealer to make the grout more resistant to stains. This product can be purchased at most home care centers. Grout sealer can discolor the grout, though, and doesn’t waterproof it.
To Care for the Tile
Sweep or vacuum the floor tiles regularly to remove any abrasive particles that could damage the floor.
Wipe tile with a moist cloth, and wet mop it occasionally.
Clean the tile using a non-oil-based household cleaner that’s compatible with cement grouts.
Clean and scrub tile floors with a cleaning solution using a cotton mop, cloth, sponge, or nonmetallic brush, and then rinse with clean water to remove the cleaning solution.
Refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations for maintaining your tile.
Never use a vacuum with a beater bar or power rotary brush head; these will damage the surface of the tile.
Never use cleaners that contain acids or ammonia. Cleaners with acid will damage the grout and tile glazing, and ammonia cleaners might discolor the grout.
Vinyl Flooring
The vinyl flooring in your home is made of wear-resistant materials that are easy to clean and maintain.
Vinyl floors are very durable. The clear, nonporous wear layer keeps spots and spills out while sealing in your floor’s natural beauty. Vinyl floors recover quickly from most indentations and are flexible under the impact of normal household traffic.
Care and Maintenance
Follow these care and maintenance suggestions for your home’s vinyl flooring.
General Maintenance
Use the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance products, and follow the instructions to maintain the flooring.
Remove spills immediately.
Never use a vacuum with a beater bar, as it can damage the floor.
Equip all furniture and appliances with glides or furniture caps to protect the floor.
Place rugs at the entrances to rooms to reduce dirt and grime being tracked in.
Avoid using rolling casters, as they can damage the floor.
Don’t drag heavy items, such as furniture, as they can cause scuffs and tears.
To Clean Vinyl Flooring
Dust or vacuum your floors. Mop using a mild cleaning solution, such as liquid dish detergent, weekly.
Don’t use detergents, abrasives, paste wax, solvent-based polishes, or any “mop and shine” products on the flooring.
Remove loose dirt with a broom, dust mop, or vacuum daily.
Wipe up spills immediately. If a spill dries, remove it with a damp sponge, cloth, or mop.
Damp mop occasionally to prolong the period between cleanings.
Give floors a thorough cleaning when they’re dull or can’t be refurbished. To clean, use a good detergent diluted as recommended by the manufacturer. Loosen the dirt with just enough pressure using a mop, cloth, or floor scrubber. Then, take up the cleaning solution, rinse the floor, and let it dry.
Buff your floors lightly, or apply a thin coat of vinyl dressing if they lose shine.
High-heel shoes or furniture legs without floor protectors will cause damage to vinyl flooring.
Don’t use abrasive cleaners or bleaches on vinyl floors.
Use care when moving heavy appliances, furniture, or chairs to avoid tearing the flooring.
For more information about vinyl flooring, visit the manufacturer’s website.
Wood Flooring
The wood flooring in your home adds an inviting and charming atmosphere. With proper care, you can ensure that it retains its long-term aesthetic value.
Real wood flooring can be made from a number of different types of wood, such as beech, maple, and oak. Your floors will range in durability depending on the type of wood used. All wood expands and contracts as the weather changes; it can shrink in extreme dryness or swell in extreme humidity. The benefits of wood floors lie in their stylish appearance and their ability to last a lifetime with good care.
Care and Maintenance
Use the manufacturer’s recommended products, and follow the instructions for routine care and maintenance. Also, follow these care and maintenance suggestions for your home’s wood flooring.
General Maintenance
Vacuum, sweep, or dust mop your floor once a week, or more if needed.
Protect your floors from dirt and sand, as they can scratch the finish. Placing rugs at the entrances to the room can help minimize the amount of dirt and sand.
Don’t drag heavy objects, such as furniture, across the oor.
Use pads under furniture legs, such as felt stick-on pads. Narrow-legged furniture often will damage wood flooring by leaving indentations in the surface.
Preserve the original color of the wood flooring by closing curtains or blinds to protect it from direct sunlight.
Keep animal nails trimmed, and avoid walking on wood floors with spike-heeled or stiletto-heeled shoes, or with shoes that have heel taps or sharp objects protruding from the soles.
Keep wood floors within a certain temperature range. Check your manufacturer’s recommendations to make sure extreme heat and cold don’t damage your floor.
Direct sunlight can cause your floors to fade and can delaminate the finish.
To Clean the Floor
Vacuum wood floors with a special bare-floor attachment; beater bars can damage the flooring.
Don’t wash or wet mop wood flooring; liquid can cause warping, swelling, and other problems. If you have to use water to clean, try using a damp cloth.
Avoid using alkaline substances, such as ammonia, to clean wood floors, as they may cause dark spots on the finish.
Don’t use wax-based products. See the manufacturer’s instructions for approved cleaners.
For more information about wood flooring, visit the manufacturer’s website.