Washing floors can be quite scientific, knowing what type of floor needs which cleaning agents, and how often should you clean each floor type.
It doesn’t matter if you have linoleum, cork, tiles, or laminate, to ensure you know exactly how to get all varieties of floors sparkling, have a look at our ultimate guide to washing floors.
1. Hardwood
Hardwood floors have two finishes. These are the wax finish or polyurethane finish. If you’re not sure what yours is, run your finger along the floor, and if a smudge shows, it’s a wax finish.
When cleaning, mix both a quarter cup of pH-neutral or mild and water into a bucket. Once you’ve got that ready, grab your mop and get started! Barely damp mops work best on hardwood floors. Your floor also dries faster this way.
Waxed floors are a bit easier. Wax floors can be damaged by water. It’s best to dust, sweep, or vacuum regularly.
2. Laminate
It’s vital to stop any water from getting underneath the planks.
Vacuuming or dry-mopping the floor with your machine on tile mode is the recommended way. You can use a damp cloth or mop to spot-clean. All laminate floors should never be polished.
3. Linoleum
To clean, have a spray bottle handy and mix in some dish soap and hot water. Once that’s ready, spray the floor one section at a time and use a damp microfiber mop to wipe. The floor should be able to air-dry after that.
4. Bamboo
When you have a bamboo floor, you need to look out for scratches and nicks due to it being a softer wood. Debris and dirt must be swept up regularly.
The same soap solution that’s used on hardwood floors can be used for bamboo. When cleaning, mix both a quarter cup of pH-neutral or mild and water into a bucket. Use a mop across the floor and follow with a microfiber cloth to wipe up excess moisture.
5. Vinyl
Vinyl floors need weekly cleaning. When cleaning, you can mix 1/4 cup vinegar, warm water, and one drop of dish soap into a large spray bottle. You then spray the floor one part at a time and then wipe it with a damp microfiber mop.
When you really need a deep clean, a steam cleaner is recommended.
6. Natural Stone
When cleaning your stone floor, you should mop with a non-chelating, pH-neutral cleaner as these won’t react to the minerals.
If you have an unsealed stone floor, you just need to mop with a microfiber mop and hot water.
7. Porcelain Tiles
Porcelain floors follow the same rules as vinyl. They need weekly cleaning so that grime doesn’t build up in the grooves. You can then spray and wipe one section at a time. Using a steam cleaner for your deep clean is highly recommended.
Washing Floors Correctly to Get a Perfectly Clean Home
Whether you’re washing floors, mopping floors, or deep cleaning floors, it’s important to get your whole home sparkling. It can be a piece of cake once you know what exactly your floor needs and, with this guide, you can achieve it.
To guarantee that you’re correctly cleaning your floors, contact us today, and we’ll help you keep your home’s floors sparkling like stars.
