Ways to Keep Your Floors Looking Spotlessly Clean and Beautiful

How often should you scrub, wash and polish the floors in your home to keep them looking immaculate? You may worry that having beautiful floors will require a lot of hard work but the truth is quite different.

You have to be smart and strategic about maintaining floors – washing them every single is certainly far from the best way to go. By following a couple of simple tips that are specific to the material your floors are made of, you’ll get impressive results every single time.

Hardwood Floors: Most Important Maintenance Secrets

Hardwood isn’t a material that necessitates extensive scrubbing and cleaning. If you have a few rules, you will reduce the number of cleanings even further: 

Vacuum clean: in order to remove dirt and reduce likelihood of grime buildup, get in the habit of vacuuming your wooden floors frequently. Always use the hard floor attachment to get best results. If you don’t feel like vacuuming, you can use a broom to get rid of dirt. 

Use doormats and remove your shoes: to reduce the risk of bringing dirt and soil inside the house, make good use of the doormat before setting a foot inside. Taking your shoes off at the door is another great idea. These apply to hardwood floors, as well as to all other materials.

Refrain from mopping the floors frequently: too much water sitting on wooden surfaces can dull the finish and lead to damage. You don’t need to mop the wooden floor every time you vacuum clean. When mopping, always make sure that a lot of liquid isn’t left behind. Also, use specialized products designed to shine hardwood floors. 

Use natural cleaners: if you’ve run out of the specialized floor cleaner, you can make your own at home. All that you need is one cup of white vinegar and one gallon of water. You can mop the floors with this solution and allow it to air dry. Alternatively, use a piece of soft fabric to dry and polish the floors.

Shine the floors with teabags: this is probably one of the simplest and best ideas for keeping hardwood floors shiny. Use two black or green tea bags and boil those in water. The liquid can polish the wood because the tannic acid found in the tea leaves a great finish. 

Tile Floor Easy Maintenance

Are most of the floors in your home tiled? If so, you’ll need to follow a couple of different tips in order to make their appearance beautiful. Apart from cleaning the tiles regularly, get in the habit to also:

Vinegar wonders: to shine the tiles, use the same solution that’s recommended for hardwood floors. Vinegar is ideal for ceramic tiles and it will give them a beautiful finish. Don’t use the solution on natural marble, however. Vinegar could potentially damage it.

Baking soda for grout restoration: grout is often the part of the floor that will start looking worn out and dirty. To freshen it up, mix a bit of baking soda with water. You should get a thick paste that can be rubbed in the grout with a toothbrush. Rinse off and dry the floor with a soft piece of fabric. 

Deal with spills immediately: you don’t need to clean the entire floor but if a spill occurs, deal with it immediately. Some types of juices and other beverages could potentially stain your tiles if they’re left to dry on the surface. A microfiber cloth and some water will usually be sufficient.

Natural Stone Floor Hacks

Natural stone is another beautiful material that will maintain its impeccable appearance for decades if maintained properly. Here are a few of the essentials to keep in mind when it comes to cleaning your stone floors:

Opt for frequent professional cleaning: you can handle tile floors on your own but when it comes to natural stone, professional cleaning every now and then will be essential for maintaining the shine and bringing out the beauty of the natural material.

Cover furniture legs with protectors: furniture protectors are needed both in the case of hardwood and stone floors. Otherwise, the legs can scratch the material and necessitate professional repairs. You’ll find dozens of furniture leg protection options on the market and even the most inexpensive pieces will do a perfect job.

Avoid abrasive cleaners: cleaning products that are based on abrasives or ammonia can make stone duller and lacking luster.

Use a sealant: you will find sealing products for stone that you can apply on your own or you can request professional assistance (the second option is better if you have absolutely no experience). Applying a sealant will make the stone moisture and grease-resistant. This is particularly important for porous stone varieties that absorb more moisture than other types of stone.

This is it! A beautiful floor that’s cleaned about once per week can be maintained looking new for years. Just make sure that dirt and dust are kept out of your home. Clean spills immediately and polish your floor every now and then to give it a bit of extra attractiveness.

By Cliff Derksen, owner of First Impressions Janitorial, a janitorial cleaning company in Winnipeg (www.firstimpressionsjanitorial.ca).