Simple Floor Cleaning Tips

How you care for your floors depends on what they are made of. Some, such as shiny, sealed floors, can be kept clean with less effort than unsealed ones, while delicate materials such as wood or laminate require special attention.

Floors are meant to be walked on, so they need regular maintenance to keep them clean and in good condition. Tile, wood and stone floors require special treatment to bring out their distinctive features and prevent damage.

TILE FLOORS

1. Sweep or vacuum the floor before mopping. Mop in a wavy line without lifting the mop off the floor. Start at one end and move toward the door. If the floor is very dirty, you may need to change the cleaning water.

2. Choose a sponge mop for cleaning tile floors, as it is much easier to clean grout lines and small imperfections in the tiles. For particularly stubborn stains, use a scrubber and wash the tiles by hand - sometimes there is no substitute for elbow grease.

3. Clean stone floors by adding a small amount of ammonia to the water. This combination will make even dull tile floors shine like new.

4. Seal porous terracotta and unglazed natural stone tiles with linseed oil immediately after installation (before grouting) and avoid mopping for 2 weeks. You can use this type of impregnation for areas that get heavy use, such as doorways and the kitchen.

5. Remove liquid stains (such as tea, coffee, cola, red wine, fruit juices and ink) from porous tiles by dabbing them with some normal stain remover available in supermarkets or hardware stores.

WOOD FLOORS

1. Make sure a wet mop leaves as little moisture as possible, as this can cause wood floors to swell and warp. Be careful not to use extremely hot water, as this can cause the wood to crack and split.

2.  Add a dash of ammonia to water for heavy stains and streaks on sealed wood floors.

3. Sweep up sand and small stones immediately, as they are abrasive and can cause scratches and damage.

4. Remove scratches in a wood floor with a little shoe polish.

5. Mop sealed wood floors with black tea for a matte sheen and attractive color.

Removing scratches from wood

Rub out scratches with a mixture of equal parts lemon juice and olive oil applied to a soft, lint-free cloth.

Rub in some furniture wax or mix a little medium brown shoe polish with plain floor polish. 3 Rub the mixture into the wood until the color matches the floor.