They say cleaning floors is difficult – wait till you clean a particular floor using the wrong method. You’ll be scrubbing and mopping like crazy till your hands go numb and you’ll argue with yourself for doing it in the first place.
Luckily, whether your floor is wood or laminated, cork or linoleum, there are proper steps to keep it spotless clean. These are the fastest and simplest ways to keep them looking new and clean:
First things first: Before cleaning, most floors require vacuuming first to remove any material that may scratch or leave any mark during the cleaning. If you are still wondering what brand of vacuum cleaners to purchase? It will help to check a comprehensive review on ideal stick vacuum cleaners for your peace of mind.
Hardwood Floors
Ahh, the glorious wood flooring. Hardwood floors normally have two types of finishes: wax or polyurethane. Not sure what’s yours? Simply rub your finger on the surface, if it smudges, the floor is likely waxed.
To clean: Mix ¼ cup of pH-neutral (mild) soap with water in a bucket. Do not use acidic vinegar solutions, which can dull your wood floor’s quality over time. Follow up with damp-mop and microfiber to pick up excess moisture.
Laminate Flooring
Your laminate flooring may look like natural stone tile or hardwood planks, but you still have to clean it like a laminate. What’s comforting is that laminate floors are tough and easy to clean.
To clean: Vacuum the floor and use a damp cloth, but not dripping wet to clean. You may use vinegar in this case. Also, never polish a laminate floor. If the finish of any plank looks damaged, it’s best to replace it ASAP.
Cork/Linoleum Flooring
Both these floorings are both beautiful and sensitive to damages since they are so absorbent, and while most cork floors are sealed, you still need to be careful with cleaning. Use vacuum regularly to prevent scratching and wash it once weekly.
To clean: Fill a spray bottle with ¼ cup of vinegar mixed with 1 drop of dish soap and warm water. This combination breaks down dirt and cuts through build-up while disinfecting. Don’t shake the solution as this would create suds. Instead, rock it back and forth. Wipe it with a damp microfiber as you go.
Natural Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl should be cleaned weekly. This artificial, yet durable flooring needs a bit more of love to last.
To clean: Mix ¼ cup of vinegar in a spray bottle and mix with dish soap and warm water. Spray one section at a time and wipe with dry mop or microfiber as you go. You can also use steam cleaner for stubborn dirt.
Natural Stone Flooring
Never use vinegar for this type of flooring. Even a small amount of acidic liquid like ammonia and bleach could damage stone floors.
To clean: Mop sealed stone floors with a mild, pH-neutral, non-chelating cleaner that won’t react badly with the minerals in the natural flooring. For stubborn dirt, simply use a steam cleaner.
Take these cleaning tips by heart and say goodbye to your aching back and hard to remove floor stains.
I was hoping to see a tip for tile flooring. That's the kind of floor that we have at home. Do you have any tips for it?
As I don't really clean at home, I needed this tips to clean my bedroom's floor as it is made of hardwood. I'll definitely try your tip. I just hope you add tile and marble floor types since I also need it to clean our condominium floor 🙂 Thank you for sharing.