Table of Contents
- Maintaining Hardwood Flooring
- Keeping Carpet in Top Shape
- Taking Care of Laminate Flooring
- Helping Tile Floors Stay Amazing
- Looking After Luxury Vinyl Flooring
You walk across your floors every day! That makes it easy to overlook them, but you shouldn’t. You need to maintain your flooring to help it last for years to come. A regular maintenance routine will preserve its appearance, and overall value. However, depending on the type of flooring you have, this will differ.
Every flooring material requires a different level of maintenance and unique care routine. Although you should familiarize yourself with the maintenance process when you first purchase your new floors, it’s easy to forget. Today, we will teach you how to maintain your flooring and protect your investment. Without further ado, here is our comprehensive guide.
Maintaining Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is known for its classic beauty, but has high upfront costs. This is another reason to try and protect your investment. Here are some tips to keep your flooring look amazing for years to come:
- Clean with Caution: Sweeping with a microfiber mop or soft broom will keep dust at bay. If you’re going to vacuum, never use one with a hard brush attachment as it can scratch your floors.
- Wipe Up Spills Sooner Rather Than Later: Water is notorious for damaging hardwood floors. When you spill something, clean it up right away. Otherwise, your flooring can warp or stain.
- Opt for Wood-Friendly Cleaners: Look for wood-friendly cleaners because they are specifically designed for hardwood floors. Never use abrasive products or ammonia as it can damage your floors.
By following these tips, you can keep your hardwood flooring looking its best for years to come. However, there are some additional precautions you can take. Check them out below:
- Use Felt Pads Under Furniture: Moving around furniture without felt pads underneath the legs is a surefire way to scratch hardwood floors. Always use felt pads to move your furniture without issue.
- Use Rugs in High-Traffic Areas: An area rug can add a pop of color to any space. In addition to looking amazing, they can protect your flooring from wear and tear. There are several colors and patterns to choose from.
- Avoid Shoes with Heels Indoors: When you head out for a night on the town or a formal event, you’ll want to dress up to the nines, as you should! However, take those heels off when you get inside the house to avoid denting or scratching your hardwood.
Keeping Carpet in Top Shape
Carpet is warm, comfortable, and acts as a natural insulator. Despite these redeeming qualities, carpet flooring requires a rigorous maintenance routine to stay in top shape. Take these steps to keep your carpets looking brand new:
- Vacuum Regularly: Keep dust and allergens out of the air and out of your carpets by vacuuming. Make your daily rounds through high-traffic areas and visit low-traffic spaces weekly.
- Get to Stains Right Away: If you spill something on the carpet, don’t let the stain sit. Blot rather than rub with a carpet-safe stain remover.
- Schedule Regular Deep Cleaning: Professional steam cleaning or renting a carpet cleaner is recommended to keep your carpets clean.
When you take care of your carpet, it will last you for years to come. Despite its extensive maintenance, carpet is worth it. Here are some additional tips to follow to keep your carpet looking pristine:
- Move Furniture: When you have carpet flooring, you should never keep your furniture in one place for too long. Rotate it around to prevent wear spots and indents.
- Use Entry Mats: Although carpet isn’t ideal for entryways, if you do have it, you should consider using entry mats. This will trap dirt before it makes a home in your carpet.
Taking Care of Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is a stylish, durable and affordable material. Because of this, you have to know how to maintain them. If you don’t take care of these floors, they will wear out sooner rather than later. Here’s our advice:
- Dry or Map Mop Only: Laminate floors do not resist moisture damage. That’s why you should never wet mop. If you do, you risk swelling.
- Choose pH-Neutral Cleaners: This flooring material is strong, but doesn’t take well to harsh cleaners. That’s why it’s important to avoid bleach or oil-based soaps that can dull the surface.
Once you establish a regular cleaning routine, you shouldn’t have to worry much about your laminate flooring. With that said, you can take some additional precautions to extend your floor’s lifespan. Check these out:
- Prevent Scratches: Even with its wear layer, laminate floors can scratch. Simply adding pads to the bottoms of furniture and using rugs.
- Stop Scuffs: We all love our furry friends, but those claws can get quite sharp. Keep them short to avoid scuffing your floors.
Helping Tile Floors Stay Amazing
Tile flooring is best known for its ability to withstand all sorts of damage. From its beautiful patterns and to being a staple of bathrooms and kitchens, tile might seem like it does it all. How do you keep your tile looking great? Follow some of our helpful tips:
- Sweep or Vacuum Consistently: These regular types of cleaning will prevent dust from settling and dulling the surface. Additionally, they stop dirt and debris from making a home in the grout.
- Mop Weekly: Using mild detergent and warm water will keep your tile looking its best. It also prevents stains and water damage from taking a toll on your fancy new floors.
When you decide to purchase tile flooring, you’re making an investment in your space. Since it’s built to last, you might never have to replace it again as long as you take care of it. However, remember to take the following precautions:
- Don’t Forget the Grout: Remember to clean the grout lines between your tiles because they can become a breeding ground for mold and mildew if you don’t. You can also seal them annually to prevent stains and moisture from settling.
- Use Non-Slip Mats: As mentioned earlier, tile is commonplace in bathrooms and kitchens. When tiles get wet, they can get slippery. Put down some mats for a bit of style and safety.
Looking After Luxury Vinyl Flooring
Whether you choose luxury vinyl plank (LVP) or luxury vinyl tile (LVT), you’ve made a great decision. These floors work well in a variety of spaces because they mimic the appearance of natural materials like wood and stone while resisting water damage. Here are some of the ways to keep these floors in top shape:
- Sweep Daily or as Needed: A microfiber broom or vacuum cleaner without a beater bar can work wonders for luxury vinyl floors. They will keep them clean and free of scratches and scuffs.
- Damp Mop Using a Vinyl-Safe Cleaner: Over-wetting and steam mops aren’t ideal for luxury vinyl floors. All you need is a damp mop and a vinyl-safe cleaner to keep them looking pristine.
- Don’t Use Harsh Chemicals: Ammonia, wax, and abrasive cleaners can damage luxury vinyl floors if you aren’t careful. Keep your flooring clean using a vinyl-safe cleaner.
Although it’s one of the most durable flooring materials on the market, luxury vinyl has its sensitivities. That’s why you have to be cautious when cleaning. Here are some ways to avoid damaging your luxury vinyl floors:
- Protect Your Flooring: Don’t underestimate the power of mats and furniture pads. Even though luxury vinyl is known to resist scratches and scuffs, these preventative measures will keep it safe.
- Stop Fading: When the sun shines through, it can cause luxury vinyl flooring to fade. Because of this, you should close blinds during peak sunlight hours.
Maintain Your Flooring and Protect Your Investment
Whether you have hardwood, carpet, laminate or any other type of flooring, you need to maintain it. By establishing a regular care routine, you can enjoy your flooring for years to come. Do you need new floors? High Plains Flooring & Blinds has exactly what you need. We offer a plethora of low-maintenance flooring options.
Are you ready to keep your floors in top shape? Contact us or visit our Pueblo West or Fountain showroom today!
