How do you clean hardwood, concrete, vinyl and laminate floors?
After you get new floors installed in your home, make sure you maintain them. Use these tips to keep your floors clean, shiny and polished.
How to Clean Concrete Floors
Start by sweeping or vacuuming the entire surface to remove loose debris. Mopping will require different substances based on the type of concrete floor. For a polished concrete floor, use a specialized polished concrete cleaner. For a painted concrete floor, use a mild all-purpose cleaner. A sealed concrete floor can be cleaned with dishwashing liquid, while an unsealed floor is best cleaned with trisodium phosphate and stain removers. Use kitty litter or cornstarch for grease stains, and distilled white vinegar for rust stains.
For more tips on how to clean and maintain your concrete floors, consult with your professional concrete flooring contractor.
How to Clean Hardwood Floors
Cleaning hardwood floors typically requires a mop, bucket and some type of hardwood floor cleaner. Start by removing furniture and objects. Vacuum up all debris (or use a dust mop), moving with the grain. Spray your cleaner on a small section of the floor, and mop in a figure-eight motion, working backward. Make sure there are no puddles.
In high-traffic areas, you should mop one or two times per week. Low-traffic areas should be mopped at least once per month.
To ensure you're cleaning and maintaining your hardwood floors properly, speak with your hardwood flooring installation specialist.
How to Clean Laminate Floors:
Start by vacuuming to remove dust, dirt and other debris. The best mop for laminate floors is a microfiber mop with a sprayer feature. Spray and mop one small area at a time to avoid standing liquid on the floor. Go over the floor with a dry microfiber cloth after mopping to make sure all liquid is gone.
Although you can use a damp mop, never use a wet mop on laminate floors. Moisture can cause the flooring to bubble, swell and buckle. Instead, use a dedicated laminate floor mop with a laminate floor cleaner spray. The best mop for laminate floors is typically made with microfiber, which picks up dirt and absorbs moisture well.
Consulting with your laminate flooring installer is a good idea if you've never had laminate floors and need more tips on how to clean them properly.
How to Clean Vinyl Floors
Cleaning vinyl plank flooring is easy. Start by sweeping and vacuuming up dirt, dust and debris. Then use a damp — not wet — mop or rag with warm water. While vinyl is waterproof, an excessive amount of water can leak between the seams and affect the glue bond with the floor. When you feel a chemical is needed, make sure to choose cleaning products safe for vinyl planks.
Reach out to your vinyl flooring installer for tips on how to further maintain and care for your vinyl floors.
For more tips, read our guide on how to clean and maintain all types of flooring.
How much are oak hardwood floors?
Installing oak hardwood floors can add value and beauty to your home. The cost of hardwood floors is typically based on the overall square footage of your new floor, the type of oak you select, any repair work your subfloor requires prior to installation, and any demolition costs to remove your old flooring. Other factors that will affect your total cost can include the regional cost of labor and business overhead of your flooring company.
A flooring installation company may charge $3 per square foot for standard installation. For hand-scraped (higher-end) ¾-inch oak planks, the cost is approximately $7 per square foot, for a total cost per square foot of about $10 as long as no repair work is required. Standard oak planks are available from big-box stores for as low as $3 per square foot, so the quality of oak you want will affect your total project cost.
How do you clean epoxy floors?
Cleaning an epoxy floor is an extensive job in any warehouse or larger space, making it a job best left to a professional who can get it done quickly and effectively. However, there are several bits of maintenance you should perform by yourself in between professional cleanings. For example, you can remove grit from the floor with a broom, dust mop and/or shop vacuum. Make sure you wipe away chemical spills like automotive fluids before they become permanent spots on the floor.