By cleaning the floor, germs can decrease, odors minimize, and the house will regain its fresh, clean, and welcoming appearance. Here we offer you a useful guide on how to clean floors of all kinds, such as vinyl, marble, porcelain, and ceramic.
Ceramic, tile, or porcelain floors are known as the best options for bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas of the home that may get wet from time to time. And with some proper care, a tile floor can look new for years.
Contents
Tips & Methods For Floor Cleaning
- Dust or vacuum the floor regularly: In this way, you can remove loose dust, food crumbs, and other dirt that can accumulate on tile floors. Its recommended to also sweep or vacuum the floor before scrubbing or mopping it.
- Wipe the floor with warm water and vinegar: A trick to polish floors is to wipe it with warm water and white vinegar. Soak the scrubber with warm water and vinegar and scrub and repeat until the entire floor is clean, so that it shines.
- Dry the floor: Whether you used plain water or soapy water, wipe the floor with a dry clean cloth or towel when it’s washed. That would prevent the new dust and lint from accumulating quickly and staining the seams.
- Clean up spills with bactericide: If you spill a glass of juice or even water, clean it up immediately. The longer it stays there, the more time it will have to soak into the flooring. Dried orange juice, and other sweet liquids, tend to become unbearably sticky. So limit the disinfectant to the area the incident occurred. Some strong chemicals can also deteriorate or stain tile flooring.
- Clean mold from tile floors: If a mold builds up, an ammonia solution is very efficient. Put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands, prepare a solution of half water and half ammonia, and scrub the area using a soft brush. But make sure the room is well ventilated.
To make your floor cleaner
If you want, you can make a floor cleaner by yourself
Just mix 4 cups of hot water, 1 cup of lemon juice, 3 cups of white vinegar, and 1/4 cup of dish detergent.
Here are some quick tips to follow when cleaning your surfaces:
The first thing we must do before applying a cleaning product on a floor is to sweep and vacuum. Using a mop will also help you to better remove lint and dirt from it.
- Before you start washing the floor, you can open the windows so that it dries faster.
- Once the floor is clean of crumbs, lint, or dust, fill a bucket with warm water and add the cleaning product such as scrubber or bleach. You should choose these kinds of products according to the type of floor you have.
- But to make your floors polished, not all techniques will do. You should scrub the entire surface of the room with elongated and oval movements. Note that you will need to empty the bucket and refill it with clean water if your cleaning product requires rinsing.
- Wait till the floor is entirely dry before stepping on the ground again.
Types of floors and how to clean them
Next, we will talk about the different types of flooring that exist and how we can clean them correctly:
Tiles
Tiles are a type of material that, if in bathrooms and kitchens, tend to get dirty very persistently. In addition to water and detergent, applying a degreasing product such as ammonia (also very useful for cleaning rugs or carpets) will help you remove all the grease. Using bleach or bicarbonate dissolved in water can also be very useful to clean tiles.
Vinyl flooring
This type of flooring, due to its quick installation, excellent durability, and easy maintenance, is one of the most demanded floors today. Regular sweeping or mopping will usually suffice. But if not, you can mix one cup of cider vinegar with a gallon of hot water. Use a damp mop to apply to the floor, rinse the mop often with clean, hot water from another bucket or your sink.
Linoleum
Linoleum is a material that usually lasts in good condition for many years. That, added to the fact that it is cheap and resistant, makes this type of floor one of the most used flooring (both in homes and in offices). As we have recommended before, before scrubbing it, you should sweep it or vacuum it to remove all its dirt.
Afterward, you can either apply detergent mixed with water or wipe with a cloth moistened with warm water with liquid soaps or vinegar. But remember, you should never scrub the floor with very alkaline detergents such as soft soap.
Using linoleum wax or polish will help restore its original shine.
Parquet
The best way to clean parquet floors is swept and vacuumed, clean it with a damp mop and lukewarm water. Using a specialized product or detergent for this type of flooring will always be the best option.
Writer, traveler, and activist John L. Turner is the author of five books about outdoors, sports, home, power, uprisings, art, environment, place, pleasure, and hope. He is a contributor @homeplix.