One of the least liked chores that must be regularly done is floor cleaning. Save your floors, save money, save time, and save your back by applying the following ways to clean different types of flooring.

For budget cleaning, try these handy tips:

A few splashes of white vinegar mixed in a few litres of water is an environmentally friendly and healthy alternative to strong detergents and soaps (if you can stand the acidic smell for a few minutes before it dries). If you like a bit of soap, try a few drops of regular dish detergent in a few litres of water. Dip your mop in and you’re in for a happy cleaning. A good mop to use is one with a circular head and a bucket with a spinner that spins out excess water when you push the mop head on it. A good mop and bucket like that can set you back about 35 to 40 dollars. Mop heads made out of natural fabric tend to be better than synthetic material for cleaning.

The following discusses how to clean different types of flooring:

1. Although laminate looks like what it imitates either hardwood or stone, it needs to be cared for as a laminate floor. Fortunately, laminate is very easy to clean. You can use just about any products to clean it. The only caution with laminate is, it must not get too wet. Otherwise, water or liquid detergents can seep in and warp the material. It is good to use a damp cloth or a dry mop after vacuuming or sweeping when cleaning laminate. Usually something like a Swiffer mop or microfibre mop is good. Do not polish if trying to clean out marks.  If marked up, take the boards out and put in new ones. When putting in flooring, usually it’s best if you save some leftover planks in case you have to replace damaged ones. Sunlight doesn’t usually doesn’t affect laminate so replacing the boards with leftover ones should be fine.

2. Cork flooring is porous so water can also be absorbed easily by this flooring. Vacuuming is good. It’s best to skip the heavy chemicals and go with a vinegar solution or regular dish soap solution for a weekly damp mop cleaning. Never leave spills on the floor for long periods of time.

3. Waxed hardwoods should never be wet so just vacuum, sweep, or dry mop these types of floors. For hardwoods protected by polyurethane or acrylic, use non-acidic detergents. Avoid the vinegar solution when mopping.

4. Bamboo floors should be treated and cleaned like the polyurethane coated hardwoods. After sweeping or vacuuming, use a damp cloth mop with non-acidic soap to clean this type of floor, then dry mop the floor.

5. Real linoleum floor should be cleaned like cork. Regular soap in water is fine for mopping it with.

6. For vinyl, use whatever detergent you like. It’s a pretty hardy floor to clean. The vinegar or soap solution is cheap and effective.

7. Avoid strong chemicals or vinegar on stone floors. Use natural detergents.

8. On ceramic and porcelain tile, vinegar or dish soap solution is fine. Vacuuming, sweeping, and regular mopping is fine. Some detergents can react with the grout and dissolve it so maybe stick with regular dish soap and warm water to clean it. If there are stuff stuck to the grout, use a brush to get it out.

Looking for more ways to keep your floors lasting forever? Ask your local flooring experts at A Custom Floor Sanding Brisbane.