Flooring Cleaning and Maintenance - Inner-City Flooring Port Coquitlam

Spring Cleaning Flooring Tips

Posted on May 9, 2023 | by Jen Biddlecombe | Leave a Comment

Spring has officially sprung, and it’s the perfect time to refresh up on Spring Cleaning Flooring Tips. As the weather starts to warm up, it’s important to take care of your floors and give them the deep clean they deserve. In this newsletter, we’ll share our top tips for Spring cleaning your floors, along with advice on the best products to use for different types of flooring.

Hardwood Floors:

When it comes to cleaning hardwood floors, it’s important to avoid using too much water or harsh chemicals. Instead, opt for a gentle hardwood floor cleaner that’s specifically designed to protect the natural finish of your floors. You can also use a microfiber mop to pick up dirt and dust without leaving scratches.

Tile Floors:

For tile floors, start by sweeping or vacuuming up any loose debris. Then, mix a solution of warm water and a mild detergent or tile cleaner. Use a sponge or mop to apply the solution to your floors, being careful not to saturate the grout lines. Finally, rinse your floors with clean water and let them air dry. For more stubborn grout stains use a steamer with bristle attachment.

Carpet:

To remove tough stains from carpet floors, start by blotting up as much of the stain as possible with a clean cloth. Then, apply a carpet stain remover or a solution of white vinegar and warm water to the affected area. Use a clean cloth to gently blott the stain, working from the outside in. Finally, rinse the area with clean water and blot dry with a clean towel.

Vinyl Floors:

To clean vinyl floors, start by sweeping or vacuuming up any loose debris. Then, mix a solution of warm water and a gentle vinyl floor cleaner. Use a mop or sponge to apply the solution to your floors, being careful not to use too much water. Finally, rinse your floors with clean water and let them air dry.

Laminate Floors:

Laminate floors can be cleaned with a damp mop and a gentle laminate floor cleaner. Avoid using too much water, as it can seep into the seams and cause damage. If you have any tough stains or grime on your laminate floors, you can try using a mixture of warm water and vinegar to remove them.

We hope these tips help you achieve sparkling clean floors this Spring! If you have any questions or need additional cleaning advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us. And don’t forget to visit our store for all your flooring needs.

Floor Cleaning Routine

Posted on February 18, 2021 | by Jen Biddlecombe | 1 Comment

Floor Cleaning routine for all types of flooring broken down into daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks. Sign up to receive Floor Facts Newsletter and 2021 flooring design Look Book.

Daily, Weekly, Monthly & Yearly

It’s that time of year again soon.. Spring, and that means Spring Cleaning. One area that is often forgotten is your floors. They need periodic maintenance to keep them looking and performing their best. Having a great floor cleaning routine is key to keeping phenomenal looking floors for years to come. Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Yearly upkeep is important to keeping your floors looking pristine for years to come.

Daily Floor Cleaning Routine

Always start with your daily tasks first, light sweep or vacuum. Clean any spills immediately but at the end of the day it’s a good idea to do a quick sweep or Swiffer of common areas like the kitchen, bathrooms and entries. If you choose vacuum or dry sweep, keep a warm damp cloth handy and spot clean any spills or stains as you go. For carpets always vacuum high traffic areas to keep free from debris.

Weekly

Giving your floors a good wash is always a good idea. If you choose to do it old school with a mop and bucket or with a fancy Vileda Mop when it comes to floor cleaning the cardinal rule is never over soak your floors. Yes your Vinyl Plank or Ceramic tile is waterproof, but what it’s sitting on is not, your cabinets likely are not, and neither are you walls or baseboards, damp mops never dripping! Always read the directions fully when using cleaning solutions, over concentrated cleaning products can damage or discolour your floors. Warm water and vinegar are a great alternative to cleaning products. Carpets should be thoroughly vacuumed and spot clean any stains.

Monthly

Heavy deep cleaning of all flooring areas. Scrubbing on hands and knees is one of the most efficient, although not glamorous ways of deep cleaning most flooring. Using a light carpet cleaner making sure to spend most of your time drying the carpet or positioning fans afterwards to ensure quick drying. Carpets don’t like to be cleaned with water regularly but if you have a light coloured carpet or maybe messy house guests this may be an option for you. Refer to your carpet manufactures maintenance guides for clarification.

Yearly Floor Cleaning Routine

Yearly floor cleaning routines seem silly but ensuring these areas get checked at least once per year will ensure any problems areas are seen and addressed.

Check silicone in bathroom and kitchen areas, anywhere there may be water present. If you noticed it has started to peel away or maybe isn’t there at all its time to re-silicone. Scrape away the old damaged or dirty silicone, purchase a tube and holder, make sure you purchase a bathroom and kitchen grade silicone, thoroughly dry the area and reapply according to the directions on the tube.

I’ve noticed lately deep grooves in my linoleum flooring that have been harboring dirt for years. All this time we thought that was the colour pattern, turns out it was just dirt. Gross! Using a spot steam cleaner and a coarse bristled brush it came up no problem. I will be posting a video on the process so you can see the floors and the difference the deep clean makes.

Clean baseboards with a damp, not wet, cloth and touch up any paint that has been chipped or rubbed away to keep your place show home ready all the time.

If you notice something in your flooring that doesn’t look quite right give your local small business flooring store like Inner-City Flooring, a call and they would be happy to let you know how to fix it or if its nothing to worry about. If you notice an issue don’t leave it especially if there is water involved.

Polishing and resealing – certain flooring types can benefit from polishing and resealing periodically. Always stick to the manufactures recommended products and time length for doing so.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Posted on October 4, 2020 | by Jen Biddlecombe | Leave a Comment

Cleaning and Maintenance

Hard Surface flooring Cleaning and maintenance for (Laminate, Vinyl Plank, Tile, Hardwoods) are relatively the same steps when doing general clean up. First dry sweep or microfiber the floor for any dust and loose debris. You can also use a vacuum for this if you have multi-functions like the Shark does. Spot clean with a warm rag and light soapy water, ring almost dry and scrub any stuck on dirty or grim.

Vileda or Swiffer style wet/dry machine washable microfiber mop with a built-in sprayer is my go-to cleaning tool. Use a light cleaner that is pet and child safe mixed with water to the cleaners diluting specifications. Lightly spray the floor and scrub all areas. Do not oversaturate the floors with water ever, be sparing, your floor may be water resistant, but your walls and baseboards are not. Cleaning and maintaining your floors often keeps them clear of debris and looking brand new longer. It is also important to maintain manufacture warranty guidelines on cleaning and maintenance of your particular floor type as to not void your warranty unintentionally.

Now that you know all you need to know about Vinyl Plank flooring visit our products page to start choosing your perfect flooring.

Extras to consider

Door mats – Keep door mats at every entrance to prevent dirt, sand and debris from settling into your flooring. Other substances such as organic material and oils can also be tracked inside, leave shoes at the door whenever possible.

Do not Drag Furniture – Heavy items such as furniture should never be dragged across any flooring surface. When moving heavy items use a dolly with wide air tires and protect the floor with plywood if necessary. Never slide or roll heavy objects across the floor. Some items are just too heavy to be moved on hard surface floors.

Curtains & Blinds – Adequate window protection is important to prevent colour fading and high heat exposure which can lead to problems in some floors. Keeping your home at a consistent temperature is important for not just flooring but all electronics in your household. Considering purchasing a smart temperature monitor that will not allow your home to get too hot or too cold when you are away.

Furniture Feet – Use non-staining wide felt protectors on the bottom of all furniture to prevent scratches. You can even replace pointed or narrow furniture feet with wider ones if necessary. You can purchase these at any dollar store, home improvement or online.

Spill Response – Quick response on spills is your best defense. Thoroughly soak up all liquid. Start at the outer edge and work your way in to prevent any further spreading. Once dry, clean the area.