Total Floor Care & Hot Pressure Washing

Hot Pressure Washing

• Hot pressure washing uses high powered jets of hot water in conjunction with chemical cleaners to get tough stains and accumulated dirt off of hard surfaces. This equipment is often used by professional cleaning companies to deep clean ceramic or stone tile. Homeowners can rent hot pressure washers to avoid the cost of hiring professionals. Hot pressure washers should not be used on wood, laminate flooring or vinyl flooring.

Wood Floor Care

• Excessive amounts of water from steam cleaners and mops can cause wood floors to expand and crack so avoid using them. Use a high quality, soft bristled broom to regularly sweep up larger dust particles. Purchase a vacuum without a beater bar to clean up smaller dust particles and in-between planks. A beater bar is the rotating, bristled bar that runs across the head of the vacuum. A dry, terrycloth mop is ideal for cleaning under furniture and along baseboards. Clean spills or other messes with a damp sponge or towel and use only cleaning products recommended by your floor's manufacturer. When your floor begins to look scuffed and worn, have it screened and re-coated. Screening is the process of removing the old urethane coat. After the old urethane is removed a new coat is applied, restoring the shine to your floor's finish. Severely damaged floors may need to be sanded down and refinished.

Laminate Floor Care

• Laminate floors require very little special care. Use a broom or soft-bristled vacuum regularly to remove dust and pet hair. Dry mopping with terrycloth or disposable microfiber mops can also help you remove dirt and debris. Avoid wet mopping, excessive amounts of water can warp laminate flooring. Avoid soap-based cleaning products, use only those cleaners recommended by your floor's manufacturer.

Tile Floor Care

• Remove dust and debris from ceramic and stone tiled floors with a soft bristled broom or a vacuum without a beater bar. Mop with a damp mop to clean spills or accumulated dirt. Use a soft brush or sponge to clean tougher messes. Regular cleaning products are usually suitable for use on ceramic tile, but read the manufacturer's instructions to be certain. An electric scrubber or hot pressure washer may be necessary for textured or heavily soiled tile. Avoid cleaners with ammonia or acids, like lemon juice, on stone tiled floors. These chemicals can eat away at tiles made of marble, limestone or travertine. Castile soap is recommended for cleaning stone tiles, but use it sparingly and rinse well after cleaning to avoid streaks.

Vinyl Floor Care

• Sweep frequently with a soft-bristled broom. Use vacuums without beater bars to avoid scratching vinyl flooring. For lightly soiled floors, mop with clean, warm water and then rinse thoroughly. If water alone doesn't remove the dirt, use a cleaner recommended by the floor's manufacturer. For difficult stains, or an extremely dirty floor, mix an ounce of ammonia in 1 gallon of warm water and use a soft mop, sponge or rag. Rinse the floor thoroughly after using ammonia. Avoid using scrub brushes on vinyl.