Use This Floor Care Guide to Keep Your Floors Looking Their Best:

– Carpet
– Engineered Hard Wood
– Laminate
– Vinyl

Carpet Care – Keep your new carpeted floor looking its best for many years to come.

No flooring lasts forever, but by following the maintenance tips outlined below, you’ll extend the life and beauty of your floor.

Use Entrance Mats
Place floor mats inside and outside entrances to trap soil before it is tracked into your home.
Clean Spots & Spills Immediately
For best results, give prompt attention to spots and spills. Use a spoon or dull knife to remove solid materials. Blot up liquid spills with a white towel. Never rub, scrub, or use a brush. This may cause damage to the carpet fibers.
Use a cleaning agent and procedure appropriate for the type of stain being removed.
Apply all cleaning agents to the cloth rather than directly to the stained area to avoid saturating the carpet when spot cleaning. Clean the fibers, not the backing. Deep stains may require repeated cleaning because they can “wick” back up after initial cleaning.
Work from the outside to the center of large stains. This prevents spreading.

Beware of Color Destroying Substances The chemical ingredients contained in these substances can cause your nylon or nylon blend carpet to become permanently discolored:

bleaches
furniture polish
plant foods, fertilizers and insecticides
acne medication and skin creams
cleaners for oven, toilet bowl, tub, tile, drain and bathroom

Vacuum Regularly You can’t vacuum too often. Using a vacuum with a beater bar or rotating brush will loosen the dirt making it easier for the vacuum to remove soil.
Carpet with thick loop pile construction (Berber) may be sensitive to brushing, rubbing, or scraping of the pile surface which may cause fuzzing and pile distortion. It is recommended that vacuums with suction action only be used on these styles.
Carpet sweepers and electric brooms are useful for picking up crumbs and surface soil, but it’s important to know that they will not deep clean.

Most household carpet stains can be removed using the “Easy as 1-2-3 method”.

(Oil-based stains, however, will require the use of a dry cleaning solvent prior to using this cleaning method)

Step 1:
Use a spoon or dull knife to remove solid materials. For a large stain, work from the outside of stain to the center to prevent spreading. Blot up liquid spills with a white towel or paper towel.
Mix a solution of ¼ teaspoon of clear hand dishwashing detergent with 1 cup of water. Stir gently. Apply detergent solution directly to a white cloth. Dampen the carpet fibers in the stained area with the cloth. Avoid saturating the carpet.
Wipe gently. Turn cloth frequently. Never rub, scrub, or use a brush. This may damage carpet fibers. If necessary, use your fingertips to work the solution to the base of the stain. Wet the stained carpet fibers with clear, lukewarm water to rinse. Cover the spot with an absorbent white towel or paper towel and apply pressure to blot.
Repeat the rinsing and blotting procedures until you are sure all traces of detergent have been removed.
If the stain is gone, place an absorbent white towel or paper towel over the area cleaned and weigh towels down with a heavy, color-fast object such as a weighted plastic wastebasket.
Change towels or paper towels until carpet dries. If the stain remains, proceed to Step Two. (For coffee, tea, or urine: skip Step Two & proceed to Step Three.)

Step 2:
Do not use on coffee, tea, or urine stains.
Mix 2 tablespoons of non-bleaching, non-sudsing household ammonia with 1 cup of lukewarm water. Apply ammonia solution, rinse & blot as outlined in Step One. Do not dry with paper towels. Proceed to Step Three to neutralize the ammonia solution.

Step 3:
Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups of water.
Apply the vinegar solution, rinse and blot as outlined in Step One. Most household spills and stains can be removed using this easy method. For best results, always clean up spots and spills immediately.

It is not unusual for stains to reappear after spot cleaning. This is referred to as “wicking”. Wicking can occur when a liquid is spilled on the carpet (usually a large quantity). Cleaning can remove only the stain from the carpet fibers. Liquid still remains in the carpet backing or padding. Through capillary action, the stain can “wick” back up into the carpet fibers. These stains are not permanent and typically can be removed by simply repeating the appropriate step-by-step directions listed here. It is important that you place paper towels weighed down by a heavy object over the area while the carpet is drying to absorb any remaining stain substances.
Important: Although your carpet may not look dirty, you are still required to have your carpet professionally cleaned regularly (every 12 – 18 months) to comply with some manufacturers’ stain or soil protection warranties.

HARDWOOD

Once your new engineered hardwood floor is installed, you’ll want to prevent scratches. Some scratches can be caused by dust. You can prevent scratches caused by dust with the use of mats or rugs. Buy a good quality broom and sweep your new floor regularly to pick up grains of dirt, dust, and other particles. A vacuum cleaner, without a beater bar, can be helpful in between planks and other hard to reach areas.
Hardwood floors with a urethane finish should never be waxed. They require cleaners that won’t leave a film or residue. Manufacturers of “Pre-finished” hardwood floors recommend their own specific products designed for their floor’s routine maintenance.
Do not use ammonia cleaners or oil soaps on a wood floor, as they will dull the finish and performance of your floor. Since wood naturally expands when it is wet, never wet mop or use excessive water to clean your floor. Large amounts of water can cause the wood to swell and may cause your floor to crack or splinter. Being a natural product, hardwood will expand and contract due to moisture level changes. Minimize water exposure to hardwood floors and clean up spills as soon as they happen.
Most manufacturers provide warranties on their hardwood. They also provide hardwood flooring care instructions. Make sure you read these carefully. It’s also a very good idea to purchase a wood cleaning kit. Back to top

LAMINATE

Your laminate flooring is highly durable and made to look like new for many years with little maintenance. By following some simple cleaning and maintenance tips, you will ensure that the beauty of your laminate will last as long as possible.
Be sure to get instructions from the manufacturer on the first cleaning after installation. You may need to wait 48 hours or more before cleaning.

As with all floorings, it is best to place mats at entryways to stop dirt, sand, and oil from being tracked onto your floor. Rocks and dirt can scratch and dull your laminate over time.

Vacuum regularly or use a dry dust mop.
A damp mop can be used if needed. Don’t use a wet mop and never let water stand on a laminate floor. Water can seep into the flooring causing warping, swelling and joint separation.
Never use an abrasive cleanser or steel wool.
Never wax or polish a laminate floor.
Clean spills immediately. Don’t allow liquids to stand on the floor.
Put easy-glide protectors on the feet of your furniture. When moving heavy furniture, be sure to lift it off the floor to avoid scratches.
Keep your pet’s nails trimmed to avoid scratches.
If your laminate gets scratched, you may be able to buy a touch-up stick from the manufacturer.
Laminates are highly resistant to stains, however if a tougher stain does occur, follow these guidelines:
– Grease, blood, beer, wine, juice, chocolate – warm water and mild detergent
– Shoe polish, ink, oil, paint, markers, lipstick, crayon, tar, asphalt, cigarettes, nail polish – Use mineral spirits, acetone (nail polish remover), denatured alcohol. Then wipe with a damp cloth.

VINYL

Keep your vinyl floor looking like new by following these simple tips:

Wait at least 24 hours before cleaning your new resilient flooring
Cover your entryways with mats to reduce the amount of dirt, sand and oil that could be tracked in. Avoid mats that have a rubber backing as this may cause damage or discolor your flooring.
Take your shoes off at the door! Be sure to wear slippers or socks. Your feet have oil on them that will transfer onto the floor.
Cover your furniture legs with floor protectors that are made of felt.

Routine Care for Vinyl Floors

Vacuum regularly to remove loose dirt. Use a vacuum without a beater bar to avoid scratching your floor.
When further cleaning is needed, use a mop with warm water. Use water by itself or use a manufacturer-recommended cleaning product. It should be a cleaner that rinses clean. Many cleaners can leave behind a sticky residue that will act like a dirt magnet and allow dirt to build up on your flooring.
Use non-abrasive cleansers or scrubbing pads on your resilient floor to avoid scratches.
To prevent stains, wipe up spills immediately.
Use a non-abrasive scrubbing pad for stubborn stains that are caused by these: Mustard, ink, permanent marker, asphalt, shoe polish, mold, mildew, or hair dye.
Need to remove black heel marks? Spray some WD40 on a cloth and wipe off the marks. Clean the area with warm water and a mild detergent, then rinse clean.