A1 Floor Covering :: Cleaning Tips

Resilient Floors

Sweep your floor regularly (at least once a week).
Prevent stains by wiping up spills promptly.
Mop occasionally. Do not use soap or detergent products as they will leave a dulling film.
Floors with a low gloss, use polish or “mop and shine” products only if you wish to make your floor shiny.
All high-gloss floors will lose shine over time. To restore gloss, apply a high-gloss polish. Do not use wax. Do not buff. Be sure to thoroughly clean, rinse, and allow the floor to dry completely prior to applying polish.
After several applications of polish to high-shine floors, and occasional stripping and reapplication of polish may be necessary. High-traffic areas may require more than one application of polish. Allow polish to dry “tack-free” between coats.

Vinyl

Regularly sweep your flooring with a soft broom to remove dirt and grit and prevent scratches.
Wash the floor with a mild detergent and rinse with clean water.
Wipe up spills immediately with a clean cloth dampened with warm water.
Never use abrasive cleaners, soaps, paste, waxes, or solvents, as they will leave a film that will discolor the floor or make it appear dull.
Your flooring can be kept looking as new by occasionally applying a proprietary cleaner.
Avoid using a “beater bar” rotary suction vacuum cleaner as it might damage the floor surface.

Use floor protectors on furniture to reduce the possibility of indentation.
When moving heavy objects or appliances across your floor, always lift them, or use professional guides or a section of carpet turned face down.
Place non-staining, walk-off mats at every outside entry to your room to keep sand and grit from being tracked in and onto your floor. Do not use rubber or latex backed mats because they may damage the surface of your floor.
Whenever possible in extremely high sunlit areas close your blinds, shades or curtains during sunlight hours to prevent the floor from fading or discoloring over long periods of time.

By simply rubbing the palm of your hand over the affected area, enough heat is generated to cause most areas to relax, or regain its original shape. If this is not sufficient, place a clean white cloth, over the affected area, and apply heat with a hairdryer. Do not overheat the flooring.

Before doing the following steps, make sure that your vinyl can be patched, if you don’t have experience in doing so, please consult a professional first.
Cut a patch from salvage material that will correctly fill the area you want to replace.
After selecting the patch from salvage material, check to be sure it is running the right direction so that the color and pattern match is acceptable.
Make a patch that just touches the edge of the pattern grout line. Tape down the patch on one end to hold place while you double cut around the patch on three sides over the area to be replaced. Then tape one of the cut sides, and proceed to double cut the fourth side. Remove both pieces and place tape under all four sides. Put in patch, and seam seal all seams.

Carpet Care

Use entrance mats. Place mats, inside and outside entrances to trap soil before it can be tracked into your home. Soil is greatest threat to your carpet’s appearance.
Vacuum Regularly. You can’t vacuum too often. Use a vacuum with a beater-bar which will raise the pile while it removes soil.
Blot up spill immediately. Immediate attention to spills and spots will make removal easier. Always blot the area being cleaned.
Clean periodically. Have your carpet professionally cleaned using hot water extraction before it shows traffic patterns. Soil particles can damage the carpet yarn.

STEP BY STEP Stain Removal.

Water-Based Stains.

For these stains, start with Step 1. If stains remains, proceed with step 2 and 3.

Special water-based stains

For these stains, start with Step 1. If stain remains, proceed with Step 3. Omit Step 2

coffee

tea

urine

Greasy, oil-based stains.

For these stains, use “Goo Gone®”. Follow directions on package, then proceed with the 1-2-3 cleaning method.

*Freeze and remove solid materials before using dry cleaning fluid.

Step 1

Use a spoon or dull knife to remove solid materials.
For large stains, 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 clean 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 the 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 2.

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 and blot as outlined in Step 1.
Do not dry with paper towels. Proceed to Step 3 to neutralize the ammonia solution.

Step 3