Sponsored Content
Your Guide to Quick and Easy Floor Care
Keep your floors looking fabulous using these five fuss-free tips
Sponsored Content
If your floors shine, they make your whole house look more appealing, no matter the state of your cupboards or countertops. Yet you don’t want to spend hours scrubbing on your hands and knees, of course. A smart cleaning strategy can save you time and keep your floors gleaming. “The key is staying ahead of it,” says John Schierlmann, director of research and development at Bona, a company that specializes in floor care products. “It’s important to clean regularly.”
1. Defend Against the Dirt
The first step is to keep sand, mud and muck outside. “After all, the less dirt you have, the less you have to clean up,” Schierlmann says. “Plus, grit can accumulate over time and create microscratches that will make your floors dull.”
Schierlmann recommends adding a mat or small rug at every entry point. Choose a durable material such as rubber for outdoors, and a textured material like berber, sisal or jute for indoors. Then take off your shoes at the entryway and tuck them under a bench or into cubbies. “Otherwise, you’re just going to track in contaminants,” he says.
The first step is to keep sand, mud and muck outside. “After all, the less dirt you have, the less you have to clean up,” Schierlmann says. “Plus, grit can accumulate over time and create microscratches that will make your floors dull.”
Schierlmann recommends adding a mat or small rug at every entry point. Choose a durable material such as rubber for outdoors, and a textured material like berber, sisal or jute for indoors. Then take off your shoes at the entryway and tuck them under a bench or into cubbies. “Otherwise, you’re just going to track in contaminants,” he says.
2. Make Quick Work of Dust
Lightly sweep your floors once a week or whenever you find debris underfoot. Schierlmann likes to stash quick-clean tools like a mop with tiny hardworking fibers near entry doors to handle in a jiffy any dirt that does get inside.
A good tool can make a big difference when you’re dusting floors, since “with rag mops and brooms, you push the dirt around the floor, and the broom scratches the floor to a degree,” Schierlmann says. He recommends using a soft microfiber mop; the electrostatic energy it creates makes dirt stick to its fibers. “Plus, all the weaves of the fibers aid in scrubbing,” he says. Disposable dusting cloths make dry mopping even simpler and come in especially handy if you have pets or crumb-dropping family members.
Lightly sweep your floors once a week or whenever you find debris underfoot. Schierlmann likes to stash quick-clean tools like a mop with tiny hardworking fibers near entry doors to handle in a jiffy any dirt that does get inside.
A good tool can make a big difference when you’re dusting floors, since “with rag mops and brooms, you push the dirt around the floor, and the broom scratches the floor to a degree,” Schierlmann says. He recommends using a soft microfiber mop; the electrostatic energy it creates makes dirt stick to its fibers. “Plus, all the weaves of the fibers aid in scrubbing,” he says. Disposable dusting cloths make dry mopping even simpler and come in especially handy if you have pets or crumb-dropping family members.
3. Clean Up Spills ASAP
Whether it’s coffee drips or red wine splashes, stains happen in every home. Whatever you do, try not to let liquids sit on your flooring. Get them up “as soon as possible,” Schierlmann says. “If things stay on the floor, they can damage its coating.” Start by soaking up the liquid or picking up the mess with cloths or paper towels. If that doesn’t get everything up, spray on a cleaning solution made for your floor type. Schierlmann uses microfiber cleaning pads on more tenacious stains, gently hand-scrubbing directly until the stain is gone.
If an accident causes a scuff rather than a stain, try a tennis ball. “Just rub it over the scuff,” he says. “It’s the easiest thing, and it works especially well on wood and laminates.”
Whether it’s coffee drips or red wine splashes, stains happen in every home. Whatever you do, try not to let liquids sit on your flooring. Get them up “as soon as possible,” Schierlmann says. “If things stay on the floor, they can damage its coating.” Start by soaking up the liquid or picking up the mess with cloths or paper towels. If that doesn’t get everything up, spray on a cleaning solution made for your floor type. Schierlmann uses microfiber cleaning pads on more tenacious stains, gently hand-scrubbing directly until the stain is gone.
If an accident causes a scuff rather than a stain, try a tennis ball. “Just rub it over the scuff,” he says. “It’s the easiest thing, and it works especially well on wood and laminates.”
4. Get Wet Mopping Right
Wet mopping can truly make your floors gleam. “Weekly wet mopping keeps everything in check,” Schierlmann says. “Even with dust mopping, you accumulate grime you don’t always see, and over time it will wear out your floor.”
Water, however, isn’t always best. “Traditional mops use a lot of water, which can damage floors,” he says. “You want a cleaner that’s specifically targeted to your surfaces.” Try disposable wet cleaning pads, which are presoaked with cleaner for stone, vinyl, laminate or hardwood.
Wet mopping can truly make your floors gleam. “Weekly wet mopping keeps everything in check,” Schierlmann says. “Even with dust mopping, you accumulate grime you don’t always see, and over time it will wear out your floor.”
Water, however, isn’t always best. “Traditional mops use a lot of water, which can damage floors,” he says. “You want a cleaner that’s specifically targeted to your surfaces.” Try disposable wet cleaning pads, which are presoaked with cleaner for stone, vinyl, laminate or hardwood.
5. Take Preventive Measures
Now that your floors are sparkling, you’ll want to keep them that way. Put rugs with rubber underlays in high-traffic areas. Pop fuzzy felt pads under furniture that is moved around often, such as chairs and bar stools, to prevent dents and scratches to your floors.
If you have pets, keep their nails trimmed. Schierlmann also recommends adding a small piece of carpet where your pet likes to wait for your arrival, as it can help keep pet hair contained to that area. Then when you walk in, you’ll be walking onto floors that shine.
More: For more floor cleaning tips, visit Bona’s website.
Tell us: What are some quick, clever ways you keep your floors clean? Let us know in the Comments.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Now that your floors are sparkling, you’ll want to keep them that way. Put rugs with rubber underlays in high-traffic areas. Pop fuzzy felt pads under furniture that is moved around often, such as chairs and bar stools, to prevent dents and scratches to your floors.
If you have pets, keep their nails trimmed. Schierlmann also recommends adding a small piece of carpet where your pet likes to wait for your arrival, as it can help keep pet hair contained to that area. Then when you walk in, you’ll be walking onto floors that shine.
More: For more floor cleaning tips, visit Bona’s website.
Tell us: What are some quick, clever ways you keep your floors clean? Let us know in the Comments.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Since 1919, Bona® has provided professionals with premium quality finishing systems and cleaning products... Read More
Since 1919, Bona® has provided professionals with premium quality finishing systems and cleaning products... Read More
More Stories from This Brand
Your Guide to Hardwood Floor Care
By Bona US
Keep your wood floors sparkling using these tips from Bona
Full Story
5 Ways to Get Fresh Floors Without Remodeling
By Bona US
Reinvigorate your hardwood flooring using these design tricks from Bona
Full Story
How to Match Your Wood Floors to Your Personality
By Bona US
Pin down your design preferences and find yourself beautifully reflected in your floors
Full Story
5 Popular Flooring Types and How to Clean Them
By Bona US
Learn how to identify your flooring type and make it shine using these tips from Bona
Full Story
It's hard labor, folks, face it. We added a huge great room to the back of the house with lovely large-scale porcelain floors to combat the ravages of several pets. Swiffer or micro-fiber mopping is sometimes a twice daily exercise. Who knew tiny little short coat chihuahuas shed that much? The floors are clean for about 12 hours after the cleaning service leaves. Spot mopping works for about two days.
Then, break out the double-roller PVA sponge mops to control the amount of water applied to the floor and two double-compartment buckets to filter the dirt. We bought a large, pricy "waterhog" runner to catch dirt from the patio French doors, but the Chi's sometimes like to use it for other purposes so we have instead been purchasing long, broad swaths of low loop wall-to-wall from Menard's at @ $1.29 yard to use instead. A couple of the color choices complement the floor tile well. When the carpeting gets too compromised, to the curb it goes. Don't virtue signal at me about land fills either. We recycle everything even while much recycling material is now being incinerated because the Chinese pulled out of the market.
I bought slip on shoes for guests to wear, and I ask them to please remove shoes. My floors are super clean, and I like to keep them that way. Bona is my go to!
We have wide pine planks at a beach house. Lovely to look at but after I clean the house I am thinking carpet :) First I follow your instructions best I can but hands and knees or the first step of cleaning is the only way I feel I am getting into the corners to remove sand and debris that collects. Your are so right iowavette hard labor it tis.