| Before you start cleaning floors, you need to | | | | puddles of it behind for long periods of |
| find out what materials they're made out of. | | | | time. However, if your floor was treated |
| It also helps to have some idea of how old | | | | with anything else, you should never use |
| the floor is before you start. That way, you | | | | water to clean it. You should clean these |
| won't have to worry about accidentally | | | | floors with a solvent-based cleaner or |
| ruining the floor by using the wrong cleaning | | | | polish. |
| products. Depending on your floor, some | | | | |
| cleaning methods are definitely going to be | | | | Another common floor type is laminate or |
| better than others. | | | | linoleum. This type of floor is fairly easy |
| | | | to keep clean as long as you have treated the |
| No matter what you're cleaning, though, make | | | | floor well at first. If you wax your |
| sure you pay attention to what cleaning | | | | linoleum, then it will be easier to clean - |
| products you're mixing. Better yet, don't | | | | and the floor itself will be resistant to |
| mix any cleaning products together - the only | | | | dirt and scuff marks from shoes. After the |
| mixing you should be doing is with water in | | | | floor has been waxed, you can easily clean it |
| case you need to dilute what you're cleaning | | | | by sweeping or doing a quick mop job. |
| with. The reason for this is that some of | | | | |
| the chemicals in cleaning products can become | | | | If you have a carpet, then the easiest way to |
| dangerous if mixed. Mixing chlorine products | | | | keep it clean for normal everyday use is to |
| with ammonium products will produce chlorine | | | | vacuum over it. You should do this once a |
| gas, which is very harmful if breathed. | | | | week for high traffic areas, or any time your |
| | | | carpet looks dirty. If there is a spill or |
| If you have a wood floor, you need to find | | | | larger mess, then it should not be too hard |
| out what it has been treated with. If the | | | | to take care of. Just use a standard carpet |
| floor was treated with polyurethane, then you | | | | cleaner and you should be able to take care |
| can feel free to mop it at will. Water will | | | | of the stain. |
| not damage this floor unless you leave | | | | |