Caring For Your Floor

CARPET | HARDWOOD | LAMINATE | TILE | VINYL

To keep your flooring in tip-top shape, review the tips below. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!

Carpet Maintenance

  • Preventive Maintenance
    Easy, protective steps will keep your carpet looking great over time.
  • Don’t track dirt inside
    Placing mats outside all entrances will help absorb soil and moisture and trap excessive dirt, sand, grit, oil, asphalt or driveway sealer that might otherwise be tracked into the home. Clean mats on a regular basis (or sooner, when they need it) so they don’t become sources of soil themselves.
  • Use a quality carpet pad
    A good carpet pad not only gives better resilience and comfort underfoot, it can extend the life of your carpet, especially on stairs. Some carpets carry warranties with specific density and thickness requirements. Be sure to review your warranty before purchasing your pad. Explore varieties of carpet pads.
  • Occasionally move heavy furniture
    Moving your furniture on occasion won’t just renew the feel of your room, it will also help avoid excessive pile crushing. Also, consider using carpet protectors under the legs of tables, chairs, and other furniture to help distribute the weight. Damage can occur if you use chairs or appliances with rollers or casters without a chair pad designed especially for carpet.
  • Protect carpet when moving furniture
    When moving heavy wheeled furniture (piano, buffets, etc.), prevent damage by placing a protective barrier of heavy cardboard or plywood between the wheels and the carpet.
  • Clean your area rugs
    If you use area rugs on your carpet, be sure to clean them regularly and make sure you clean and restore the pile of the carpet underneath as well. Also, be sure to check area rugs for colorfastness before placing them on carpet because the color in some rugs may bleed through. After cleaning your carpet, allow it to dry completely before replacing rugs.
  • Reduce periods of direct sunlight
    Protect your carpet from prolonged periods of direct sunlight with blinds, shades, or awnings.

Hardwood Floor Care

DO:

  • Wipe up spills immediately
  • Vacuum, sweep or dust mop your hardwood floor once a week, or more, if needed. The vacuum head must be brush or felt, and a wand attachment is preferable.
  • Use interior and exterior doormats at entrances to collect dirt and moisture and prevent it from being tracked on the floor.
  • Area rugs are recommended in front of kitchen sinks, at all pivot points and within high-traffic areas. The rugs must be made of breathable materials to prevent moisture entrapment.
  • Place runners and area rugs (with slip-resistant backings) along high-traffic areas.
  • Keep animal nails trimmed to prevent finish scratches.
  • To prevent surface damage avoid rolling heavy appliances and furniture on the floor. Use plywood hardwood or appliance lifts, if necessary.
  • Use Armstrong or Bruce furniture leg protector pads under all furniture legs.
  • Replace hard, narrow furniture rollers with wide rubber rollers.
  • Keep the relative humidity in your home between 35% and 55%.
  • Protect your floor from direct sunlight.

DON’T

  • Use any of the following products (or products similar in nature) on your floor: ammonia based cleaners, acrylic finishes, wax based products, detergents, bleach, polishes and oil soaps, abrasive cleaning soaps or acidic materials such as vinegar.
  • Allow water to stand on your floor for any length of time – wipe up immediately.
  • Walk across your floor in poorly maintained shoes with heel taps, spike heels or with any sharp object protruding from your shoe.
  • Allow furniture to rest on the floor on small metal tips or hard domes.
  • Use rubber, foam back or plastic mats as they may trap moisture and possibly discolor your floor.
  • Use vacuums with beater bars or hard heads.

Laminate Flooring

Follow routine maintenance guidelines to clean your laminate flooring

  • Use a damp cloth to blot up spills as soon as they happen. Never allow liquids to stand on your floor.
  • For tough spots such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, or tar, use acetone/nail polish remover on a clean white cloth. Then wipe the area with a damp cloth to remove any remaining residue.
  • Sweep, dust, or vacuum the floor regularly with the hard floor attachment (not the beater bar) to prevent accumulation of dirt and grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish.
  • Periodically clean the floor with cleaning products made specifically for laminate floor care. For optimum results, we recommend Shaw’s R2X Hard Surfaces Flooring Cleaner.
  • Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation which could void the warranty.
  • Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, or strong ammoniated or chlorinated type cleaners.
  • Do not use a buffing or polishing machine on your laminate floors
  • For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum, harden the spot with ice and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
  • A more frequent dust-mopping or vacuuming schedule may be required in very sandy areas such as a beach home.
  • Entry mats will help collect the dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer that might otherwise be tracked onto your floor.
  • To prevent slippage of area rugs, use an approved vinyl rug underlayment.
  • Use floor protectors and wide-load bearing leg bases/rollers to minimize the chance of indentations and scratches from heavy objects. As a rule, the heavier the object, the wider the floor protector.
  • Maintain a normal indoor relative humidity level between 35% and 65% throughout the year to minimize the natural expansion and contraction of the wood.
    • Heating Season (Dry): A humidifier is recommended to prevent excess shrinkage due to low humidity levels. Wood stove and electric heat trend to create very dry conditions.
    • Non-Heating Season (Wet): An air conditioner, dehumidifier, or periodically turning on your heating will help to maintain humidity levels during summer months.
  • Avoid excessive exposure to water during periods of inclement weather.
  • Keep your pets nails trimmed to prevent them from scratching your floor.
  • Never try to slide heavy objects across the floor.
  • A protective mat should be used for furniture or chairs with castors.

Tile Floor

DO

  • Sweep or vacuum floor areas prior to cleaning to remove any dust or debris.
  • Test scouring powders and sealants on a small area prior to full application.
  • Use a sealer on grout joints shortly after installation and use products compatible with cleaning grout joints.
  • Rinse entire area with clear water after cleaning to remove any cleaning solution residue.
  • Have a damaged or broken tile removed and replaced only by a qualified tile contractor.

DON’T

  • Use cleaners containing acid or bleach for routine maintenance.
  • Use wax based cleaners, oil-based detergents or sealants to maintain your tile (sealants may be used on grout joints)
  • Use harsh cleaning aids like steel wool pads or any scouring pads containing metal.
  • Use a cleaning agent that contains color (unglazed tile only).

Vinyl Floor

To keep the lasting shine and fresh feel of your investment for as long as possible, we recommend that you:

DO

  • Wipe up spills as soon as possible. Removed dried spills with Armstrong Once ‘n Done® Resilient & Ceramic Floor Cleaner.
  • Wash your floor occasionally with Armstrong Once ‘n Done® Resilient & Ceramic Floor Cleaner.
  • Use Armstrong New Beginning® Extra-Strength Floor Stripper for heavy duty cleaning on all products except Alterna*.
  • Use Armstrong Shinekeeper® Floor Finish or Armstrong Satinkeeper® Low Gloss Finish to return your floor’s original shine if it begins to dull over time.

*For Alterna non-grouted tile installations, use New Beginning for heavy duty cleaning.

DON’T

  • Use detergents, abrasive cleaners or “mop and shine” products – they may leave a dull film on your floor.
  • Use paste wax or solvent-based polishes.
  • Use a beater bar when vacuuming because it can visibly damage the floor surface.
  • Use highly abrasive scrubbing tools.
  • If you use grout with your Alterna floor, don’t use floor strippers to clean the grout or to clean your floor. Floor strippers will degrade the acrylic grout.