Care and Cleaning Tips

Proper cleaning and maintenance will add years to your floor. From simple tips to smart cleaning solutions, learn how to care for your new floor. A quick response to accidents will improve your clean-up results, so keep our recommended solutions on hand for the occasional spill. Remember, appropriate care and cleaning will protect the investment you've made in your home. Here are a few tips - common-sense precautions that will make your relationship with any flooring a long and happy one.

Keep Doormats at Every Door
Use quality doormats outside each entrance to your home to prevent dirt, sand, grit and other substances such as oil, asphalt and driveway sealer from being tracked onto your floor.

Take Special Precautions When Moving Heavy Objects
Use a dolly with wide-base air tires when moving heavy appliances or furniture. But first, put down a clean sheet of quarter - inch plywood or masonite, or similar hardboard, to protect the floor. Never try to slide or roll heavy objects across the floor without adequate protection. Some objects may be too heavy to be moved across a hard surface floor under any circumstances.

Close Curtains or Blinds
Close your curtains or blinds where extreme sunlight hits the floor. A combination of heat and sunlight causes most solid surface flooring to fade or discolor.

Support Furniture with Floor Protectors
For increased crush and dent resistance, support furniture with wide-bearing, non-staining floor protectors or wide-bearing leg bases/rollers. As a general rule of thumb, the heavier the item, the wider the floor protector should be. Protectors should be at least one inch in diameter, made of non-pigmented, hard plastic and rest flat on the floor. Non-staining felt protectors are acceptable. Barrel-type casters with a minimum 3/4" flat surface width or flat glides are best for moveable furniture. If you choose to use metal protectors, make sure they are rustproof. Replace your narrow-dome furniture rests with wide-bearing ones.

Routinely Clean Your Floor
Routine care and maintenance are essential to maximizing the beauty and life of your flooring. Over time, normal foot traffic and soiling will cause a change in the flooring's appearance. For hard surfaces, vacuum (without a beater-bar), dust mop or sweep the floor on a daily or weekly basis to minimize abrasive grit and dirt. In very sandy areas or at the beach, you may want to vacuum or sweep more frequently. When using a liquid cleaner, be sure to dry it or rinse it thoroughly to avoid a film. Read and follow the manufacturer's directions for care, cleaning and recommended products. Caution: Hard surface floors can be slippery when wet. Use extreme caution when walking on a wet floor.

Blot Up Spills and Spots Immediately
The best cure for a spill is a fast response. Blot and clean spills and spots immediately to prevent staining. Begin at the outer edge and work toward the center to prevent the spill from spreading. Caution: Hard surface floors can be slippery when wet. Use extreme caution when walking on a wet floor.

To maintain your new ceramic floor, just follow these simple steps:

Vacuum or sweep your floor regularly using a dry mop cloth to remove any particles that could scratch your tile. Always use felt protectors under chair legs and check them for any foreign particles. Promptly remove any spills that may have occurred. Use protective mats in front of doors that lead to the exterior. This will protect your floor from sand or gravel that may get tracked in on shoes. Do not use cleaners that contain ammonia or acids. Ammonia can cause discoloration of the grout and acids can damage both the grout and the glazed surface of the tile. For removing grease, mildew or soap scum from grout, we can assist you with a professional strength grout cleaner should the need arise. Never use oil based soaps or wax to clean your tile floor and avoid sliding or rolling heavy furniture or appliances across the floor. Ask our representative to show you the various types of cleaners that the manufacturer recommends.

Routine Care and Cleaning Clean wall tiles by wiping with a damp cloth or sponge. Sweep or vacuum (without a beater-bar) floor tiles, then use a damp mop.

Grout Care Grout is the material used to fill the spaces between tiles. Since it is porous, sealing it will simplify maintenance and cleaning. Shortly after installation, when the tile has been cleaned and dried, grout joints should be treated with a sealer.

Follow these tips for care and cleaning of your hardwood.

Use Area Rugs Use quality area rugs inside entryways to prevent dirt and moisture from being tracked onto your hardwood floor. To prevent slippage, only use a quality vinyl rug pad from your retailer. Don't use rubber, foam back or plastic pads as they may discolor the floor. Avoid excessive exposure to water from tracking during periods of inclement weather.

Area rugs and furniture should be rearranged occasionally as they block sunlight, which may give the appearance of discoloring under the rug. UV sunlight and direct lighting will change the color of different wood species to varying degrees.

Minimize Natural Expansion and Contraction Maintain a normal indoor relative humidity level of 40% to 60% throughout the year to minimize the natural expansion and contraction of wood. A humidifier is recommended to prevent excessive shrinkage of wood floors due to low humidity levels. This is especially important during the winter or when using a wood stove or electric heat, which tends to cause very dry conditions. In damp conditions, proper humidity levels can be maintained with an air conditioner, dehumidifier or by periodically turning on your heating system during the summer months.

Protect Your Floor from Marring All wood floors can be scratched, gouged or dented. Sharp or pointed objects, severe impact or concentrated weight can damage your wood floor. Don't walk on your floor with "stiletto-style" heels as they may cause indentations. Keep all pets' nails trimmed and filed in order to minimize scratches.

General Care and Cleaning Damp mopping is appropriate for some finishes — see your manufacturer's care instructions for guidelines. NEVER clean or wet mop your hardwood floor with water; it can dull the finish and permanently damage the floor. DO NOT use any wax or cleaner that must be mixed with water, such as oil soap, as this may ruin your floor and result in the loss of the warranty. DO NOT steam clean hardwood floors, like water, steam may cause moisture to collect under the wood and cause severe warping.

Do not use wax, polish, abrasive cleaners, steel wool or scouring powder.

Wood Flooring With a Urethane Finish When a spill occurs, spot clean by applying the manufacturer's recommended "no wax" cleaner onto a clean cloth and rubbing it onto the spot. More stubborn stains may require additional scrubbing with the appropriate scrub pad. Never topically apply wax to your urethane floor. Periodically clean your floor by applying the recommended cleaner to a dampened sponge mop.

There are a few things that may happen to your carpet after it is installed. They are nothing to be concerned about and can be easily cured. Follow these tips for care and cleaning of your carpet.

Shedding
Most carpets retain some loose fibers after they leave the mill or store. These fibers often appear as balls of fluff on the surface of your carpet or in your vacuum cleaner. With time, they will work their way out of the carpet and no longer be a nuisance. Shedding primarily occurs with cut pile carpets.

Sprouting
Occasionally, loose tufts will appear above the carpet surface. To remove the loose tufts, clip them to be even with the carpet's surface. DO NOT PULL OUT LOOSE ENDS! If you do, you will permanently damage the carpet.

Shading
You may notice some variations in the color of your carpet - one area may seem to change color when you look at it from different directions. This is because light reflects differently as the pile is pushed in a variety of directions. Foot traffic generally causes this to happen and the best solution is to sweep or vacuum the pile in a uniform direction. Shading is impossible to eliminate in some cut pile styles, and is part of the character of velvets and saxonies.

Rippling
During times of high humidity, your carpet might experience some slight rippling. This situation usually resolves itself as the carpet settles. If the problem persists, please call your flooring retailer.

The New Carpet Smell
Like new cars, some new carpets have a "new carpet smell." It is nothing to be concerned about and usually goes away within a week, sometimes within days. There are some things that you can do to minimize the smell. Most importantly, be sure to ventilate the area as much as possible. You should open the doors and windows. Use fans to keep the air circulating during installation and for up to 72 hours afterwards. Take advantage of your heating or air conditioning fans, if you have them. You should also vacuum your carpet often to help remove the odor.

Static Electricity
When your home's relative humidity is low, a static charge can build up in your carpet as you walk across it. If you touch something made of metal, you get zapped. There are commercially available products you can apply to your carpet to reduce or eliminate static electric build-up. Patience is also a good remedy. Your carpet will hold less of a charge as time goes by. Most nylon fibers are pre-treated to reduce static electric build-up.

Crushing
Your carpet will display crushing in spots where heavy objects have been placed. To raise the pile back to its former height, you may have to do some vigorous brushing. You can also try passing a hot steam iron over the indentations — but bring the iron no closer than 6 inches above the carpet. Be sure to contact your sales professional or manufacturer of your carpet to avoid nullifying your warranty.

How to Keep Your Carpet in Great Shape
Your new carpet will bring you much satisfaction in the years to come, but only if you keep it in great shape. Here are a few tips to make your relationship with your carpet a long and happy one.

Vacuuming is Key
Vacuuming is key to keeping your new carpet looking new. Dirt and grit embedded in the pile will affect your carpet's color and cause matting, so you'll want to vacuum heavy-traffic areas every day if possible. Less heavily used areas can be maintained with once-a-week vacuuming. Vacuum about three passes for light cleaning, and up to seven passes where there is more soil.

For best results, a high suction vacuum cleaner with a beater bar or rotating brush should be used according to the manufacturer's directions. Make sure you adjust the attachment to the proper height for your carpet. For loop pile carpet, avoid attachments with teeth or ridges.

Shampooing
Vacuuming won't always take care of your carpet cleaning needs. Sometimes you need to do a little heavy duty cleaning to get your carpet looking like new again.

Many different types of carpet cleaners are commercially available, including dry cleaners, spray-on foam cleaners and wet shampoo. Because there is a chance that these can damage your carpet and invalidate your warranties, please call us to check which cleaning method is best for your particular fiber and carpet.

The best method, however, is to hire a professional carpet cleaner to give your carpets a thorough cleaning. When you decide to have your carpet cleaned professionally, choose the carpet cleaner with the same care you'd take in maintaining any major investment. Don't be afraid to ask your carpet cleaner for a reference or a firm estimate. And don't hesitate to call us for a recommendation.

Give It a Rest!
Redistributing the load your carpet bears can lengthen its life. So, rearrange your furniture periodically to give some areas of your carpet a rest.

Warranty and Required Maintenance
Regular carpet care and routine maintenance are essential to maintaining your warranty coverage. Over time, normal foot traffic and soiling will cause a change in any carpet's appearance. Hot water extraction, either alone or in combination with cleaning, is required to maintain your warranty.* The service must be performed by a trained carpet care professional every one and a half to two years to refresh the texture and rejuvenate the fibers in your carpet. You must retain your receipts for proof of maintenance service, should a warranty claim arise.

Things To Have Handy
The following solutions should be kept handy for treating spills and stains.

Detergent:
Mix 1/2 teaspoon clear dishwashing detergent with 1 cup warm (not hot) water.

Pre-Soak Solution:
Mix 1 teaspoon enzyme laundry detergent (such as Axion, Biz, or others) with 1 cup water.

Ammonia:
Undiluted household ammonia. Caution: FIRST COLOR TEST IN AN INCONSPICUOUS AREA.