Before you clean the floor, you need to remove all obstructions, remove all large debris, vacuum or sweep. When it comes to how to properly scrub a floor, the main thing to know is that the procedure will differ for different types of flooring, as well as the means to do it.
Basic cleaning rules and cleaning the floor after whitewashing
Before you clean your floors, it is advisable to be aware of some nuances that will maximize your results. You should start cleaning the floor from the baseboards, moving from the walls to the center of the room, so that it is easier to collect all the dirt with a rag or mop. The unpainted surface should be moistened with a heated solution of water and soap, scrubbed with a brush, and then rinsed with water and wiped dry.
In the matter of how to clean a floor that is stained, ammonia diluted in water will help. The surface is washed, dries for a while, and then you need to bring it to a shine with a cloth. When the problem of how to wash a “sweet” floor, you need to add a little acetic acid to the water and thoroughly wipe the sticky place.
The sequence of steps in cleaning the surface after whitewashing to avoid severe streaks is as follows:
- Pour a soap solution (highly concentrated) over the entire soiled area;
- After all repair residue has settled, pick up all dirt with a rag, rinsing it often in water;
- Add table salt or kerosene to a clean soap solution, soak a rag in that solution, and rinse the surface thoroughly;
- The final step is to use warm water and a rag.
This way, the floor surface will be cleaned from the remnants of the repair, and there will be no white streaks on the floor.
How to properly clean different floor coverings: comments from hostesses
In the question of what to wash a wooden floor, experienced hostesses advise to use any detergents, diluted with water. Be sure to clean with a stiff brush, if the floor is unpainted. The resulting foam is washed away with water, and the moisture is collected with a rag.
In the same way of how to scrub a wood floor, you can treat painted surfaces, but without using a brush. You can take a mop and move from the farthest corner to the doorway. To shine the boards, a mixture of “denatured oil” is used.
Quick cleaning of linoleum
To clean a linoleum floor without leaving streaks is as follows:
- Add grated laundry soap to a container of water;
- The cloth should be wrung out well and rinsed thoroughly with water;
- The water should be changed frequently;
- Do not heat water to wash, add baking soda, like cleaning laminate flooring.
To avoid cracks in the linoleum, to give it a shiny appearance, it is necessary to rub the surface with linseed oil or olive oil once a month.
Tips for cleaning laminate and hardwood floors
When cleaning hardwood flooring, it’s not how quickly the floor is cleaned that’s important, but how well it’s cleaned. The procedure is almost no different from cleaning floors made of wood, but it should not be carried out as often – once a month. Do not wet the rag too much, as the parquet should not absorb excess liquid. You can add a few spoons of glycerin during cleaning to enhance the shine. Polishing should be carried out several times a month with a scrubbing brush.
A few recommendations on what to clean your laminate floor with:
- Heat water, add regular table vinegar to it. Housewives use it to quickly evaporate moisture on the surface, as well as to avoid leaving streaks.
- You can wash the floor with a special mop for laminate, the rag should be well wrung out. Move with the mop from the edges of the room to the exit, moving it in front of you.
- To remove dirt from the laminate flooring, apply any gentle detergent for the appropriate type of flooring.
This type of flooring can be cleaned a maximum of 3 times a week.
How to properly clean other floor coverings: tile, cork, stone
Tiles can be cleaned quickly by using a steamer. If you do not have such a device, you can make a soapy solution with a few drops of ammonia. It is recommended to carry out the procedure once a week, so that the seams do not get clogged with dirt. Stone flooring should be cleaned with liquid soap diluted in water, but not with laundry detergent. It is difficult to rinse and there is no way to avoid streaks.
The cork surface should not be over-moistened, so you should wring the cloth thoroughly when cleaning. Do not use powders with abrasive particles, solvents and strong detergents can damage the surface. Ordinary compositions perfectly cope with dirt on the cork flooring.
