How to Make Your Carpets and Flooring Look Brand New

Using a steam mop on your tile and laminate floors is one of the easiest things you can do to loosen grime and take them from dull to brilliant. With the heat and pressure from an easy-to-use steam mop, you can achieve better results than you would by scrubbing on your hands and knees for an entire afternoon. A steam clean is an especially good option for making the grout between your tiles look brand new again.

Before you begin steaming, be sure to read the instructions on your machine carefully to avoid causing further damage. Some steam mops are designed for certain kinds of flooring and discouraged for others. Although there are steam cleaners designed for hardwood floors, you’ll want to exercise caution during the process. Because the combination of heat and water can damage the surface, it is safest to stick to only steam cleaning tile, linoleum and laminate floors.

Some steam cleaners are designed to treat both hard flooring and carpet, but if you want the best results, use a carpet cleaner intended solely for that purpose. Carpet cleaners have unique brushes that revitalize your carpet’s texture and dig deep to remove dirt.

If you want a heavy-duty machine like the ones used by professionals, you can often rent one from a nearby hardware or grocery store. However, if you have pets or kids or both, it might be more cost effective and convenient to have a smaller carpet cleaner at home for everyday emergencies. Plus, it’s always best to get stains out as quickly as possible. That said, having some carpet cleaning solution and a household carpet cleaning vacuum will save you a lot of grief in the future.

Once you’ve deep cleaned the carpets, you’ll want to keep them in good shape with consistent maintenance. For starters, never underestimate the value of vacuuming. Used regularly, a quality vacuum cleaner will keep dirt from penetrating the carpet fibers and permanently discoloring them. If you’re worried that you might forget to check this chore off your list on a frequent basis, you might enjoy having a robot vacuum that can be programmed to do the job when you’re out.

Wood floors can be more intensive to care for, but they can also last a long time. It is often best to hire a professional for oiling and waxing because their industrial equipment makes the process easier. Still, some people decide to tackle this job on their own.

When the space is cleared of furniture, use a traditional upright vacuum to remove debris from the floor. If necessary, you might need to apply a mop to high-traffic areas to rid the surface of sticky gunk. Regardless, your floor should be thoroughly cleaned and completely dry before the next step. Some people also opt to give their floor a light sanding before applying restoring products to help them seep into the wood more effectively.

There are many options when it comes to what oil to use for the treatment. Good oils to use include boiled linseed oil, tung oil, and Danish oil. Each of these has different a drying time and will affect the color of the wood differently. For instance, tung oil often dries quickest and has the least darkening effect. Therefore, do your research before choosing the oil you’re going to use.

Apply oil using a roller or brush, let it seep in for 15 minutes, then apply more to areas that still have a matte appearance. Wait another 15 minutes before using a cotton cloth or squeegee to remove excess oil. For best results, you should polish the floor afterward with a buffing cloth. This is possible to do by hand, but it can be arduous work. An alternative option is to rent an electric buffer from a nearby hardware store.

Once the oil is fully dry (which can take from 12 to 24 hours), it’s time to add extra protection by sealing in the oil with wax. It’s a good idea to place a fan nearby not only to ensure that the floors are prepped and ready, but also to circulate the air when the wax is applied because the odor can be strong. Ideally, you’ll want to open a window as well for proper ventilation while you work.

When applying the wax, be sure to use multiple very thin coats to avoid unevenness. After each coat, you’ll want to polish the floor again. If you just want to shine up an existing oil or polyurethane finish, you could choose to skip the oil application altogether and only undertake the waxing and polishing process.