Floor Care 101

Riverscape Blog, Odenton, MD Caring for the floors in your apartment is the focus for this month's blog post. Read our tips today!

Here at Riverscape in Odenton, MD we are pleased to provide the amenities that members of our apartment community expect including easy-care hard-surface floors and wall-to-wall carpeting. In today’s post we have some tips for caring for floors to keep them looking good.

Basic Care

For hard surface floors, sweep with a broom or dust mop, or vacuum your floor regularly. If you vacuum, use a soft-bristled attachment for your vacuum to avoid damage that can be caused by using a beater bar or power rotary brush head. Vacuum carpeted areas regularly, emptying the vacuum of debris as needed so the machine will work efficiently.

Clean high-traffic areas often. This will prevent gritty dirt or other particles building up, which can scratch the surface of a hard-surface floor or become embedded in carpet.

To prevent damage to your floor from excessive direct sunlight, use UV-blocking window coverings. Periodically rearrange the furniture and rugs to aid in even aging of flooring.

Preventative Care

If you have a pet, keep its nails trimmed and paws clean. Pets tend to track in substances that may cause stains to floors.

Immediately wipe up spills so that foods, liquids, and other substances are not left standing on the floor.

If substances like wax or chewing gum end up stuck to the floor, use ice to harden, then use a plastic scraper (a credit card will work) to gently scrape away the residue. Be careful not to scratch the surface in the process. Once the residue is removed, wipe the area with a clean, soft, slightly damp cloth. For tips for removing carpet stains, check out this blog post from a cleaning and restoration service: How to Remove the Top Five Carpet Stains.

Extra Protection

For heavy furniture invest in high-quality protective pads to protect your floor and to easily move the furniture.

Place floor mats at entrances and exits and in high traffic area such as in front of sinks, vanities, etc. Floor mats will help reduce the wear and tear caused by debris tracked onto your floors.

Things to Avoid

Stay away from abrasive cleaning aids like steel wool, pre-filled scouring pads containing cleanser, or any scouring powders.

Do not use 2-in-1 cleaners that contain acrylics or urethane polish to restore gloss.

We appreciate the care you take to keep your floors looking good. Thanks for reading today’s post!