Wood Floor Maintenance
Most wood floors can be kept clean by first sweeping or vacuuming with a floor nozzle to remove most of the surface dust and dirt, then damp mopping with clear water (dip a sponge in clear water, squeezing it out so that the mop is barely damp, almost dry). Use very little water and rinse your mop thoroughly after each use since excess water can dissolve protective coatings, alter the color of the wood and raise the grain to roughen the surface. |
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If your floors are not dirty enough to need mopping every week, then you should not do it, as it will wear the floors faster, not to mention waste your time. Simply sweeping is often all they need.
If you need to restore the shine to your wood floor after you get it clean, try damp mopping it with 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 tablespoons furniture polish in a gallon of warm water. Vinegar is also useful for removing any soap residue or build-up, but should not be necessary every week. |
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Cleaning Ceramic Tiles
When cleaning ceramic tile floors, use a simple solution of soap and water. The trick is to use a rubber scraper - the kind they use at gas stations to clean the windows on your car.
You can also find specialty cleaning products that whiten grout and tiles to give your floor that sparkling shine. |
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Urine Stain and Odor Removal from Wood Floor
To remove pet urine stains and odors from wood floors, you can use a product such as PAWS Pet Accident Washup Solution. Spray PAWS on the stain and let PAWS sit for a few minutes. Blot the area with a clean absorbent cloth to remove as much moisture as possible. Cover the area with baking soda and let the baking soda sit overnight to absorb any remaining moisture. In the morning, sweep up the baking soda. However, if the urine has deeply penetrated the wood, there will be no choice but to sand it down and refinish. This may be best left to a professional. |
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Wine Stain Removal from Carpet
Because wine contains tannins, it's sometimes difficult to remove. There are simple solutions to cleaning carpet stains made by both red and wine stains. For instance, if you spill red wine on the carpet, immediately pour a glass of white wine over the stain. The white wine will neutralize the red wine and the stain will disappear. To remove carpet stains caused by white wine, just dab with some vinegar. Both stain removal remedies take less than five minutes!
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Urine Stain and Odor Removal from Carpet
Anyone who has ever owned a dog or a cat knows all about cleaning carpet pet stains. Unfortunately, urine can saturate absorbent materials such as carpet, well beyond the surface area that can effectively be cleaned. It is extremely difficult to remove all of the urine from the carpet fibers, carpet backing and padding underneath, thereby creating ideal conditions for bacteria and mold growth (and thus malodors). However, you might not be ready to replace your items just yet. When cleaning carpets stains such as urine, blot up as much as possible with an absorbent white cloth. The newest technology uses peroxide and detergents to penetrate the soiled area to remove the stain and deactivate the odor. Simply spray a product such as PAWS - Pet Accident Washup Solution or Bio-OX Citrus Concentrate on the soiled area, and then allow it to penetrate for approximately five minutes. Using a clean white absorbent cloth, blot the area, pressing down firmly (do not rub) for 30 seconds. Repeat this blotting process until the area is dry. If the odor persists, repeat the process. PAWS will do an excellent job on old pet stains and odors too. You can also try saturating the area with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then, using a clean white absorbent cloth, blot the area, pressing down firmly (do not rub) for 30 seconds. Repeat this blotting process until the area is dry. If the odor or stain persists, repeat the process. Another option to remove carpet stains made by urine is baking soda, which can be used to eliminate surface (but not deeply penetrated) odors. Dampen the area with clean water and then sprinkle baking soda over it. Rub the baking soda into the soiled area and let dry; brush or vacuum to remove the dry material.
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Ending Carpet Static
In addition to cleaning carpet stains, you might want to remove static electricity as well. To do this, put a dryer sheet on the bottom of a swiffer duster or dry sponge mop and run over the carpet. Replace the sheet as needed. If you prefer liquid fabric softener, this too will remove static from the carpet. Pour some fabric softener into a spray bottle and dilute with water, about one part fabric softener to five parts of water. Spritz your carpet with this solution and static, and the shock that comes will it, will be eliminated.
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