» Floor Covering Protection | »Cleaning Tips

When selecting a floor covering, it’s important to consider several different factors: What look and feel do you want
in the room? Who will be using the room? How much traffic will the floor receive? Are sound factors (acoustics) important?

The World Floor Covering Association has several tips on how to select flooring that meets all of your criteria.

Once you’ve selected your floor covering, remember that correct installation is essential to prevent uneven surfaces,
which can wear badly. Your best bet is to have flooring professionally installed.

After installation, it’s important to properly care for your floor. A few tips to help:

Protection

Throw rugs and area rugs are good protection against wear and tear in entryways and other high-traffic areas.

Put protectors on the legs of chairs and other furniture to keep them from damaging the floor when they are moved.
Replace the protectors when they begin to look rough or worn.

Rearrange your furniture yearly to cut down on excessive wear on high-traffic areas and to help prevent permanent
“denting” in carpet.

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Cleaning

Laminate and vinyl flooring:
Use only the suggested amount of cleaner to avoid streaking. If streaking occurs, wash your floor with ammonia and
warm water to remove the excess cleaner.

Wood flooring:
Sweep, vacuum or use a lint attracting cloth to clean wood floors. Never use a water cleaning method
(except for a slightly damp cloth) as standing water can cause wood to swell and buckle. Self-polishing products
are not safe for wood floors, as they will make the floor dull and slippery. This type of damage can only be repaired
by sanding and refinishing. Click here for a free technician referral.

Carpet:
Regular vacuuming and bi-annual professional cleaning are recommended for optimum carpet performance.
TLC4theHome recommends keeping a small piece of uninstalled carpet on-hand to compare to installed carpet to
assess for signs of soiling and determine when a professional cleaning is needed.

» More Carpet Cleaning Tips

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