Different rooms will feature different types of flooring depending on a variety of factors, such as function, aesthetics, budget, etc. As such, you’ll rarely find that a home or business features a single floor type across its various areas. Instead, it’s normal to see at least two types of flooring featured within a given property. Every type of flooring requires regular cleaning and maintenance to remain durable and beautiful, but different floor types often need to be treated differently (hard vs. soft flooring, for instance). If you’re not prepared to deal with these differences, you can spend an inordinate amount of time trying to clean each type of floor.
With that in mind, here are some cleaning hacks and tips to heed when you have two or more types of flooring and only so much time to clean them.
Floor Cleaning Life Hacks
Always Have a Vacuum Handy
It doesn’t matter whether you’re about to clean rubber floors, carpeting, hardwood, etc. — a vacuum cleaner is always a useful tool for cleaning any floor type. In fact, it will often be the first tool you use to clean a given floor. Vacuums efficiently collect dust, dirt, allergens, and other unwanted materials without scraping, unraveling, or otherwise damaging your floors. Therefore, keep a vacuum close to you at all times as you clean your floors.
Water and Vinegar Provide a Simple All-Purpose Cleaning Solution
As you look into the proper cleaning solutions for your floors, you’ll find that different solutions are recommended for different floor types. That said, you’ll also notice that simple household materials like water and vinegar can be combined to create a makeshift, all-purpose cleaner that’s safe and effective for most floors, including cork, vinyl, porcelain, and hardwood flooring. Note that vinegar should be avoided for cleaning natural stone floors, however.
Tackle One Task at a Time
Multi-tasking has its place, but trying to clean more than one type of floor at the same time is a recipe for disaster, not to mention a poor use of your time. You’re better off breaking up the project into tasks or areas, either cleaning one type of floor at a time or tackling one task (i.e., vacuuming) at a time. Whatever the case, making a checklist of your actions will help keep you on task, so you work more efficiently.
Microfiber Is Your Friend
Microfiber cloths are other highly useful tools for virtually any type of floor other than carpeting. These rags are adept at collecting dust and other small particles on hardwood, linoleum, vinyl floors, and more — they’re also useful both wet and damp.
Delegate Tasks
If you have at least one other person around with some free time, ask for their help before you get cleaning. You can handle one type of floor while they handle the other. Dividing the work in this way inherently reduces the time it takes to get the job done and also allows for a stronger focus on each individual task.
Stay on Top of Regular Cleaning
Ultimately, the best way to reduce the time it takes to clean your commercial or residential flooring is to prevent said floors from getting filthy in the first place. Clean all of your floors on a regular basis whenever time allows, and always spot clean spills to prevent stains and other issues. If you keep up with this regular maintenance, you can avoid larger cleaning tasks, repairs, and replacements down the road.
So Many Floors, So Little Time
Floor cleaning might not be fun, but it is necessary. With the right tactics, you can easily clean two or more kinds of floors without harming either one or wasting too much time. If you need more advice in this area, Ozburn-Hessey Company can oblige. We’re flooring and installation experts serving homes and businesses in the greater Nashville, TN, area. Contact us today!
