This post is sponsored by Stanley Steemer. As always, all opinions and ideas are entirely my own.
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Spring is in the air, which means that I have spring cleaning on the brain! There’s something really satisfying about opening up the windows and enjoying some fresh air while I work to rid my home of dust, debris, and all manner of clutter. It’s not exactly “fun” work per se, but it is very rewarding when it’s all said and done!
In addition to the typical spring cleaning tasks like cleaning out closets and organizing cupboards, each year I try to address a few “deep cleaning” tasks too. I thought about cleaning our carpets this year, but since we had hardwood floors and tile put in our kitchen and living room a few years ago, there’s not a lot of carpet left in the house! But that got me thinking… surely there must be a way to “deep clean” your hard floors too, right?
It turns out that the answer to that question is a resounding YES! :-) And today I’ve teamed up with Stanley Steemer to share some useful information about how to address your hard floors during your spring cleaning efforts, and why it’s important to do so. I’ll start by offering a few general tips for hard floors, and then we’ll dive deeper into the subject of caring for tile floors. And by the end of this post, you’ll know exactly how to give your hard floors the good spring cleaning they deserve!
4 Tips For Maintaining Your Hard Floors All Year
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the same is true when it comes to your floors. Maintaining your hard floors with the following tips will make them easier to clean, and keep them looking newer, longer too!
1. Sweep (Or Vacuum) Often
Make a habit of sweeping or vacuuming your hard floors a few times a week. Even if you’re just picking up light dust and dirt, it will prevent that dirt from dulling or scratching the surface of your hard floors.
2. Remove Your Shoes
Dirty shoes track sand and dirt onto your floors, which as I mentioned above, can lead to a dull or scratched finish. So taking your shoes off when you come inside can go a long way toward protecting your floors! And place protective floor mats inside and outside of your home’s exterior doors to reduce the amount of dirt getting tracked inside.
3. Clean Up Spills ASAP
In order to avoid staining, warping, and other floor damage, it’s important to keep your floors as dry as possible. That means wiping up accidental spills as soon as you can!
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4. Wring Out Your Mop
In addition to wiping up spills quickly, you can also protect your hard floors by making sure your mop is damp, but not soaking wet. Give your mop an extra twist when you wring it out to expel as much water as possible before mopping.
Okay, now that we’ve addressed hard floors in general, we can move onto tile floors specifically. I’ll share a few tips for cleaning both the tile itself and your grout lines, so you can finish off your spring cleaning efforts by leaving your tile looking as good as the day it was installed! :-)
4 Ways To Deep Clean Your Tile Floors
1. Clean Your Grout Lines
Several years ago, my daughter-in-law Kaitlyn shared her experience with testing out different methods to clean her grout lines. (You can read that post at this link if you want the full story!) In that post, Kaitlyn concluded that she saw the best results using a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.
Just spread it over your grout lines, let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour, then give it a good scrub with a brush or a scouring pad. Your grout lines will be gleaming! Kaitlyn’s only complaint was that this method was pretty messy, but it may be a small price to pay depending on how much attention your grout lines need!
2. Use The Right Cleaners
If you have natural stone tile, it’s important to only clean it with cleaners that are safe for stone. Even certain natural cleaners aren’t safe to use on stone. For instance, white vinegar (which is one of my favorite cleaners) shouldn’t be used on natural stone because it’s too acidic and can eat away at the stone or finish. So be sure to look for cleaning products that are specifically marketed as being safe for natural stone.
3. Cut Through Grease
Spring cleaning is the perfect time to clean your ceramic, porcelain, vinyl, or linoleum tile floors with a grease-cutting cleaning solution! Even if it doesn’t seem like there’s a huge buildup of grease on your floors, a grease-cutting cleaner can remove subtle residues that dull the finish of your floors. Get the recipe for my favorite homemade grease-cutting floor cleaner at the link below!
Related: How To Make A Simple Floor Cleaner That Cuts The Grease!
4. Call In A Professional
At the end of the day, you can only do so much to truly deep clean your tile floors. If they just aren’t looking quite as clean as you’d hoped, there’s no shame in calling in a professional! That’s exactly what I did recently, after I realized my tile floors were in rougher shape than I thought!
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Stanley Steemer came in and completely revitalized my tile floors with their high-pressure water and vacuum system. When they finished, my tile and grout lines looked brand new! The technicians also applied their special tile and grout sealants as an added layer of protection. These sealants will help keep my floors clean for months, so I’m very glad I got that done!
Even if your tile floors are really old or badly stained, Stanley Steemer can still help! I learned that they also offer colored grout sealants that can restore your grout to one uniform color. You can pick a color that matches the existing grout, or pick something completely different! Either way, it’s sure to freshen up the look of the whole room.
Having Stanley Steemer come out to clean and seal my tile floors ended up being such a positive experience. I appreciated all the care they took to keep my home clean. And the technicians did such a great job, I even had them do a couple of extra services for me! My area rugs, sofa, and leather recliner are now sparkling clean too, and now I’m even more glad I had the sense to call in some professional help!
Do you tackle your tile and grout during spring cleaning?
These are great ideas! Might I also suggest white vinegar as a cleaning agent? I’ve used it and it has worked wonders for me!
We just remodeled the kitchen and put down a new floor too. I got ceramic tile because I figured it would be easier to clean with 4 dogs. Looking at it after it’s been cleaned and I can’t say I’m pleased. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, but then again it’s mostly the dogs. Their drool is like the worst to get up. I can still see spots of it especially at their water bowl. Not sure how to get that cleaned up. Any suggestions on a different cleaner? It has to be safe I have 2 people with… Read more »
Try this one! http://bit.ly/2CZ9JRC
What type of vacuum cleaner do you use on your hardwood floors and tile?
I’ve actually posted all about my favorite vacuum here: http://bit.ly/2RTrxC4 :-)
I had Stanley Steemer clean my carpets a number of years ago. We had a problem with the service and had to call them back for a re-do. As a compensation for the inconvenience, they offered to clean the grout in my kitchen. I don’t know WHAT they use, but my grout never looked better!! I’m wondering whether I should call them to come back and do it again — it was really fabulous!
How do you clean stains out of rugs? Also,what is the best floor cleaner for hardwood floors?
You can find my cleaner for hardwoods here: http://bit.ly/2D2obZ1
And a few posts about stain removal here: http://bit.ly/2D0ndfQ
http://bit.ly/2CZUJCM