1.      Vinegar and water is not a good cleaner to clean every type of flooring. In fact, vinegar can eat away at the sealers on floors like natural stone.
2.      Furniture should not be dragged across the floors when moving to vacuum or clean under the furniture. This can cause permanent scratches that cannot be removed.
3.      Hardwood floors should not be generously mopped with soap and water. Water can make hardwood expand and then contract leaving cracks or gaps in the floor.
4.      Sponge mops, rag mops nor steam mops should be used to clean hardwood floors. Mops with terry cloth heads should be used instead. These mops are specially designed to clean hardwood floors.
5.      Vacuums with beater bars should not be used to clean every type of carpet. Shags and other carpets need vacuums without beater bars.
6.      Stairs should be vacuumed regularly. These are easy to ignore because they are hard to clean, but they are just as important as the rest of the house.
7.      The dirt from walk off mats at each entrance should be cleaned in order not to track in more dirt after the floors are clean. There’s no point in cleaning the floors if you are just going to track in more dirt when you walk back in the house!
8.      Bleach should not be used to clean grout. Bleach can permanently discolor grout.
9.      Multiple cleaners should not be used on top of each other. This can cause build up and haze issues.
10.  If possible, the best cleaners to use on floors are the ones that are approved by the manufacturer. If you are unsure of who the manufacturer is – your best bet is to use a cleaner that is specifically designed for use on each individual type of floor.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:28 am
Shannon,
Why can’t you use a steam mop on hardwood floors?? I use The Shark and I love it! It cleans like you would not believe! Am I damaging my floors???
~am