Here’s an article on Laminate Floor Cleaning Tips for San Diego homeowners:

laminate-cleaning-san-diego

Next to having solid hardwood floors, laminate floors are the next best thing. They are not only attractive, but durable as well. Even so, they will still require regular cleaning to keep them looking new for years to come. With that said, here are some tips for cleaning laminate floors you should know.

Basics

Laminate flooring is not that difficult to keep clean if you sweep them at least once a week. If your home gets extra foot traffic you may need to sweep them every 2-3 days.

The reason for this, other than just maintaining a cleaner home, is that dirt, sand and grit can easily damage the surface as you continue to walk over it. You can also use a wood floor vacuum instead of a broom if you like.

Simple Cleaning Method

You can certainly go out and buy one of the many floor cleaning products to use on your floors, but I would recommend a better method that won’t cost anything.

Use your cotton mop with a bucket of hot water. I’ve been using this for cleaning laminate floors for many years and it works great. Be sure to wring out your mop well and don’t puddle water up on the floor.

Something else that others have done is to use this method, but add 1/4 cup of vinegar into the water.

One of the best things about this method is that you won’t get that sticky feeling as you walk across the floor afterwards.

Of course, you could also buy something like a Swiffer mop if you want to, but you will be continually replacing it over the course of a year.

Other Tips

Be sure you never use an abrasive cleaner or steel wool on laminate floors. You shouldn’t wax or polish a laminate floor unless your manufacturers instructions say otherwise. Finally, don’t attempt to sand or refinish this type of flooring.

Cleaning Laminate Floors – Tips You Should Know
By Susan Marshfield 

     

Laminate Bamboo Flooring

Laminate Flooring San Diego

You’ve probably been in many of San Diego’s finest homes, and didn’t realize that a lot of their flooring was laminate, and not hardwood flooring. That’s because laminate floors are usually much less expensive than wood or natural stone flooring material, and less complicated than you might think for a do-it-yourself homeowner to install. Laminate wood flooring looks like natural wood or stone so is contemporary in style, yet is made up of either synthetic materials, usually melamine resin, or synthetic materials combined with natural and recycled ingredients and covered with an attached decorative appliqué and an aluminum oxide finish. For high traffic areas, especially those that face wear and tear from constant use by children, pets, and for those vacation rentals that endure very high traffic along with sand and water, laminate flooring is the perfect low-cost replacement option. For those that are handy with a tape measure and hammer, it’s easy to install laminate flooring with or without glue. Durable and impermeable to liquids, laminate floors can last twice as long as carpet.

Here’s are some kind words from one of our satisfied laminate flooring customers in Mission Beach

“After years of replacing carpet, and carpet pads, every time my tenants moved, I decided to make the switch to laminate wood floors for my Mission Bay rental. Express Floors To Go was really helpful in helping me figure out which laminate flooring and style were best for my needs as a landlord in San Diego. Switching from carpet to laminate flooring has saved me thousands of dollars. It looks so good and is so easy to maintain I decided to make the switch in my own home too!”

Nick Patterson, homeowner and landlord

Mission Beach

“We have always had carpeting in our house in the North County area of San Diego (specifically Carlsbad-Encinitas), but wanted to upgrade the look of the house with wood floors. We did a lot of research on San Diego flooring stores – from the ones in the Miramar area of San Diego to some in Clairemont.  We spent a lot of time at Express Floors to Go of San Diego on Clairemont Mesa Blvd – Ross and Noubar were more knowledgeable than any of the other salespeople we dealt with at the other stores, and they really worked hard to gain our business. So when we decided to go with laminate flooring instead of hardwood flooring, we chose Express Floors to Go from all the other San Diego flooring stores. They had the best selection and definitely the best pricing. We are so pleased with laminate flooring we chose – it looks just like real hardwood, but it’s very easy to maintain and we don’t walk around on pins and needles, trying not to get the floor dirty, like we would if it was hardwood. If something drops on the floor or our grandchildren have dirt on their shoes, it cleans up really fast and easily. Thank you Express Floors to Go of San Diego – you’re the best and you saved us a LOT of money!

Diane and Michael Angelides

San Diego – North County

Laminate flooring San Diego

Ceramic Tile San Diego

This is a great primer from Shaw Floors on caring for ceramic tile in your San Diego home.

Maintenance

Proper maintenance is the key to a trouble-free ceramic tile & stone floor in San Diego.

Damp mop weekly

Wipe down your ceramic floor with a damp mop at least once a week (or more often for heavy traffic areas and location) with R2X Hard Surfaces Flooring Cleaner from Shaw’s line of Floor Covering Care Products, avialable from Express Floors To Go. If R2X Hard Surfaces Flooring Cleaner is not available, a mixture of 1 cup of white vinegar to 2 gallons of clean tap water can be used. Never use a detergent or soap, because it can dull the surface or promote the growth of mildew.

Caution: Wait at least 72 hours after installation (to allow new ceramic tile and grout to dry) before damp mopping.

Use protective mats

Good quality entry and exit mats will help protect your ceramic tile from premature wear. They trap the dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer that would otherwise be tracked onto your floor. Mats are also suggested at heavy pivot locations, such as in front of your kitchen sink or stove. Homes in beach communities like Del Mar, La Jolla, Solana Beach and Encinitas might require more protection against sand and moisture than homes in central San Diego.

Add protective pads to furniture

Protect your tile by affixing felt or similar pads to the legs of any metal, iron, wood, or plastic furniture that will be placed on it. Exterior metal furniture, which rests on tile floors or patios, may rust and cause staining.

Use recommended sealers and cleaners only

We do not recommend cleaners other than Shaw’s own line of floor care products or the vinegar solution described above. They may cause unwarranted damage to your tile and/or grout.

Check cure time before adding grout sealer

Unless noted otherwise on its packaging, grout should cure for at least 28 days before applying a sealer.

Use a penetrating sealer on quarry tiles

Shaw’s quarry tiles are the only Shaw tiles that need a penetrating sealer. These sealers are absorbed into the tile, forming a stain resistant shield just below the surface. Most sealers will darken or change the appearance of the tile, and resealing is usually required every 12 to 18 months. None of Shaw’s other tiles will need a sealer, as they are not porous enough to absorb it.

Comment from a happy customer:

“With so many choices out there, I was happy to take the advice of the flooring experts at Express Floors To Go. They helped me find the best ceramic tile floor I could afford, and I’ve been showing it off to all of my friends and neighbors ever since it was installed. Not only did they really listen to what I wanted, they made sure to show me and my wife different styles and patterns until we knew for sure which one was perfect for us. Thanks Express Floors To Go, our condo has never looked better!”

T. Robinson, Scripps Ranch