Flooring Maintenance

Tips for Taking Care of Your Floor

At Express Flooring, we offer a large amount of durable flooring options that can last a considerable amount of time. To get the most life out of your floors and to keep them looking new and fresh, the following are some critical maintenance tips you can use to keep your flooring looking as great as the day you installed it.

Carpet Care and Maintenance

Walk-off mats should be used at all entrances to absorb soil and moisture. Mats should be cleaned on a regular basis so they don’t dampen or damage flooring, especially during inclement weather.
Move heavy furniture occasionally to avoid excessive pile crushing.
Put coasters intended for use with carpet under the legs of tables, chairs, and other furniture to help distribute the weight and prevent pile crushing.
Vacuum carpets daily in both directions, as this will keep pile height to its fullest.
When cleaning spills on the carpet, blot the liquid with a white cloth and do not scrub. Scrubbing will make the spill larger.
When spot cleaning, try using plain water first before using any chemicals. If you are using a chemical cleaner, first use it in an unseen area like a closet to see if the cleaner will take out the color.
Most carpet warranties require professional hot water extraction cleaning to be performed every year or two. Contact us for the particular guidelines about the specific product installed in your home.
Berber carpets are prone to snags and runs. We discourage the use of any vacuum with a rotating cleaning brush. If you use a vacuum with a rotating cleaning brush of any sort, ensure that the bar is set high enough to avoid losing fibers in your carpeting.
Manufacturer’s warranties on carpeting are void when carpeting is installed on stairs and landings.
Your new carpet flooring will shed or pill for 6-12 months. This is a normal occurrence in new carpeting, not a defect. These are excess fibers from the manufacturing process. Carpet manufacturers typically will not entertain any claims inside 12 months for issues of this nature.
Your carpeting is not indestructible. It can snag, tear, rip, and delaminate. Do not drag heavy furniture or items across it. Instead, lift and place any furniture in your home. Do not expose any sharp or jagged objects to the carpeting. Do not allow excessive amounts of moisture to soak into your carpeting. All warranties exclude damage from pets and customer abuse/neglect.

Laminate Care and Maintenance

Place a doormat outside the exterior entrance to collect excess moisture, sand, grit, and other potentially damaging substances from being tracked onto your laminate flooring.
Many laminate flooring products are “scratch resistant,” but nothing is scratch proof. It is recommended that you use felt floor protectors on chairs and other furniture. As a general rule, the heavier the item the wider the floor protector.
Do not drag furniture across laminate flooring. Always lift and place any items onto the floor. All warranties are void from damage from pets and/or customer abuse or neglect.
Avoid sharp or pointed objects with concentrated weight such as high heels.
If using a dolly to move furniture or appliances, place a clean sheet of plywood or other protective layers over your laminate flooring to prevent damage.
If you use office chairs and/or rolling chairs of any kind, you must use a protective mat under the chairs. Rolling chairs may damage your laminate flooring.
Do not use wax, oils, mop and shine products or any other sealer on your flooring as these products are not very effective on laminate.
Do not use a wet mop or any soap-based detergents to clean your laminate flooring because they will ruin your floors and leave behind a dull film. It’s best to use a microfiber mop system. Call us to get a recommendation on cleaning products.
Do not allow moisture of any kind to remain on the floor for a long period of time as this can damage your laminate flooring. Spills and accidents, no matter how small or minor, should be cleaned up immediately.
Never attempt to sand or refinish laminate flooring.

Hardwood Care and Maintenance

Perform routine maintenance as recommended by the manufacturer. This should include sweeping, vacuuming and/or dust mopping to remove dirt and grit.
Use felt floor protectors on chairs and other furniture. As a general rule, the heavier the item the wider the floor protector.
Place a doormat outside the exterior entrance to collect excess moisture, sand, grit, and other potentially damaging substances from being tracked onto your hardwood floors.
Do not use any type of buffing machine on your hardwood floor.
Does not use oil-based waxes, polishes, or strong ammoniated and/or abrasive cleaners. Never use soap-based detergents as they will leave a dull film on your floor. It’s best to use a microfiber mop system. Call us for recommended cleaning products.
Do not use a wet or damp mop to clean your hardwood floors, as water is a hardwood floor’s worst enemy. Do not allow moisture of any kind to remain on the floor for extended periods of time as this can damage your flooring. Spills and accidents, no matter how small, should be cleaned up immediately.
If you use office chairs and/or rolling chairs of any kind, you must use a protective mat under the chairs. Rolling chairs may damage a hardwood floor.
If your hardwood floor has a polyurethane finish, never use a paste wax on it. If your hardwood floor has a wax finish, never use a polyurethane finish. These products are not interchangeable.

Tile Care and Maintenance

If any soil is left on grout surface for long periods of time it will leave a stain mark in that area. All Express Flooring grout has stain resistance sealing in it, but it’s not stain proof.
You can sweep, vacuum, or dust mop your tile, but do not use a dust mop with oils. A microfiber mop system is recommended.
A razor blade or putty knife can be used to remove tar, chewing gum or any other stubborn spot. But be careful, these tools can scratch or damage your tile flooring.
Do not use soaps that create suds to clean your floor as it will leave a dull finish. Soaps are very hard to remove from the surface because of the wax within them. Hot water is recommended to use when washing your floors. When you are finished washing your floors, rinse them with plain warm water to make sure all cleaners are removed.
Allow floors to dry completely before walking on them to assure that moisture will not pick up dirt from the bottom of your footwear. Call us for a recommendation on cleaning products.
Tile flooring is very durable and stable, but not indestructible. Heavy objects can chip and break tiles. Always lift and replace all furniture when moving it throughout the tiled area. Dragging heavy items or furniture can scratch or damage your tile flooring. All product warranties are void from damage caused by pets and customer abuse or neglect.

Vinyl Care and Maintenance

When spills happen, wipe them up as quickly as possible using a white cloth. Using colored cloths may leave fabric dye on the surface of your floor.
Most vinyl companies recommend using a no-rinse vinyl cleaner. Even though it says not to rinse, it is always recommended to rinse with clean, warm water.
Do not use paste, wax, or any mop and shine products.
Do not use the beater bar on the vacuum when vacuuming the floor because it can leave scratch marks on the surface. You should only use suction.
Do not use abrasive scrubbing brushes. We suggest using a microfiber mop system. Call us for more recommendations on cleaning products.
If using a dolly to move furniture or appliances, place a clean sheet of plywood or another protective layer over your vinyl flooring to prevent tearing and scuffing.
Vinyl flooring is very durable, but not indestructible. Heavy objects can tear and/or mar your flooring. Always lift and replace all furniture when moving it throughout your home. Dragging heavy items or furniture can scratch, indent, or tear your flooring. All product warranties are void from damage caused by pets and customer abuse or neglect.
Use non-staining felt floor protectors on chairs and other furniture. As a general rule, the heavier the item the wider the floor protector you should use. Heavy items or furniture can and will indent your vinyl flooring if the flooring is not properly protected.

Specific Tips for Vinyl Planks

Keep dirt out of vinyl planks. Use walk-off mats at all entrances of your home to keep dirt and moisture from being tracked onto your flooring. Clean these mats frequently and keep your garage, sidewalks, and porches free of excessive dirt. Mats should have a non-rubberized backing and be marked as “non-staining.”
Avoid wearing high heel shoes on your floor as they can cause permanent indentations.
Protect your floors against burns of any kind as extremely hot items can cause permanent damage.
Avoid exposure to direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as this can cause discoloration.
Sweep vinyl plank flooring regularly with a soft bristle broom to remove loose dirt. For heavier cleaning, you can use a low PH (neutral) cleaner.
Do not use solvent-based cleaners, soap-based detergents, wet Swiffers, abrasive mop and shine products, floor wax, ammonia, bleaches, vacuum cleaners with rotating beater bars, or steam mops of any kind as they can cause permanent damage to vinyl plank flooring.
Test any and all cleaners on an uninstalled plank and/or in an inconspicuous area before using on the installed vinyl plank flooring to ensure that it will not damage your flooring.