HOW TO TAKE CARE OF HARDWOOD FLOORS
Hardwood floors are chosen for homes for their durability, beautiful appearance, and easy clean-up. They will last for many years, without the need for refinishing, with proper care. The Household Genie has some tips on the care and maintenance of your hardwood floors.
Hardwood floors are available in many stains and finishes, as well as different widths. Some people prefer hardwoods to carpeting in their entire home. Others prefer hardwood in the living areas of the home and carpet the stairs and bedrooms. It's all a question of personal preference. But hardwood flooring is becoming increasingly popular in the kitchen, an area that has high traffic, spills from food and/or beverages, and the possibility of utensils (such as knives) falling off the table or kitchen counter top.Yikes! But help is on its way! You can still have the beauty of hardwood in high traffic areas and be able to maintain the same beauty for years. Here are some tips:
1. Wipe up all spills immediately. I know sometimes we don't even realize that something has spilled on the floor until after it's already dried up, but aside from these times get to the spill quickly! And by spills I also mean water droplets, whether from washing dishes or from small pieces of ice falling onto the floor (from refrigerator on-the-door units).
2. Use a dust mop daily, such as a Swiffer, to keep up with the dust and small crumbs.
3. Vacuum regularly, to prevent ground-in dirt. Do not use a vacuum that you cannot shut off the beater bar. Beater bars are bad for hardwood! If you cannot shut the beater bar off, which would be a switch most likely on the handle that lets you switch from carpeting to hard floors, then just use the attachments to your vacuum to safely and quickly get the job done. If your vacuum does not have attachments, then just use a soft-bristled broom to sweep up the floor.
4. Use a cleaner about once a week that is safe for your hardwoods. I have Bruce hardwood flooring, and I use their cleaner. It is an awesome product! My hardwoods have a shine on the surface, and this product leaves no residue to dull the shine. It even has a long handled mop included in the kit with a pad on the bottom to quickly go over your floors!
5. Protect your floors from scratches. Dogs and cats can quickly scratch your hardwood, particularly if you have the higher gloss woods. Soft Paws is a great product that I use with my dog because I noticed the hardwoods were getting scratched from his nails. They fit right over your dog's or cat's nails and last for weeks! You apply them with a glue-type adhesive that is included with the product. And they come in all kinds of colors!! If your floors do get scratched, you can touch it up with products that can touch up the color; however the scratch will usually still be visible, depending on the lighting and time of day. So the best advice is be proactive and prevent scratches before they happen!
Hardwood floors are not inexpensive. And refinishing the surface of them is not inexpensive. So taking care of them with these few simple tips can protect your investment and give you years of lasting beauty of your hardwoods.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
HOW TO INEXPENSIVELY GET STAINS OUT OF YOUR CARPET
Carpeting for your home is a huge investment. If you chose carpeting over hardwood or other hard floor surfaces you probably chose it for its comfort on your feet, warmth, the luxurious look, its great sound-reducing effects in a room, and many more reasons. It has all these positive qualities, however, stains can be a problem with carpeting. However, help is on its way!
I got this wonderful tip years ago from a professional carpet cleaner that I needed to come to the house to remove a stain. I paid this company to do it and had to wait till they could find a time to come to my house. I was told then that for quick stain removal mix a half and half solution of white distilled vinegar with cold water.
Here is a list of what you will need:
1. White distilled vinegar
2. Cold water
3. Three small white clean wash clothes or towels
Using a small white towel dip a portion of the towel in this half vinegar, half water solution and wring it out. If it's a small stain, I just use a few tablespoons of vinegar with the same amount of water. After wringing out the piece of towel that I dipped into the solution, gently dab it on to the stain. Do not rub or pull your towel onto a non-stained area of the carpet or the stain may spread. Just gently dab, dab, dab, dipping a new section of towel into the solution and wringing it out, until the stain comes out completely. I am saying to wring out the section of towel you are using because you do not want to get the carpet too wet.
After the stain comes out you need to rinse out the vinegar. You rinse the same way only using clear, cold water only. Be sure to remember to wring the water out of this towel as well and make sure again it is a clean white towel, because you do not want any color from the towel transferred onto your carpet. Again, gently dab, dab, dab. Once the vinegar is removed, it is time to remove the excess moisture from the carpet.
And yes! Grab another small clean white towel! Then gently dab your carpet with this dry towel, and be sure not to rub! On the sides of where the stain has been removed, feather the drying out from the edges with the towel, so that a water stain will not appear.After this I roll up a large towel and make a big circle with the towel around where the stain was removed, so that no one will step on this area. Try to keep everyone from walking over this area for 24 hours. And that's it!
This is a simple and inexpensive way that I remove many different types of stains from my carpet. I have successfully removed black tar stains that people carried in on their shoes, food, drinks, dog urine, and even nail polish! Please be sure to test your carpet beforehand in an inconspicuous area, such as behind the sofa, to make sure that the solution of vinegar and water will not stain your type of carpet.
Carpeting for your home is a huge investment. If you chose carpeting over hardwood or other hard floor surfaces you probably chose it for its comfort on your feet, warmth, the luxurious look, its great sound-reducing effects in a room, and many more reasons. It has all these positive qualities, however, stains can be a problem with carpeting. However, help is on its way!
I got this wonderful tip years ago from a professional carpet cleaner that I needed to come to the house to remove a stain. I paid this company to do it and had to wait till they could find a time to come to my house. I was told then that for quick stain removal mix a half and half solution of white distilled vinegar with cold water.
Here is a list of what you will need:
1. White distilled vinegar
2. Cold water
3. Three small white clean wash clothes or towels
Using a small white towel dip a portion of the towel in this half vinegar, half water solution and wring it out. If it's a small stain, I just use a few tablespoons of vinegar with the same amount of water. After wringing out the piece of towel that I dipped into the solution, gently dab it on to the stain. Do not rub or pull your towel onto a non-stained area of the carpet or the stain may spread. Just gently dab, dab, dab, dipping a new section of towel into the solution and wringing it out, until the stain comes out completely. I am saying to wring out the section of towel you are using because you do not want to get the carpet too wet.
After the stain comes out you need to rinse out the vinegar. You rinse the same way only using clear, cold water only. Be sure to remember to wring the water out of this towel as well and make sure again it is a clean white towel, because you do not want any color from the towel transferred onto your carpet. Again, gently dab, dab, dab. Once the vinegar is removed, it is time to remove the excess moisture from the carpet.
And yes! Grab another small clean white towel! Then gently dab your carpet with this dry towel, and be sure not to rub! On the sides of where the stain has been removed, feather the drying out from the edges with the towel, so that a water stain will not appear.After this I roll up a large towel and make a big circle with the towel around where the stain was removed, so that no one will step on this area. Try to keep everyone from walking over this area for 24 hours. And that's it!
This is a simple and inexpensive way that I remove many different types of stains from my carpet. I have successfully removed black tar stains that people carried in on their shoes, food, drinks, dog urine, and even nail polish! Please be sure to test your carpet beforehand in an inconspicuous area, such as behind the sofa, to make sure that the solution of vinegar and water will not stain your type of carpet.
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