Vinyl is one of the most widely used man-made flooring materials. It is available in conventional and no-wax styles. For durability, choose a thick vinyl with homogeneous color that extends though the entire thickness. The no-wax versions have a clear wear-layer on the surface. Other man-made flooring materials include linoleum (which is highly susceptible to damage from strong cleaners), asphalt tile (which is hard but brittle), and rubber tile (a very quiet flooring material). Natural flooring materials include wood, cork, masonry, stone, marble, terrazzo, ceramic tile, quarry tile, terra cotta, slate, and concrete.
The basic rule for proper floor care is to pick the right product for the job. There are three basic categories of floor care products: products that clean, combination products that both clean and
shine, and products that add a protective shine to the floor.
FLOOR CLEANERS
Floor cleaners remove dirt and soil from resilient floors or well sealed wood floors. Some can leave a dulling residue that must be washed away. For no-wax flooring, be sure to use a product that is formulated for that purpose.
COMBINATION PRODUCTS
These products combine cleaning agents for dirt removal and polishing agents that add protection and shine. Since there are many Types of combination floor care products, be sure to read the label recommendations pertaining to the types of flooring they claim to be good for. Some combination products are self-removing, whereas others should be removed periodically. If you have no-wax flooring, you may not need to use a combination product, even for cleaning. If you have very shiny, polyurethane-finished wood floors, polish won't make any real difference in appearance. But on no-wax vinyl-surfaced floors, whose shine is a bit less glaring , polish can add a touch of gloss.
If you have a vinyl no-wax floor and feel compelled to use polish, you won't be doing anything but boosting the shine. The amount of protection offered by a thin film of polish is insignificant compared with the protection offered by the vinyl flooring itself.
Even rugged plastics such as polyurethane and vinyl can get scratched and worn over time. It is also reasonable to assume that an accumulation of tiny scratches will eventually dull no-wax flooring a little. The polishes in combination floor cleaners may
have some ability to fill in tiny scratches, which might improve the shine of worn areas. Until a no-wax floor is worn, however, floor polish is a waste of money. You'd be better off saving that money to make up for the extra cost of the no-wax flooring.
WAXING FLOORS THAT NEED IT
Before deciding to wax a no-wax floor that looks dull, attempt to remove any residue buildup that might be causing the dull look. Use a no-rinse floor cleaner and scrub the floor with a mop or stiff bristle brush, wiping up the loosened soil as you clean. You may need to clean the floor three or four times to completely remove the residue. Once the floor is free of residue, use a floor polish that is formulated for no-wax floors to renew the shine.
Conventional floor polishes are used to protect and add or restore shine to resilient floors, as well as stone or masonry floors. They are applied after the floor has been cleaned, rinsed, and dried. They dry shiny and require periodic removal.
REMOVING OLD WAX
Technology has produced polishes that don't need buffing, but it has been less successful in eliminating the chore of stripping off old polish as the layers build up. Even polishes labeled as self-cleaning leave a small amount of old polish behind. The problem is usually most noticeable in corners, where the polish isn't worn away by traffic. While you may be content to let the layers of wax accumulate for a long time before trying to remove them, it is best to remove old polish after six or eight coats, or at least a year.
The typical recipe for removing old floor wax is 1/2 cup to powdered floor cleaner and 2 cups of ammonia in 1 gallon of cool water, some fine steel wool, and a lot of elbow grease. There are also wax removers on the market. Some are recommended on the labels of their brand-mate floor polishes.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is important to have a regular floor-care schedule. Floors that are heavily trafficked will require more frequent maintenance than floors that get less use. Spills are more noticeable on very light and very dark floors: Solid-colored floors show soil more quickly than patterned floors.
Blot spills up as soon as they occur. Do not rub--it could cause a dull spot This is especially true for polished floors.
Remove dirt regularly from wood and cork floors using a broom, lightweight; vacuum cleaner, or dust mop. Small particles can scratch the flooring. Periodically restore the shine by rebuffing or using a wax that removes the previous layer as .the new
layer is applied. Stubborn spots can be removed by rubbing with fine steel wool or, preferably, a plastic mesh sponge dipped in a solvent-based wax.
Washable floors should first be cleaned with a broom, dust mop, or vacuum cleaner. They should then be damp mopped using water and an all purpose cleaner recommended for washing floors. Wring out the mop before using it, and change the cleaning solution as often as possible.
For taking care of new or fairly new no-wax floors, use a plain damp or a little detergent followed by a rinse. When the floor is so worn that it looks as if it really needs a polish, choose among the no-wax floor cleaning products or use a combination product
that is recommended for use on no-wax floors. Take particular care to rinse off combination cleaners after each use.
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