Carpet Care and Maintenance

Vacuum Regularly
Most dirt, and even dust, takes the form of hard particles. When left in the
carpet these gritty, sharp particles abrade the pile of the carpet. Regular
vacuuming not only prolongs the life of the carpet, but will enhance its
appearance as well. Most soiling in carpet is of the dry, particle type,
which can be removed with a vacuum cleaner. Use a vacuum with a
rotating brush or beater bar. Change the bags often and check the beater
bars for burs and gouges so as not to damage the surface of the carpet.
Some thick loop pile carpets will fuzz if a rotating brush vacuum is used. In this case we recommend
a suction vacuum only. Vacuum high traffic lanes daily, medium to high traffic areas twice weekly,
and the entire house at least once a week.

Preventative Maintenance
  • The use of mats or runners at all home entrances and on uncarpeted areas adjacent to carpet
    will reduce soil and moisture in traffic areas. Clean mats and any other rugs placed over carpet
    regularly.
  • The use of furniture coasters to distribute the weight of heavy items is also recommended,
    especially for furniture with wheels. Take care when moving furniture with wheels by putting a
    protective barrier between the wheels and the carpet.
  • To extend the beauty of your carpeting, close drapes or blinds during hours of direct sunlight.
  • Exercise extreme caution with all bleaches, tile cleaners, mildew removers, oven cleaners, drain
    openers and plant food. They are strong chemicals that can permanently discolor or dissolve
    carpet fibers.

Cleaning Recommendations
  • Even with regular vacuuming, soil particles and oily dirt will cling to the carpet fibers. With foot
    traffic these particles and oily dirt are driven deep into the carpet. We recommend professional
    hot water extraction every 12 to 18 months. Periodic cleaning, using the hot water extraction
    method performed by a professional cleaner, will refresh carpet appearance.
  • The most used areas, such as entrances, doorways, traffic lanes, and in front of chairs will
    collect dirt faster than other areas. Clean these areas as they begin to show soil. This will stop
    dirt from spreading, and will extend the time between professional cleaning.
Hardwood Flooring Care and Maintenance

Preventive Maintenance
  • Sweep or vacuum regularly to rid your floor of dust and eliminate abrasives that can scratch the
    finish.
  • Quickly wipe spills from floor to protect wood from excess liquid.
  • Use mats outside and inside entrances to prevent sand and
abrasives build-up on floor. Avoid rubber or other dense mat
backings that prevent airflow beneath rugs and retain abrasives
and humidity          
  • Use mats near sink, dishwasher and workstations to protect floor
from cooking utensils, water spills, detergents, oils and other kitchen
mishaps.
  • Stick felt pads under any furniture or chair legs to ease movement and
prevent   scratches. Keep pads clean at all times and regularly check for signs of wear.  
  • Opt for large soft polyurethane or rubber casters rather than narrow rigid plastic ones.
  • Protect your floor when moving heavy furniture. Place on a reversed mat, a smaller  piece of
    plywood. Place furniture on this and slide smoothly over floor.
  • Be careful with pointed objects such as spiked-heeled and sport shoes that may   damage the
    finish of your floor, especially if they are worn or damaged. (Note: After water and sand, spiked-
    heeled shoes are the worst enemies of hardwood floors. This applies to all floor surfaces, even a
    concrete floor.) A 125 pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per
    square inch. This kind of impact can dent any floor surface.
  • Maintain relative humidity level around 45% [between 40% and 50%] for your good health, your
    wood floor and furnishings. Wood is a natural material that reacts to relative humidity variations
    when moisture is absorbed or released. During humid periods, wood absorbs excess humidity
    and expands, which can cause cupping or buckling. Control humidity level with a dehumidifier or
    heating system and good ventilation. During dry periods, wood releases humidity, contracts and
    shrinks, which cause gapping between strips with some floors. Use a humidifier to minimize
    excessive shrinking of wood strips.
  • Keep pet claws trimmed to avoid scratching floors. Scratches are less visible on low-gloss
    finished floors.
  • Even though some flooring is available with UV protection, care should be taken
to avoid discoloration that can occur over time from exposure to the sun.
Occasionally move furniture and carpets around and reduce intense light
sources to minimize color contrasts.

Hardwood Floor No's
  • Never pour cleaner or any other liquid directly onto floor surface.
  • Do not use a wet mop that leaves excess water.
  • Do not use wax, oil-based detergents or other household cleaning agents on your floors, since
    these products may dull or damage finish, leave a greasy film that makes floors slippery, make
    maintenance more difficult and refinishing impossible without in-depth sanding and complete
    recoating. Do not raise or lower temperature of subfloor radiant heat system by more than 5 °F
    [2.8 °C] per day when turning system on and off.

Note: Changes in wood color are due to the natural process of wood aging and not to yellowing of the
finish.

Laminate Flooring Care and Maintenance

Laminate floors, like other furnishings in your home, require proper care to keep them looking their
best. When you follow some easy cleaning and maintenance instructions, you'll find taking care of your
laminate floor a snap!

Regular Maintenance
The surface layer of laminate flooring is hard and compact, so dirt and dust do not stick to it easily. The
following simple steps are usually all it takes to keep your floor clean.
  • For general cleaning, use a dust mop, vacuum with the hard-floor attachment of your vacuum
    cleaner or wipe occasionally with a damp cotton or cloth mop.
  • For heavier cleaning, use a laminate floor cleaner (available a hardware and household supply
    stores) or a mixture of household vinegar and water (1-cup vinegar to 1-gallon warm water) or
    household ammonia and water (1/2 cup ammonia to 1-gallon warm water). If an accident occurs
    and a stain remains, you can remove the worst stains with acetone or denatured alcohol on a soft
    cloth without bleaching or damaging the floor. In a pinch, nail polish remover containing acetone
    is a handy substitute. Do not use soap or detergent-based cleaners, wax-based products or any
    type of polish on laminate floors, as they leave a dull, filmy residue.
  • There is never a need to wax or refinish your laminate floor.

Protect the Floor
While laminate is remarkably durable, there is no such thing as an indestructible flooring material.
There are a few simple protective measures that are important to keep your floor looking new.
  • To protect your laminate floor from surface scratches, place walk-off area rugs or mats inside
    any exterior doorway to collect small bits of gravel they may track in on shoes.
  • Use felt floor protectors on the legs of chairs, sofas, TV stands, tables and other easily movable
    furniture.
  • Replace plastic casters on chairs with rubber wheels and lift rather than slide heavy objects
    across the floor.
  • Minor damage to a laminate plank or tile can be easily repaired with laminate finishing putty. If
    the damaged area    is larger than 1/4 of an inch, replacing the plank may be recommended.

Spot Removal
Laminate stain resistance means peace of mind for you and easy clean up. So, when the inevitable
happens, use the following guide for stain and spot removal:
  • For chocolate, grease, juice, cordials and wine - use lukewarm
water and a non-abrasive cleaner (such as, ammonia and water)
or a laminate cleaning product.
  • For tar, markers, crayon, lipstick, oil, shoe polish, ink, nail polish
and cigarette burns - use acetone/nail polish remover or denatured
alcohol. Note : Do not use acetone on laminate wall base or quarter round.
  • For candle wax and chewing gum - let harden and scrape carefully with a
blunt plastic scraper.

It is easiest to remove glue haze as soon as possible using a warm damp cloth. After the floor sets for
at least 12 hours, any residual haze or traces of glue missed by the initial cleaning can be removed by
using a laminate cleaner or an ammonia and water mixture with a damp cloth or mop (1/2 cup ammonia
to 1 gallon of water).

Laminate Floor No’s
  • Never wet mop your laminate floor, it will cause damage.
  • Never slide heavy objects across your laminate flooring.
  • Never use scouring substances, abrasive cleaners, mop and shine products, paste waxes or any
    floor polishes on your laminate flooring.
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