Maryland Cleaning Services
Blog

Checklist for Getting Your Floors Ready for Holidays

Nov 12, 2015

You have enough on your plate during the holiday season. But if you are hosting parties and having people over, there is an added stress to make sure your food and home are picture-perfect. And a part of it involves giving some attention to your floors. The regular vacuuming is good, but it does nothing for stains, scratches, snags and other unsightly blemishes. Here are a few tips and a handy checklist on how to ensure that your floors sparkle and shine like new on the day of your event (and that white socks stay white!)

Hardwood and Laminate

Over time, hardwood and laminate may become dull, scratched and covered in grime, especially if you tend to wear shoes indoors. However, not all damage to your hardwood or laminate floors is permanent. If you are not sure where to start or which cleaning products to use, you are always welcome to speak with our hardwood cleaning experts at Kent Clean.

• Replace cracked or severely damaged boards
• Vacuum thoroughly
• Apply a cleaner recommended for your type of flooring and finish
• You may need to use some elbow grease on tough spots

If the finish looks too worn-out, consider hiring a professional to refinish your hardwood floors. You shouldn’t need to ever refinish laminate flooring.

Vinyl and Tile

Vinyl and tile are some of the most practical and easiest to maintain types of flooring. But they have their own drawbacks as well. The key drawback is the presence of grout lines on tile flooring and some vinyl tiles. Grout lines create grooves and a grippy surface where dirt tends to get stuck. Mopping tile flooring often has limited results, because a mop pushes the dirt into the grout grooves. If you don’t get the clean look and feel after mopping your vinyl or tile floors, you might need professional tile cleaning. At Kent Clean, we use steam-cleaning equipment to loosen up and wipe clean any stubborn vinyl, tile and grout stains.

Carpet

If you’ve maintained your carpet in pristine shape, vacuuming may be all you need to clean it. However, most of us can’t use the words “pristine” and “carpet” in the same sentence. Kids, pets, friends and the chaos of daily living take a toll on even the best carpets. If your carpet looks like it’s seen better days, consider the following:

• Treat stains individually to lessen their visibility
• Repair burned or otherwise damaged areas
• Push in the snags and stop unraveling fibers
• Have the carpet re-stretched if it appears to have loosened
• Hire a professional Maryland carpet cleaning company

Kent Clean can help you with all of the above, making sure your carpet looks as close to new as possible. Think it’s time for a new carpet? We can install it professionally as well.

Don’t Forget to:

• Clean the baseboards.
• Brush your pets to reduce shedding and the need to vacuum frequently.
• Have welcome mats on both sides of the door to catch dirt from visitors’ shoes.
• If you are not permitting shoes indoors, set up a large enough area where folks can leave their shoes and provide slippers for those who want them.

Outside

Let’s not forget that your guests will form a first impression even before they enter your home. A concrete walkway covered in shells of dead leaves is not really a good look, nor is mold-covered siding. Consider using a power washer or hiring a pro to:

1. Remove debris from your walkway, driveway, deck or patio
2. Restore the color of your siding
3. Disassemble and clean your grill

Keep in mind that if you decide to use any of the professional floor cleaning services, it’s better to schedule it ahead of time. We are typically very busy around the holidays because many people simply don’t have time to attend to flooring. We are happy to help, so schedule soon to make sure we get your home, office or apartment ready for the big party!

<-Back to Blog