7 Stone Floor Cleaning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Keeping your stone floors clean requires knowing what can hinder your progress. Here are stone floor cleaning mistakes and how to avoid them.
Adding stone flooring to your home is an easy way to boost the resale value of your house. However, natural stone flooring is also much more expensive than other synthetic materials that are available.
Because stone floors are such a big investment, it is important that you learn how to maintain them to keep them in good shape.
Do you want to learn more about cleaning stone floors? Keep reading these seven stone floor cleaning mistakes and how you can avoid them to protect your floors.
1. Using Harsh Cleaners
Cleaning stone floors is not like regular floor cleaning. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when cleaning stone is using harsh cleaners or chemicals. While you may think that stone is naturally strong enough to withstand these cleaners, your natural stone can be eroded by these acidic cleaners.
For example, many people think that it is best to use natural cleaners, like vinegar or lemon juice.
However, these are very acidic and can break down your flooring. Even if things like bleach or vinegar do not damage your stone floor, they can break down the sealer you have on the stone which may make it easier to stain your floor in the future.
To make sure your floors last longer, you should use high-quality floor cleaners that are meant to be used on natural stone. This way, you can be confident that you are not damaging your flooring. By avoiding acidic cleaners, you can prevent etching or burning the surface of your stone.
Typically, your stone floor cleaner should have a neutral pH level of 7.
2. Not Cleaning Your Floors Daily
Neglecting daily cleanings of your natural stone floors is another common mistake that homeowners make when they are taking care of their flooring. While it can be difficult to keep up with cleaning every day, it is important that you develop a habit of regularly cleaning your floors.
This will keep dirt and dust from building up, which may cause the surface of your stone floors to wear out faster. However, this debris can also accumulate and settle into the cracks in the stone, which may cause future problems with your stone flooring.
3. Using Abrasive Cleaning Materials
Something else that can damage your natural stone floors is using abrasive cleaning tools on your floor. If your floor gets stained over time, you may think that a scouring pad will remove the stain.
However, this makes the problem worse and can lead to more problems in the future. This is because scrubbing pads and other abrasive tools scratch the surface of your stone and can also take off the sealer.
To avoid this common cleaning mistake, you need to use a soft cloth to clean your floors. If you notice any scratches or stains on stone floors, you can have a professional flooring company restore them for you.
4. Not Regularly Dusting
Many people do not realize how bad dust particles can be for your stone floors. Similar to abrasive cleaning materials, the grit from dust can be abrasive and can cause your floors to wear out more quickly.
However, it can be difficult to see the sand or dirt on some types of natural stone. To avoid missing any dirty areas of your floor, you should dust mop your floor a few times a week. Otherwise, you will end up with stone floors that look dull and unpolished.
5. Forgetting to Seal Your Stone
Sealing stone floors is another vital part of your stone floor maintenance. While this is done when your floors are installed, it is something that needs to be done every couple of years, especially if it is in an area with a lot of traffic or sun exposure.
Sealing your floors can prevent your stone from etching, but it still requires regular cleaning and maintenance. There are ways that you can seal your floors on your own, but it is best to hire a professional sealer or to use a professional sealing product on your natural stone floors.
6. Leaving High-Traffic Areas Unprotected
Next, leaving the high-traffic areas of your natural stone floors unprotected is a common mistake that can lead to unnecessary wear on your stone floors. When people are regularly walking across the same areas of your floor, your flooring may wear down or start showing scratches faster.
To protect these areas of your floors, you can simply add rugs or runners to your floor. This matting will keep dust and debris off your floors and will keep your sealant from wearing down too quickly.
7. Not Cleaning Messes Up Quickly
Finally, when homeowners do not clean up messes quickly on their natural stone floors, it can lead to staining and other serious problems with your floors. While sealing your floors makes it more resistant to staining, things like wine, oil, or even kool-aid may still be able to seep through and stain the surfaces anyway.
By quickly wiping your floors after a spill or at the end of each day, you can prevent any grime on your floors from causing permanent issues with your flooring.
Avoid Stone Floor Cleaning Mistakes With The Right Products
If you want to protect your stone floors, it is important that you learn how to maintain the stone without damaging it. Avoiding these stone floor cleaning mistakes can help!
Are you looking for cleaners for stone floors? Advanced Sealers and Cleaners can help! We offer cleaners for natural stone floors that are safe for the environment that will clean, polish, and protect your floors.
Contact our team today to learn more about why you should use our cleaning products and for other tips to protect your natural stone floors.
