Life in the Four Corners area—it’s sweet!  The scenery, the activities, the weather!  Dust blowing in on the spring breeze, monsoon mud footprints, salt on your winter boots…

Goodness gracious, it’s no wonder people ask for my help: “Miss Florine, do you have any tips for keeping my floors looking great?”  Well, I sure do!  Here’s the Floor-1-1 on cleaning all your surfaces.

Caring for Carpet

Anyone with a lick of common sense can care for carpet.  Avoiding big issues down the road is the way to go: get your family to wipe their feet and take off their shoes when they come in.  Put doormats in high traffic locations too.  Vacuum often to eliminate ground in dirt, and wipe up spots and spills right away.  When it’s time to get the carpet cleaned, hire a professional steam cleaner with a good reputation. Once every year to 18 months should be fine, depending on your carpet brand.

Washing the Wood

Like so many folks in Durango, if you have hardwood or engineered wood floors it also pays to keep them clean from the get-go.  Wipe up spills right away, and use a dust mop or vacuum (with the beater bar off) at least weekly.  To take care of dirt that builds up over time, try a cleaner such as Murphy’s Oil Soap diluted with water.  Mop sparingly with the solution, then with clear water.  Wipe away any excess liquid.

And whatever you do, protect your floors from scratches!  This means doormats, area rugs and pads under the furniture.  We recommend Bona brand cleaners, which are PH neutral.

Loving Your LVP

One reason folks love luxury vinyl planks is it’s so easy to care for.  It takes a beating and still looks great if you give it pretty much the same care as you would for hardwood flooring, with a couple of differences.  You should use plain water for mopping, no cleaning products needed.  And remove stubborn stains with soft nylon brushes.  Read more about keeping your LVP tip top here.

Terrific Tile

When it comes to tackling your tile, my best advice is to come into The Tile & Carpet Store of Durango and browse the complete line of Custom Building Products.  There’s a solution for every need you can think of!  You’ll find cleaners that re-seal, deep cleaners for grout, granite cleaner and re-sealer, and many more.

We especially like the Aqua Mix® Concentrated Stone & Tile Cleaner—its PH neutral and biodegradable formula cleans without damaging surfaces.  And we recommend the Tile Lab® NanoClean® abrasive cleaner for really tough spots.

Stop by and tell us about your floors—the good, the bad and the ugly!  We can fix you right up.  You’ll find The Tile & Carpet Store of Durango just north of Bodo Park at 103 Everett Street.