Introduction
Having dirty, stained floors can make your whole house feel unclean. No matter how much you tidy and clean the rest of your home, filthy floors really stand out. Thankfully, with the right techniques and products, you can bring my floors back to their original glory. This comprehensive guide will walk you through how to deep clean my floors and restore them completely.
Assess the Damage
Before I start cleaning, it’s important to take stock of the condition of my floors. Here are some key things I should look out for:
Types of Stains and Soil
- Grease and oil stains – Kitchen floors often get covered in greasy spills and splatters over time. This leaves shiny patches and yellow stains.
- Dirt and grime buildup – High traffic areas like entryways can turn dark with ground-in dirt. Mud and sand also gets trafficked inside and scratched into floors.
- Discoloration – Spills that are left untreated can alter the color of stone, tile, and even wood floors over time. Things like wine, coffee, and juice stains often leave permanent discoloration if not cleaned up quickly.
- Scratches and scuffs – Dragging furniture and heavy foot traffic can cause unsightly scratches, scuffs, and gouges in floors over time.
Level of Wear
- Is the finish intact or does it need to be resealed and polished?
- Are there deep stains that have penetrated below the surface?
- Is there etching or damage to the actual floor material like tile grout or wood fibers?
Paying attention to these details will help me choose the right restoration methods later on.
Deep Cleaning Techniques
Now that I’ve assessed the current condition of my floors, here are some intensive cleaning techniques to bring them back to their original glory:
Scrubbing
Using the right scrub brushes and cleaning solutions can lift up all the built-up grime on my floors. Here are the steps:
- First, sweep and vacuum the floors to remove loose dirt and debris.
- Fill a bucket with hot water and add a strong floor cleaner like Mr. Clean or Fabuloso. For tough grease stains, use degreaser.
- Scrub the floors with a stiff natural bristle brush, applying plenty of elbow grease. Scrub in the direction of the floorboards or tile grout lines.
- Use a grout brush for textured floors to really agitate the grout lines and lift stains from the pores.
- Rinse with clean water and dry with old cotton towels.
Repeat the scrubbing process for extremely dirty floors. It takes some serious scrubbing but this works wonders for all floor types!
Steaming
For floors that need serious sanitizing and brightening, a steam cleaner is just the ticket. The hot steam helps lift stains and kill germs and bacteria that cause odors.
- Use a multi-purpose steam cleaner that can handle sealed hard floors, grout, and carpets. Look for variable steam settings, accessories, and easy filling.
- Fill with distilled water to prevent mineral buildup inside the unit.
- Start steaming according to manufacturer directions, using overlapping strokes and pausing briefly to let the steam penetrate.
- For tougher stains, use a detail brush attachment or microfiber pad with the steam.
- Dry with old cotton towels. The heat helps lift stains easily!
Alternative Cleaners
For a non-toxic deep clean, I recommend trying:
- Baking soda – Sprinkle this alkaline powder generously on floors and scrub with water using a stiff brush. Rinse thoroughly. Baking soda helps deodorize and brighten floors.
- White vinegar – Mix 1 cup vinegar with 1 gallon water for cleaning and disinfecting floors. The acidity helps cut through grease and grime.
- Hydrogen peroxide – This mild bleach alternative dissolves stains, deodorizes, and whitens. Pour it straight on tough stains before scrubbing.
Restore and Protect Flooring
Once I’ve deep cleaned my floors, there are some additional steps I can take to restore and protect them:
Resealing and Polishing
If my floors have a protective seal, steam cleaning and scrubbing may have damaged it. Here’s how to reseal and polish:
- For stone, tile, and grout – Use a penetrating silicone sealer to protect from future stains. Apply a grout sealer on textured tile.
- For wood floors – Sand down scratches and reapply polyurethane finish. Use wood polish to restore luster between new seals.
- For linoleum – Apply a thin coat of liquid wax with a clean cloth and buff to a shine. This protects the surface.
Touch up Damaged Areas
- Use wood filler to patch deep gouges and scratches in wood. Sand smooth once dry.
- For loose or cracked grout on tile, apply a matching sanded caulk. Let dry completely.
- Scrub stains with baking soda and peroxide before attempting to paint or dye discolored areas.
Maintain Protection
- Place mats at entrances to prevent outdoor grit from scratching floors.
- Reseal floors annually or as needed to maintain the protective coat.
- Sweep and mop regularly using the proper floor cleaner for the surface. Don’t let stains set.
- Clean spills quickly to prevent permanent damage to the flooring material.
Conclusion
With some intensive scrubbing, steaming, and elbow grease, I can take my filthy floors from grimy to sparkling. Paying special attention to resealing and protecting the floors after deep cleaning will help them stay cleaner longer. Just be sure to sweep often and clean spills quickly going forward. With the right techniques, I can have floors I’m proud to walk barefoot on again!
