Tips on how to take care of your floors to keep them looking newer longer.

Carpet Care

Let's start by saying that the most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your new carpet or rug is to vacuum it. Regular vacuuming removes those nasty dirt particles that leave it looking dingy over time and abrade the fiber, which shortens its lifespan. Use a vacuum that has a rotating brush or beater bar, which stimulates the carpet tufts and loosens the dirt and soil. (Plus, schedule regular professional cleanings to remove soil accumulation that your regular vacuum can't reach.) If your area rug has a fringe, make sure it's sewn on well, and use the vacuum carefully.

If you have a thick carpet and want to remove any tracks the vacuum makes (it's called shading), you might try vacuuming in one direction, and then smoothing the carpet surface by hand.

You can help to reduce wear in your carpet by occasionally alternating your furniture placement to change the "traffic lanes" and allow the carpet to wear more uniformly. Be sure to vacuum these specific areas more often to reduce dirt particles, which can lead to matting too.

Vinyl Flooring Care

Caring for a vinyl floor is fairly easy, but there are some general rules.

Vacuum regularly to remove grit and sand, and wash your floor occasionally with the manufacturer's recommended floor cleaner. (Never use abrasive cleaners, soaps, paste waxes or solvents, though.) Also, to keep sand and grit from being tracked onto the floor, non-staining walk-off mats should be placed at every outside entry to the room.

Dull-looking vinyl floors can be restored to their original gloss with the manufacturer's recommended floor polish - but first, try cleaning to make sure a film on the floor isn't causing the dullness. With inexpensive PVC floors, you should consider using 2-3 coats of polish - any vinyl floor with a PVC wearlayer (that's a fancy name for surface) shows scuffs, scratches, and other marks very easily and by adding those coats of polish you'll make the floor easier to maintain.

When moving heavy objects across a vinyl floor, place plywood sheets down first and move the object over them.

Area Rug Care

Let's start by saying that the most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your new carpet or rug is to vacuum it. Regular vacuuming removes those nasty dirt particles that leave it looking dingy over time and abrade the fiber, which shortens its lifespan. Use a vacuum that has a rotating brush or beater bar, which stimulates the carpet tufts and loosens the dirt and soil. (Plus, schedule regular professional cleanings to remove soil accumulation that your regular vacuum can't reach.) If your area rug has a fringe, make sure it's sewn on well, and use the vacuum carefully.

If you have a thick carpet and want to remove any tracks the vacuum makes (it's called shading), you might try vacuuming in one direction, and then smoothing the carpet surface by hand.

You can help to reduce wear in your carpet by occasionally alternating your furniture placement to change the "traffic lanes" and allow the carpet to wear more uniformly. Be sure to vacuum these specific areas more often to reduce dirt particles, which can lead to matting too.

Laminate Flooring Care

Laminate floors will give you years of sturdy life if you follow some regular maintenance tips.

Start by vacuuming your floor regularly using soft brush attachments. Wipe with a damp cloth or damp mop when necessary.

Even though these floors are extremely durable, they can be scratched, so you want to protect the floor from grit and sharp objects at all times. And always use felt pads or wide based casters underneath all chair and furniture legs. When moving heavy objects across the floor, use extra care and place walk off mats by all exterior doorways.

There are some "don'ts" when it comes to laminate floors, too. They should not be polished or waxed, and you should never use steel wool or harsh abrasive cleaners on them.

And never, ever try to refinish or sand a laminate floor.

Hardwood Flooring Care

To keep your hardwood floor looking beautiful, there are some simple procedures you should follow.

Vacuum regularly and use non-staining mats at exterior entrances to keep sand, dirt, grease, and oil outside.

To protect your floor's finish, use pads underneath furniture legs to help prevent scratching, and, while we're on the subject, keep all your pets nails trimmed, too. Along that same line, when moving any heavy objects (like furniture or appliances, for instance), use a dolly and protective sheets of plywood on the floor.

When cleaning the floor, always use the manufacturer's recommended cleaning procedures.

Avoid getting water on the floor, too, as it may cause the wood grain to rise, or the boards to cup.

And be careful about exposure to the sun, because UV rays do the same thing to wood that they do to skin: accelerate the aging, which causes the wood stain to change color.

For further information on flooring contact Dave Dumoulin with JP Flooring, a Cincinnati Flooring Company.