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By Vincent Platania

In the world of electronics and robots, we often tend to find a machine to do the work for us!  Of course there is a cost that comes with this, and sometimes it’s a huge cost.  Your decision to make the job a little bit easier for yourself does come with a price tag.  There is a multitude of floor cleaning machines that will and can make the job of cleaning your tile floors that much easier.  It all depends on the price you are willing to pay.

Most floor cleaning machines are commercial.  These machines are not only big in size but also big in price, ranging into the thousands of dollars.  However there are some tile floor cleaning machines designed for the individual consumer.  These machines range from $250.00 up to $1000.00.  So it all depends on the amount of money you want to put into purchasing a machine.

Probably the most popular home cleaning machine is the Oreck Orbiter.  This machine is fairly compact and will perform a multitude of tasks in your home from cleaning your tile and grout, to dry cleaning your carpets.  Along with these features it also sands, polishes, strips, scrubs, waxes, and cleans almost any floor surface in your home.  And it comes with a price tag of around $399.00.

Your decision is should you invest in a machine to professionally clean your tile floors or not.  However there is another option!  That option is to maintain your tile flooring from the get-go.  Maintaining your tile floors is very simple as long as you provide constant and consistent care to the tile and the grout.

Providing daily and weekly preventative maintenance to your tile flooring will result in never having to hire a professional, or even purchase a tile floor cleaning machine.  Daily sweeping or dusting your floors is the first step.  By keeping debris off of the tile flooring that can harm the floor or the grout is most important.  Using a broom or a dust mop daily will result in extending the lifetime of your tile, keeping its natural beauty at its optimum.

Along with the daily maintenance you will want to clean the tile and grout on a weekly basis.  Using a cleaning product designed to clean both the tile and the grout will combine the process into one step.  To also enhance your tile flooring and to ease the cleaning process it is recommended that you use carpet rugs in high traffic areas of your home and at all entrances to catch the dirt and debris brought into your home.  Also, providing carpet rugs in your kitchen around the sink, dishwasher, stove and refrigerator will also ease the cleaning process.  Paying special attention to the grout, which is a dirt magnet, will also result in beautiful tile flooring.

Whether to purchase a tile floor cleaning machine all depends on the depth of your pocketbook, and the effort and commitment you want to put into keeping your tile floors looking their very best.

Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company.Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

By Vincent Platania

Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone. Metamorphism can be defined as the solid state recrystallisation of pre-existing rocksdue to changes in heat and/or pressure and/or introduction of fluids.  This metamorphic process causes a complete recrystallization of the original rock into an interlocking mosaic of calcite and/or dolomite crystals.

What does this mean to the marble floor owner?  Marble is one of the softest stone flooring products on todays market, however it is one of the most popular choices due to its natural beauty.  Marble is highly pourous. So it is very easily etched by acids such as orange juice, tomatoe juice, and vinegar.

Taking Care of it Right Away

The first step in maintaining and cleaning your marble floors is “wipe it up immediately”.  This is so important with marble floors as salt dissolves and pits marble and acids will etch marble.  Any liguids or solids which contain salt or acids are your marble flooring’s worst enemy.  So if you spill it, wipe it up immediately with warm water, followed by drying the surface with a soft cloth. To further protect your marble flooring, it is recommended that you use small carpet rugs at any entrance and around sinks as these rugs will also assist in trapping soil, dirt, water or any ice-melting salts brought into your home.

Maintaining the Beauty
 
To maintain the beauty of your marble floors, weekly maintenance should include cleaning with a damp mop and then drying the surface with a soft cloth or chamois. Drying the surface will bring back its natural shine.  It will also avoid any water stains.  This is very common on marble floors.  Always dry your marble floors with a soft cloth.  Use a neutral, non-abrasive cleaner to ensure all spots or stains are removed once per month.  Never use vinagar to clean marble flooring as it will destroy the finish.

It is very important to dry your marble floors after each cleaning with a soft or chamois cloth.  To further enhance the beauty of your marble floors you will want to polish or wax them.  Using a wax designed for no wax floors is recommended.  There are alos products which are safe for marble flooring, designed to mop and shine in one step, saving the home owner valuable time.

To Seal or Not to Seal?
 
Unlike most stone flooring, professional’s do not recommend sealing a marble floor.   This will take away from it’s natural finish.  The sealer can become dulled and scratch and will have to be professionally stipped.  It is also recommended that for any set in stains, chips, or pits, to have a professional to handle these problems.  Your marble floors are one of the softest stone floors available.  Your marble flooring also probably came with a huge price tag.  The weekly care and maintenance is most important step in maintaining the natural beauty of your marble floor.  The beauty of marble being the reason for your purchase in the first place can be easily maintained.

Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company.Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

By Vincent Platania

What is terrazzo flooring?  Terrazzo is a mixture of marble and Portland cement mixed together; two parts marble to one part cement.  When it is installed, marble chips are sprinkled on the surface so that a majority of the surface is marble.  Terrazzo was most popular during the 50’s – 70’s but is making its come back over the past few years.

To be able to clean the terrazzo floor you have to understand what it is made of.  The marble part of its surface is almost non-absorbent; however the cement binder is very porous and absorbs stains easily.  This is the part of the flooring which will cause you the most grief.  In older floors this seems to be the biggest problem; however if you are having a new terrazzo floor installed, the last step of installation is to apply a penetrating sealant approved for terrazzo.  This sealant will be absorbed by the concrete pores, greatly reducing the absorption quality of the concrete.

If you have an existing terrazzo floor that is stained, you will have to use several steps to restore it.  First you will want to remove the existing build-up with a plastic scraper (do not use metal scrapers) Apply your floor cleaner over the surface with a mop.  For stubborn yellow stains, use a soft-bristled scrub brush.  You will need to rinse the floor with a mop and water, rinsing the mop often.  Be sure to rinse well so that the floor can be sealed.  Once your floor is rinsed, then dry, apply an approved sealant with a roll paint brush.  Allow plenty of time to dry.

If you have new terrazzo being installed, most of the work is done for you.  With today’s products, the sealants will provide a beautiful and long lasting look for your floors.  Terrazzo is easy to clean as long as the installation process was performed according to the installation instructions.

It is important to keep sand and debris off the floor.  Sweep the floor often as this debris acts as an abrasive and can damage the floor.  Use a cleaner designed or approved for a terrazzo floor. Wet mop the floor allowing the cleaner to remain on the floor for several minutes.  For the best results, rinse the cleaner off the floor thoroughly.  You may need to change your rinse water a few times.  Once the cleaner has been removed towel dry the floor to prevent water streak marks from appearing and to restore the floors natural shine.  Do not use any types of wax on your terrazzo floor.

As with any hard flooring you can use carpet mats to trap dirt from coming into your home onto your clean terrazzo floor.  You may also want to place carpet rugs in high traffic areas and high use areas such as your kitchen.  With daily sweeping, and weekly mopping, your terrazzo floor will look as new as the day it was installed.

Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company.Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

By Vincent Platania
Stone flooring has become increasingly popular over the past few decades.  Due to the durability of stone flooring, combined with its hard surface and its easy maintenance, stone flooring is in the forefront when it comes to choosing the surface for your floors.  Whether you choose ceramic, porcelain, mosaic, marble, or slate, you can count on a floor that will be durable and beautiful for many years to come.

Making Your Stone Flooring Last

No matter what type of stone flooring you choose for your home, with proper care and maintenance your flooring will last for many years to come.  A broom, mop and bucket are the first necessary tools in maintaining your stone floors.  More than that, it’s the types of tools and cleaners that you use which will make the impact you want on your stone floors.

Dos and Don’ts of Stone Floor Care
What are the dos and don’ts of stone floor care?  First, DO sweep or dust your floors daily.  Stone floors can stand up to the roughest, toughest families. The first and most important step in maintenance is keeping foreign particles off of the floor.  Daily sweeping or dusting of your stone floors with an angled broom or dust broom will keep your stone floors free of harsh materials which in the long run can hurt them.  DO use carpet rugs at all entrances to assist in trapping any dirt or sand brought into your home.  Sand is made of quarts, the world’s second strongest mineral.  This could mean disaster for your stone floors, scratching and dulling them.  Preventative maintenance is the first step to maintaining beautiful stone floors. 

DON’T use harsh abrasives on your stone floors.  Harsh abrasives will not only scratch the tile surface, but also affect the grout between the tiles.  Using a gentle cleaner

will preserve the shine and surface of any types of stone floors.  Weekly maintenance of your stone floors with warm water and a gentle cleaner will keep your stone floors looking like new.  DON’T use cleaners which contain acids or are abrasive.  There are many cleaning products on the market today, made specifically to clean every type of stone flooring.

With most types of stone flooring grout is the part of your stone floors which traps most of the dirt.  DO pay special attention to the grout.  The grout between the tiles of your stone floor should be sealed upon installation.  To maintain and upkeep the grouting, use a cleaner designed to specifically to clean grout. If you have older stone flooring, you also have the choice to stain the grout using a staining product in a variety of colors.  Staining the grout will also seal it, resulting in a much easier cleaning process.

Consistent and proper maintenance is the key to sustaining beautiful stone floors.  It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.  Just remember to follow the DO’s and DON’TS when maintaining your stone floors.

Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company.Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com