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About This Quiz
With so many floor treatment options available, it's important to know what to do and not do when caring for floors. The treatment for one kind of floor could do irreparable damage to another flooring material. Take our quiz to ensure that you treat your flooring the way it is designed to be treated.
What is a first basic step to efficient floor cleaning?
Make sure that you have the proper tools to do the job.
Know what the floor you are cleaning is made of.
Having the proper tools is important, as is reading label instructions, but you have to know what a floor is made of to ensure safe use and to avoid problems with your floors.
Always read the instructions on the label of any cleaning products you plan to use.
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What is a good recipe for a homemade heavy duty cleaner that will do a good job on most floor types?
In a ½ gallon of cool water, add ¼ cup of dish detergent and one cup of chlorine bleach.
In a ½ gallon of warm water, add ½ cup of liquid laundry detergent and one cup of ammonia.
In a ½ gallon of cool water, add ¼ cup of low-suds all purpose cleaner and one cup of ammonia.
In a ½ gallon of cool water, add ¼ cup of low-suds all purpose cleaner and one cup of ammonia. Caution: Wear rubber gloves and work only in a well-ventilated area when using this powerful mixture.
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What process is recommended whenever using our suggested heavy duty cleaner on most floors?
Apply the solution to your floor with a clean sponge mop, rinse with cool clear water and dry with a soft cloth.
The correct process is to apply the solution to your floor with a clean sponge mop, rinse with cool clear water and dry with a soft cloth. Caution: Flooding a floor with cleaning solution or leaving it soak on a floor will cause problems on wood, most man-made tile and sheet flooring.
Flood the floor with cleaner, scrub well with a yarn mop, squeegee the floor and dry with a soft cloth.
Spread cleaner evenly on the floor with a measuring cup, let soak for ten minutes and mop dry.
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What should you avoid when cleaning asphalt tile floors?
Asphalt tiles are easily damaged by warm water and chlorine bleach.
Asphalt tiles are easily damaged by the new oxygen type cleaning solutions.
Asphalt tiles are easily damaged by petroleum or solvent based cleaners and abrasive cleaners or powders.
Asphalt tiles are easily damaged by petroleum or solvent based cleaners and abrasive cleaners or powders. If you damp mop your asphalt tile floor once a week you will not have to wash it and apply wax more than every couple of months.
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What can you do to help bring out a shine when you are damp mopping an asphalt tile floor between thorough cleanings and waxings?
Damp mop the floor with a half cup of liquid acrylic wax in a half pail of warm water.
Damp mop the floor with one cup of olive oil in a half pail of hot water.
Damp mop the floor with one cup of fabric softener in half pail of cool water.
If you damp mop the floor with a solution of one cup of fabric softener in a half pail of cool water you will bring out a shine. You can achieve the best results by freshening up your floor in this way once a week.
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What is the best way to care for a brick floor?
Most experts feel that you are better off to resurface a porous brick floor with ceramic tiles.
You will need to keep a brick floor sealed and waxed in order to keep it looking good.
The best way to care for a brick floor is to keep it sealed and waxed. Only use a commercial sealer on your brick floor as neither varnish nor lacquer is recommended for sealing on this type of floor.
Strip wax buildups from your brick floor once every six weeks, reseal the surface and wax.
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What is the best way to perform routine cleaning on a brick floor?
Sweep the floor once a week with a stiff corn broom and damp mop with clear water.
Sweep the floor often with a soft dust mop before sponge mopping with clear water.
Vacuum the floor prior to damp mopping with a solution of vinegar and warm water.
The best way to remove dust and dirt from a brick floor is with a vacuum cleaner. Follow-up your vacuuming job by sponge mopping the floor with a solution of one cup of vinegar to half a pail of warm water.
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When applying wax to floors what is a basic rule of thumb?
Solvent-based wax may be applied over water-based wax but do not apply water-based wax over solvent-based wax.
Solvent-based wax may be applied over water-based wax but you should never apply water-based wax over solvent-based wax. Solvents in solvent-based waxes dissolve the old layer of wax, so there will be no wax buildup.
Solvent-based wax builds up quickly so stripping will be necessary once every four times that you wax a floor.
Never use water-based waxes on brick floors or on ceramic tile floors.
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What is a feature of glazed ceramic tile that most other flooring materials do not have?
Glazed ceramic tiles are super hard and impervious to physical damage.
Glazed ceramic tiles are virtually stain proof for life.
Glazed ceramic tile flooring is virtually stain proof for life and will not require waxing. To preserve the glazing never use abrasive cleaners on your glazed ceramic floor.
Glazed ceramic tiles tend to loose their characteristic gloss in about ten years and will require waxing after that.
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What do you need to do differently with unglazed (matte) ceramic floors versus glazed ceramic tile floors?
Unglazed (matte) ceramic floor tiles require proper sealing and waxing.
Unglazed (matte) ceramic floor tiles require proper sealing and waxing on a regular basis. Ceramic tile floors should be damp mopped and dried with a soft cloth.
Unglazed (matte) ceramic floor tiles must be cleaned by an electric scrubber equipped with scouring pads.
Both of the above apply to unglazed (matte) ceramic floors.
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What is the best way to clean grouting on both kinds of ceramic tile floors?
Grouting is best cleaned with a stiff-bristled brush and chlorine bleach mixed with water.
Grouting is best cleaned with a stiff-bristled brush and ammonia mixed with water.
Grouting is best cleaned with a floor scrubber using commercial ceramic tile cleaner according to instructions.
Grouting is best cleaned with a floor scrubber using commercial ceramic tile cleaner according to instructions and never use bleach or ammonia to clean floors as it will discolor grouting. Non-epoxy based grout should be sealed only with silicone-based sealer.
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What is your biggest challenge in maintaining a clean cement floor?
Removing stains from an unpainted cement garage floor is the biggest cleaning challenge.
Detecting and wiping up spills on unsealed cement floors immediately is the biggest cleaning challenge.
Both of the above.
Unsealed cement floors are very porous, so they soak up spills quickly and leave a hard-to-clean stain behind. Your biggest challenge will be to wipe up any spills immediately and oil or grease on a garage floor is not usually detected until it is already too late.
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What is a good product to keep on hand in a garage that has a cement floor?
Keep a bottle of spray engine degreaser handy in your garage and apply it to oil or grease spots as soon as you see them.
Kitty litter is handy in a garage as it soaks up oil and grease faster than the cement floor will.
Dry clay kitty litter is highly absorbent and it will absorb oil or grease faster than a concrete floor. Simply spread some kitty litter over any spills and sweep up for disposal after 24 hours.
A bottle of spray penetrating oil is handy in your garage, as it will liquefy grease or oil for ease of wipe up.
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What is the best treatment for a concrete floor in your garage or basement
Finish your clean concrete floor with epoxy based concrete floor paint for a professional easy to clean floor.
Finish your clean concrete floor with clear silicone concrete floor sealer for a professional easy to clean floor.
Both of the above will give your concrete an easy to clean and durable finish.
Epoxy based concrete floor paints will give your floor a nice designer finish that is durable, easy to clean and long lasting. You can accomplish the same protection with clear silicone-based floor sealants without changing the natural color of concrete.
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What is an important care necessity for flagstone and slate floors?
It is mandatory that flagstone and slate floors be sealed with a commercial sealer.
It is mandatory that flagstone and slate floors be sealed with a commercial sealer specifically designed for that purpose. After your floor is sealed, it will require waxing on a routine basis.
Never seal a flagstone or slate floor with commercial sealers, as it will tint the natural color.
Use only acrylic based liquid waxes on your unsealed flagstone or slate tile floors.
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What is one recommended way to apply wax to your properly sealed flagstone or slate floors?
Apply two coats of liquid acrylic wax in a circular pattern with a sponge mop equipped with a wax head.
Apply two coats of liquid acrylic wax with a long handle wax applicator fitted with a lambs wool pad.
Apply two coats of liquid acrylic wax with a long handle wax applicator fitted with a lambs wool pad. Remember that every few months you will need to strip wax buildup with a stripper before applying fresh wax.
Apply two coats of liquid acrylic wax with a long handled plush paint roller making sure not to miss any spots.
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What is the best way to clean linoleum floors?
The best way to clean a linoleum floor is to mop it with solvent-based cleaner weekly.
The best way to clean a linoleum floor is to mop it a half and half mixture of water and chlorine bleach.
The best way to clean a linoleum floor is to mop it only with commercial water based all-purpose cleaner.
The best way to clean a linoleum floor is to mop it only with commercial water based all-purpose cleaner. You should never use solvent-based cleaners, as it can soften and damage the linoleum flooring.
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What is recommended for floors made with marble, terrazzo or quarry tile?
All of these flooring materials must be sealed properly to insure protection from stains and ground in dirt.
All of these flooring materials must be sealed properly after installation to insure protection from stains and ground in dirt. You can use paste wax on these floors to prevent buildup but it is important to test for discoloring in a corner first.
These floors have a soft surface that can be easily scoured to restore a fresh natural look without requiring wax.
All of these flooring materials will require waxing with special silicone based wax once a month to maintain their finish.
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What is a nice feature of rubber tile flooring that most other flooring materials do not posses?
Rubber tile flooring is great for a playroom because it absorbs shock when kids fall.
Rubber tile flooring is flexible and it is very difficult to cause any physical damage to the surface.
Rubber tile flooring has an anti-static property that other floors do not have.
Rubber tile flooring has an anti-static property, so it is a great choice for computer rooms or home offices.
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What is the best feature of no-wax vinyl flooring?
Newer no-wax vinyl floorings are low maintenance and require little care.
Vinyl flooring is seamless on most floor installations.
Both of the above choices apply to vinyl flooring.
No-wax vinyl flooring comes in rolls, so most installations are seamless, and it requires little care. You can wash a no-wax vinyl floor with almost any all-purpose cleaner and you will never need to wax this floor.
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