Mid-West Floor carries all of the recommended cleaners. Stop in today and one of our knowledgeable staff members will help you select the right product to meet any of your floor care needs.

Carpet Care & Maintenance
Regular carpet maintenance can enhance your indoor air quality and prevent your carpet's appearance from deteriorating prematurely. Because preventive maintenance is less expensive and more effective than infrequent restorative cleaning, we recommend:

• Vacuum and spot clean your carpet daily.
• Implement a preventive maintenance program.
• Use hot water extraction to restore heavily soiled carpet.
  

Accelerated carpet wear occurs when traffic grinds embedded soil into the carpet fiber. You can extend your carpet's life by placing walk-off mats at exterior entrances, and vacuuming traffic areas thoroughly every day.

To ensure spots are removed promptly, keep a carpet first aid kit handy containing:

• Dry cleaning solvent
• Detergent solution (a teaspoon of non-bleach powder In a cup of water)
• Ammonia solution to neutralize acid stains (a tablespoon of ammonia in a cup of water)
• Vinegar (or citric acid) solution to neutralize alkaline stains (1/3 white vinegar 2/3 water)
• White absorbent cloths or paper towels
  

Stain	Cleaning Instructions
Beer Tar Mascara Butter Furniture Polish Nail Polish Grease	Use solvent, then blot, then use detergent, then blot, next use water, then blot.
Excrement Ketchup Mayonnaise Toothpaste Garden Soil Milk Glue (white) Urine (fresh) Chocolate	Detergent, blot. Ammonia, blot, Detergent, blot. Water, blot.
Urine (Dry)	Detergent, blot. Vinegar, blot. Ammonia, blot. Detergent, blot. Water, blot.
Vomit	Detergent, blot. Ammonia, blot. Vinegar, blot. Water, blot.
Fruit Tea Coffee, Wine	Detergent, blot. Vinegar, blot. Detergent, blot. Water, blot.
Blood	Use cold ingredients: water, blot, detergent, blot, ammonia, blot, detergent, blot, water, blot.
Chewing Gum	Freeze with ice cubes, shatter with blunt object. Vacuum, solvent, wait, blot, repeat if needed.

Hardwood Floor Care & Maintenance
How do I care for my new wood floor?
Daily general maintenance is highly recommended to help keep your real wood floor looking its best.

General Maintenance Immediately blot up spills or spots with a damp cloth.

Biweekly Maintenance Vacuum or sweep your floor.

Monthly Maintenance Clean floor with cleaner. Apply the cleaner to a clean, dampened sponge as directed and wipe the surface of your floor. Follow up with a clean, dry terry cloth towel to dry the surface. Never pour cleaner directly onto the floor.

• Added protection...
  New, heavily used floors, or floors with a dull finish appearance, should be recoated with recommended finish in addition to quality, non-yellowing polyurethane finish.
  
  
• What can damage a wood floor......
  Water or wet mopping or excessive water causes wood grain to raise and the wood to expand, crack, splinter and possibly, in extreme cases, to discolor or mildew.
  Oil Soaps - Do not use Murphy Oil Soap, Endust, Pledge, Future, Mop’n Glo, Brite or other waxes or polishes. Such products will harm the long-term performance of your floor, and may affect its re-coatability later.
  Ammonia Cleaners - Do not use ammonia cleaners or non-recommended cleaners because they will dull or damage your hardwood floor. Never use Fantastik or Formula 409.
  Shoes - High heel shoes that have lost their protective caps or shoes with any sharp exposed nail or stone will exert up to 8,000 lb per square inch of pressure on a floor. That’s enough to damage any type of floor covering.
  Sunlight - Exposure to the sun and its UV rays can cause wood floors to fade, change color, or experience surface checking, and even cause color changes in its protective polyurethane finish. To avoid these problems we recommend using draperies or shades to help block out the sun’s harmful rays.
  
  
• What about humidity and health.......
  Lack of moisture or humidity in the air inside our homes causes all objects to dry out and shrink. That’s not good for furniture, and it’s especially not good for our bodies. In fact, low moisture in the air actually weakens our respiratory defense system. Low air moisture allows air molecules to become more dense, suspending dust and microorganisms in the air. And, just as our skin tends to dry out and crack when it’s dry, so will all natural products, including wood floors. Dry conditions will cause some hairline fractures called checks in wood floors. Dry conditions will accelerate aging of all natural surfaces and the only real solution to this problem is to install a humidifier, preferably a whole-house system with accurate controls. Since the manufacturers of wood floors cannot control the air moisture within your home, they cannot be responsible for occasional surface checks. The Architectural Wood Institute advises the following conditions exist for interior wood checks, as they are described above, will start to occur in wood below 40% relative humidity. Extreme dryness may create problems with finished woodwork such as surface checks and minor shrinking that are as serious as those created by excessive moisture.
  
  

  Geographical Location	Average Moisture Content of Wood	Necessary Relative Humidity
  Most of U.S., Ontario, and Quebec	5-10%	25-55%
  Damp Southern Coastal areas of the U.S., Newfoundland, and Canadian Coastal Provinces	8-13%	43-70%
  Dry Southwestern U.S. and Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba	4-9%	17-50%

  
  

Vinyl Floor Care & Maintenance
Vinyl Floor...

• Use a doormat outside each entrance to your home to prevent dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, and driveway sealer from being tracked onto your floor. Use nonstaining mats on your floor. Do not put rubber-backed, latex-backed, or coco-fiber mats on your floor because they will stain or damage the surface.
• To minimize potential staining from asphalt tracking, we suggest you use a latex-based driveway sealer. Close your curtains or blinds where extreme sunlight hits the floor. A combination of heat and sunlight causes most home furnishings, including vinyl floors, to fade or discolor.
• Support furniture with wide-bearing, nonstaining floor protectors. Ideally, the protectors should be at least one inch in diameter, made of non-pigmented, hard plastic, and rest flat on the floor. Nonstaining felt protectors are also acceptable. Make sure any metal protectors are rust-proof. Replace your narrow dome furniture rests with wide-bearing ones.
• If you need to move heavy furniture and/or appliances, such as your refrigerator, across the floor, always use strips of wood or hardboard runways to protect the floor. Always use runways even if you have an appliance dolly, or even if the heavy objects are equipped with wheels or rollers.
  
  Sweep your floor regularly (at least once a week).
• Prevent stains by wiping spills promptly. Weekly mopping using a vinyl cleaner is recommended when dirt builds up and sweeping alone is not sufficient. Using more than the recommended amount of cleaning solution may leave a dulling film. Do not use soap or detergent products as they will leave a dulling film. Rinsing is not required with some cleaners however, rinsing will provide the best care and highest shine.
• All high-gloss floors will lose shine over time. To restore gloss, Polish. Do not use wax. Do not buff. Be sure to thoroughly clean, rinse, and allow the floor to dry completely prior to applying polish. Use polish or "mop and shine" products only if you wish to make the floor shiny.
• After several applications of polish, an occasional stripping and reapplication of polish may be necessary. This may also be necessary for excessive dirt and grime build-up. We recommend the use of a Heavy Duty Cleaner and Stripper. After thorough cleaning, rinsing, and drying, apply Polish to restore the shine. High traffic areas may require more than one application of polish. Allow polish to dry "tack-free" between coats.
  

Stain Problem Procedure

• Foods/Beverages
  If a gummy substance, scrape with off with a dull knife. Scour using Heavy Duty Cleaner and Stripper and a nylon pad or stiff bristle brush. Saturate a clean white cloth with bleach solution, cover stain and allow stand for no more than hour.
• Tar, Oil, Asphalt, Grease, Paint (oil-based), Wax
  Scrape excess off with dull knife. Scour using Heavy Duty Cleaner and Stripper and a nylon pad or stiff bristle brush. Wipe with a clean white cloth dampened with lighter fluid, painter's alcohol.
• Scuffs, Marks, Scratches
  Scour using Heavy Duty Cleaner and Stripper and a nylon pad or stiff bristle brush. Wipe with a clean white cloth dampened with lighter fluid, painter's naphtha, or isopropyl alcohol.
• Minor Cuts, Burns, Gouges
  Limit traffic over damaged area, cover with masking tape, contact your retailer or manufacture for advice.
• Lipstick, Antiseptics
  Scrape excess off with dull knife. Scour using Heavy Duty Cleaner and Stripper and a nylon pad or stiff bristle brush. Wipe with a clean white cloth dampened with lighter fluid, painter's alcohol. naphtha, or isopropyl alcohol. Wipe with a clean white Saturate a clean white cloth with bleach solution, cover stain and allow to stand for no more than hour.
• Rust
  Scour using Heavy Duty Cleaner and Stripper and a nylon pad or stiff bristle brush. Saturate a clean white cloth with bleach solution, cover stain and allow stand for no more than hour.
• Crayon, Ink, Permanent Marker, Hair Dye
  Scour using Heavy Duty Cleaner and Stripper and a nylon pad or stiff bristle brush.
  Wipe with a clean white cloth dampened with lighter fluid, painter's naphtha, or isopropyl alcohol.
  
• Caution
  Mineral spirits, lighter fluid, painter's naphtha, and isopropyl alcohol are flammable liquids. Please follow precautions listed on the container.
  

Ceramic Tile Care & Maintenance

Routine maintenance consists of little more than wiping your tiles with a damp cloth on occasion.
- You can also use ordinary household cleaners, acids and alkalis.
- Glazed ceramic tiles have good stain resistance, but spills of any type should always be wiped up immediately.
- Porcelain tiles have excellent chemical resistance.

• DO's and DON'Ts of Ceramic Tile Care
  Do not combine ammonia and household bleaches.
  Do not use harsh cleaning agents (such as steel wool pads) which can scratch or damage the surface of your tile.
  Do test scouring pads in a small area first.
  Do use a silicone sealer on grout joints if continuous staining is a problem.
  Do read and follow label directions for all cleaners.
  Do keep this brochure and refer to it when necessary.
  Do see your nearest Tile Distributor for advice on special cleaning problems or if you have any questions.
• Care and maintenance of Tile Grout
  Grout may present a special cleaning problem because it is susceptible to many staining agents. Apply a silicone sealer to grout joints several times a year for maximum protection. In addition to keeping the grout clean, be sure to keep grout joints in good repair. Scrape out loose, cracked or powdery joints and refill with a good grout.
  
  One common grouting trouble spot is the joint between the tub and the wall in your bathroom. As the house or tub settles, the grout may crack and
  crumble. It's relatively simple to remedy. Remove the old grout with a sharp pointed tool, watching out that you don't scratch tile or tub. Then dry the joint thoroughly and fill with a flexible caulking compound, such as silicone rubber caulking.
• A word about Cleaners...
  All-purpose cleaners include such products as Soft Scrub, Scrub Free, Mr. Clean, Top Job, Fantastik, Ajax Liquid, Liquid Comet and Dow Bathroom Cleaner. You can find them at your supermarket.
  "Soapless detergents" are also commonly found on supermarket shelves. They include such cleaners as Spic & Span and 409.
  Scouring powders which are readily available include Comet, Bon Ami, and Ajax. Nylon scouring pads may also be used (such as Scotch Brite), but steel wool pads are not recommended.

Marble Care & Maintenance
Marble maintenance is a specialized art and unfortunately, for the building owner, there are very few people who understand marble and other stones, or have the expertise and the experience necessary. The restoration of a marble floor requires honing or grinding to remove surface scratches and then polishing. This is done using abrasive screens, diamonds and polishing powders. Quality equipment and skilled operators, however are the key to a first class job.