Burnt Carpet and dirty laminate floor

mountaingirl_2

Prob 1::

We have just shifted to our new flat which has laminate flooring in the Kitchen and Living room. I am not used to laminate flooring and having a problem in trying to keep it clean. I have been going down on my knees to give them a scrub, but all the chemicals of the supermarket dont do much. The floor does clean up but even after it is dry it sort of remains awee bit sticky and the shoe marks are easy to see.
What do I do.. I have tried vinegar. Am I doing something wrong.

Prob 2::

The other night Mr Mountain took out a steaming food of plate from the microwave and sat down on the carpet in front of the telly to watch a match. Half an hour later when he got up the cover of the magazine which he was using as a table had got stuck to the carpet.
What do I do to get the carpet to relinquish the paper. Most unsightly. I dont want to change the carpet. Any ideas on damage control?

thanks

zzzLazyDaisy

mountaingirl wrote:

Prob 1::

We have just shifted to our new flat which has laminate flooring in the Kitchen and Living room. I am not used to laminate flooring and having a problem in trying to keep it clean. I have been going down on my knees to give them a scrub, but all the chemicals of the supermarket dont do much. The floor does clean up but even after it is dry it sort of remains awee bit sticky and the shoe marks are easy to see.

Hi, hope the move is going okay! The yakky sticky residue is horrible, isn't it? Try the pink Cif, that's what I use and it does the job fine. Also, you can get a handy flat headed mop from Focus that has a swivel head with a washable cover (not the one with the bottle on the side, it is extortionate) it whizzes through the job in no time.

Can't help with the carpet problem - do you have accidental damage cover on your contents insurance? Good Luck!

elona

Could you try scraping the carpet with a blunt knife - or perhaps soaking mag in vinegar and leaving for a while.?

Queenie

Carpet: Firstly, I would take a clean damp white cloth (you don't want it wringing wet or you'll overwet the carpet) and blot the magazine splats. At some point they will soften (it's paper, afterall) gently (you don't want to damage the fibres) scrape with your fingernail or the blunt side of a knife to lift the soggy bits of paper.
Then, if the magazine has left print stains on your carpet then you are best off using a carpet shampoo to lift those.
Do you have a steam cleaner, that would also be useful on the stain?

Sorry, elona, but I think if using vinegar it needs to be a diluted solution, not neat.

I don't have a laminated floor but here is some professional advice from Storey Carpets :

Looking after your laminate floor

The best way to look after your laminate floor is to avoid allowing dust, dirt and moisture building up on you floor. Dust and dirt such as sand and gravel not only make your floor dirty, but they may also damage it. They act like sandpaper on the surface and can cause premature wear and scratches. If moisture is added, the dirt will stick and becomes harder to remove.

A combination of dry and damp cleaning ensures laminate floors are cleaned properly. It is unnecessary to clean laminate floors all the time with water. Modern products have been designed to enable the floor to be dry-cleaned. Too frequent wet cleaning is unnecessary and can even damage your floor irrevocably. Dirt that can be removed easily in a dry form is simply made worse by moisture and can stick to your floor.

Dry Cleaning

To dry clean effectively use a wiper mop which has a loop structure that enables the effective collection of dirt and dust, whether wet and dry. Simply glide the mop in overlapping, long zigzag movements. At the end of the floor the mop can be carefully removed and rinsed. Any loose dirt and dust can be collected with a dustpan and brush.

Full instructions are available with Quick-Step cleaning Set which is available to purchase on-line.

Damp Cleaning

For damp cleaning, the wiper mop should be rolled with the loops on the outside and dipped completely in a quantity of cleaning solution (read manufacturers guidelines). Once the mop has been rung out as hard as possible it can then be used in long, zigzag movements over the whole floor without picking it up. When you are finished run the mop from the beginning spot so any moisture is disturbed over the floor. You may start with a little too much moisture and end with a bit too little, by mopping a second time, you achieve a better distribution of moisture.

Once mopping is complete, dry the floor with a dry mop or cloth.

Wiper mops can be rinsed and dried an unlimited number of times. If required, the mop can also be washed in a washing machine on 60oC and can be dried in open air or in a tumble drier.

Stubborn Stains

Most stains are no problem for laminate floors, however some stubborn stains need added attention.

Rubber or plastic marks – rub with a dry cloth, use acetone when needed.

Urine, blood – wipe up as quickly as possible using a damp cloth. If the stain has already dried, rub repeatedly with a dry cloth. Use a concentrated cleaning product when needed.

Nail varnish, shoe polish, paint, felt pen – with a cloth soaked in acetone, solvent for nail varnish or paint thinner. Chocolate, fat or oil based products - with a concentrated cleaning product.

HTH

System

I am moving this thread as it fits in better elsewhere.

Luis

I use a hot sugar soap solution on my laminate floor every so ofetn, which prevents it becoming sticky. It's amazing how grotty they get isn't it (shocking when you think what the carpet must have been like).

As for the carpet, I agree with Queenie - as it is papaer, you should be able to dampen it to get it off (same as getting a lable off a bottle?).

Good Luck,

Luis x

Nile

Prob 2::

The other night Mr Mountain took out a steaming food of plate from the microwave and sat down on the carpet in front of the telly to watch a match. Half an hour later when he got up the cover of the magazine which he was using as a table had got stuck to the carpet.
What do I do to get the carpet to relinquish the paper. Most unsightly. I dont want to change the carpet. Any ideas on damage control?

thanks[/QUOTE]

To prevent a recurrence of Problem 2:rolleyes: , get Mr M to use a tray when he eats in front of the telly. If you don't have any trays, there are cheap plastic trays in Poundstrecher which will be easy to wash clean too.

jennyjo_2

for the carpet couldn't you lay a damp cloth on it for a while until the paper is moist and will be easier to lift off,

I clean my laminate floors with a steam cleaner and no cleaning solution, gets all dirt off and doesn't leave them sticky, I hoover 1st to get all loose dust up