How to Clean Apartment Carpet and Floors

That Cleaning Girl · Apartment Cleaning

Apartment floors take a lot of wear. Carpet in the bedrooms, vinyl plank or tile in the kitchen and bath, and a busy path from the front door to the couch. Floors are also one of the first things a leasing office checks at move-out. In Apartment Cleaning Help for Seniors we talked about making cleaning easier for seniors. Here we cover how to clean every common apartment floor type the right way.

Know what you are working with

Most apartments have a mix of floor types. Each one needs a slightly different approach.

• Carpet: common in bedrooms and living rooms of older units.
• Luxury vinyl plank: very common in newer and remodeled apartments. Looks like wood, but it is vinyl.
• Tile: usually in kitchens, bathrooms and entries.
• Laminate: similar look to vinyl plank, but more sensitive to water.
• Sealed hardwood: less common in apartments, but you will see it in some older buildings.

If you are not sure what you have, ask your leasing office. Using the wrong cleaner or too much water can damage some floors, and that is the kind of thing that can come up at move-out.

A quick test helps if the office is not sure. Vinyl plank feels a little softer and warmer underfoot than tile, and you can often see a repeating pattern in the fake wood grain. Laminate tends to sound hollow when you tap it. Real tile is cold and hard, with grout lines between each piece.

Carpet: vacuum often and well

Vacuuming is the single most important thing you can do for carpet. Dirt and grit work their way down into the fibers and wear them out.

• Vacuum high-traffic paths a few times a week, and the whole carpet weekly.
• Go slowly. Fast passes leave dirt behind.
• Vacuum in two directions, like a crosshatch, to lift the pile.
• Use the crevice tool along baseboards, where dust and hair collect.
• Empty the canister or change the bag before it is full.

Carpet stains

Act fast. The sooner you treat a spill, the better the chance it comes out.

• Blot, do not rub. Rubbing pushes the stain deeper and frays the fibers.
• Use cool water first. Hot water can set some stains.
• Use a carpet spot cleaner or a little dish soap in water, and test it in a closet first.
• Blot until no more color transfers to the towel.
• Rinse with a little plain water and blot dry.

Red clay mud is a classic North Texas problem. Let it dry completely, vacuum up the dried dirt, and then treat what is left. Trying to clean wet mud just spreads it.

Vinyl plank and laminate

These floors are popular in apartments because they look nice and are easy to care for, as long as you do not overdo the water.

• Sweep or vacuum first, using a hard-floor setting so you do not scratch it.
• Mop with a damp, not wet, microfiber mop.
• Use a cleaner made for vinyl or laminate, or a little dish soap in warm water.
• Avoid steam mops unless the manufacturer says they are safe.
• Dry any standing water right away, especially on laminate.

Tile and grout

Tile is tough, but grout lines collect dirt and turn gray over time. Sweep and mop regularly with warm water and a mild cleaner. For grout, use a small brush and a paste of baking soda and water. Scrub, rinse and dry. In bathrooms, a quick weekly brush along the grout near the tub keeps mildew from getting started. Avoid bleach on colored grout, since it can leave pale spots, and skip harsh acids on any grout you are unsure about. Gentle and often works better than strong and rarely.

Keep dirt out in the first place

The easiest floor to clean is the one that never got dirty. In North Texas, a lot of dust, pollen and mud comes in on shoes.

• Put a sturdy mat outside your door and a washable mat inside.
• Try a shoes-off rule, at least for carpeted rooms.
• Put felt pads under chair legs to prevent scratches on hard floors.
• Wipe pet paws after walks on rainy days.

A simple floor schedule

• Daily: spot sweep the kitchen and entry.
• Weekly: vacuum all carpet and rugs, mop hard floors.
• Monthly: move lightweight furniture and vacuum underneath, scrub grout lines.
• Seasonally: wash entry mats and check carpet for stains you missed.

We clean apartment floors of every kind around Waxahachie, Midlothian and south DFW, and this rhythm is what keeps them looking good between visits.

Clean floors also help at move-out. Carpet that was vacuumed every week holds up far better than carpet that was not.

For more about our apartment cleans, visit our apartment cleaning services page. Next, we take on a bathroom problem nearly every North Texas renter knows: hard water stains.