The gap between a floor that looks good at ten years and one that looks tired at four is almost never the product. It is grit, water, the wrong cleaning products and furniture without pads. Here is a realistic routine for each floor type.
The universal rules
Stop grit at the door. Sand and grit are abrasive, and every footstep grinds them into the finish. A one-metre mat run inside the front door removes most of it and is the single most effective thing you can do for any floor in the house.
Put felt pads under every piece of furniture, and replace them annually — they collect grit and eventually become sanding pads. Chair legs at a dining table are the most common source of visible scratching on hard floors.
Clean up liquid promptly, particularly at joints on any floating floor. Even on a waterproof plank, water sitting in a joint overnight can reach the subfloor.
Never let a floor stay wet. Damp mop, do not wet mop — the mop should be wrung out to the point where the floor is dry within a minute or two.
LVT and vinyl
Sweep or vacuum with a hard-floor setting two or three times a week, and damp mop weekly with a pH-neutral floor cleaner. That is the entire routine. LVT is the lowest-maintenance floor there is.
What ruins LVT is the wrong products: steam mops, which force moisture and heat into the joints and can soften the adhesive; abrasive powders and scouring pads, which dull the wear layer; and bleach or strong solvents, which can discolour it. Never use polish or wax on modern LVT — it builds up as a cloudy film that is difficult to remove.
Rubber-backed mats can cause permanent yellowing on vinyl through a chemical reaction with the plasticisers. Use mats with a woven or felt backing marked as vinyl-safe.
Wood and laminate
Vacuum with a soft brush head, and damp mop with a wood-floor-specific cleaner. Water is the enemy: a wet mop on laminate lets water reach the joints, which is the number one cause of laminate failure.
Lacquered wood floors need nothing but cleaning until the lacquer wears through in traffic lanes, at which point the room needs sanding and recoating. Oiled floors need refreshing with a maintenance oil every one to three years depending on traffic — a straightforward job you can do yourself in an afternoon.
For scratches: on an oiled floor, clean the area, lightly abrade with a fine pad and re-oil, and it will disappear. On a lacquered floor, a repair kit will disguise a scratch but not remove it. On laminate, damage is permanent — repair wax fills it, nothing more.
Keep indoor humidity between about 40% and 60%. Very dry air in winter causes wood floors to shrink and gap; very humid air causes cupping. A hygrometer costs very little and prevents both.
- Never steam mop LVT, laminate or wood
- Never wet mop laminate — damp only
- Re-oil oiled wood every 1–3 years in busy areas
- Keep indoor humidity between 40% and 60%
Carpet
Vacuum twice a week in living areas and hallways, more with pets. This is not about appearance — vacuuming removes the grit that cuts carpet fibres at their base, which is what actually wears a carpet out. A carpet that is vacuumed properly lasts years longer than an identical one that is not.
Deal with spills immediately by blotting, never rubbing. Rubbing pushes the stain into the backing and damages the pile. Work from the outside of the spill inwards to avoid spreading it.
Have carpets professionally cleaned every 12–18 months in busy areas. Hot water extraction lifts embedded soil that vacuuming cannot reach and restores pile appearance noticeably.
Rotate rugs and move furniture slightly every few months so the same fibres are not permanently compressed. Pile that has been crushed for five years does not recover.
A realistic annual routine
Weekly: vacuum hard floors and carpets, damp mop hard floors with the appropriate pH-neutral cleaner.
Monthly: check and replace furniture pads, wash door mats, and check the sealant bead around bathroom and kitchen floor perimeters for gaps.
Annually: professional carpet clean in high-traffic rooms, re-oil oiled wood in hallways and kitchens, and inspect thresholds and beading for loose fixings.
Every few years: refresh or replace door mats, review whether traffic lanes on hard floors would benefit from a rug, and keep hold of the spare planks or offcuts from the original installation — a matching plank is worth a great deal when something finally does get damaged.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use a steam mop on LVT?
No. Steam forces heat and moisture into the joints and can soften the adhesive bond. Damp mop with a pH-neutral floor cleaner instead.
How often should carpets be professionally cleaned?
Every 12–18 months in living areas and hallways, more often with pets or young children. Hot water extraction lifts embedded grit that vacuuming cannot reach.
How do I remove scratches from a wood floor?
On an oiled floor, clean the area, abrade lightly with a fine pad and re-oil — the repair blends in. On a lacquered floor a repair kit disguises it, but a full sand and recoat is the only true fix.
What cleaner should I use on laminate?
A laminate-specific or pH-neutral cleaner with a well-wrung mop. Never wet mop, never steam, and never use polish or wax, which builds up as a cloudy film.