Mikey P
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Here is the foundation for a How To/Standard for dealing with REsiliant and Laminate flooring.
It was created with the help of CHATGPT based on content I wrote for various applications over the last 5 years.
I asked AI to scourer the WWW to find anything it felt was missing, which it did
I'm hoping that you MB vets will want to read and comment on it
We plan to cover other topics prior to the launch of The Cleaning Standard
Identification & Safe Cleaning of Resilient and Laminate Floors
(Technician step-by-step procedures; coating-aware; moisture-controlled; brand-neutral)
Why resilient floors exploded in popularity
Know the families:Solid wood; engineered wood; laminate (MDF/HDF core); LVP/LVT (glue-down or click-lock; WPC/SPC cores); sheet vinyl; cork; bamboo; parquet; woven vinyl; rubber; porcelain lookalikes.
How to ID quickly & safely
MDF baseboards = hidden liability
Pick the lowest-risk method that will meet the cleaning goal.
A) Dry Compound + CRB (lowest moisture / safest for laminate & MDF risk)
Laminate: Do not strip.
Before you strip anything, ask:
“Simple, Effective, Inexpensive, EASY” flat-mop method
Mastering floor identification is an ongoing process that requires dedication and a constant desire to learn. The key is to use every opportunity—including visits to the homes of clients, neighbors, and family members—as a chance to study different surface types until you have achieved mastery.
Turn Every Home into a Study Project: Make it a habit to analyze every floor you encounter. Don't just look at the floor you're there to clean. Observe the materials in the kitchen, bathrooms, hallways, and living areas. This will build your visual library and help you quickly identify different types of flooring.
The Power of Observation: Observe how different floors react to wear and tear. Notice common issues like scratches from furniture, wear layers resisting abrasion, or swelling at the seams of laminate. This trains your mind to instinctively recognize potential problems and devise a cleaning plan.
The Confidence to Educate: The goal of this practice is to develop a deep, instinctive understanding of floor types. This allows you to not only talk to and educate clients on what they have but to also instinctively create a cleaning regimen in your head, providing accurate pricing and time frames. When you can discuss their floors with confidence and provide care advice, you build trust and set yourself apart.
The key to mastering floor identification is a combination of technical knowledge and genuine curiosity. Instead of presenting yourself as an all-knowing expert, you can use a conversational, relatable approach to gather the information you need while building a rapport with the client. This method turns every job, conversation, and relationship into a learning opportunity.
Mastering floor identification is more than a technical skill; it's the foundation for building a trusting relationship with your clients and creating a profitable, full-service company. The goal is to move beyond simply knowing what a floor is and to instinctively devise a cleaning regimen, provide a price, and discuss concerns with a client—all before you even speak.
The best way to learn is through hands-on practice. Make it a constant habit to analyze every floor you encounter and use these opportunities to hone your skills.
Study in Flooring Stores: Make biannual visits to large flooring retailers like Floor & Decor. These are like living laboratories where you can stay current with the latest trends and product innovations. You can physically tap on laminate to hear the "clack," feel the texture of hand-scraped wood, and observe the repeating patterns of porcelain look-alikes. By talking to sales associates and reading product labels, you’ll learn the proper terminology to sound more professional.
Use Every Home as a Study Project: Turn every home you enter—whether a client's, a neighbor's, or a family member's—into a learning opportunity. Analyze the materials in the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas to build your visual library and train your mind to instinctively recognize potential problems. This practice will help you quickly devise a cleaning plan and provide an accurate quote.
Practice with Purpose: Don't just look at floors; observe how they react to wear and tear. Notice common issues like scratches from furniture, swelling at the seams of laminate, or how wear layers resist abrasion. This consistent study is what builds the deep, instinctive understanding of floor types that allows you to confidently educate clients.
The "Significant Other" Icebreaker
A great way to start this conversation is by using a relatable scenario. Say something like:
Key Points to Consider When Setting Your Pricing:
Key Points to Consider When Setting Your Pricing:
It was created with the help of CHATGPT based on content I wrote for various applications over the last 5 years.
I asked AI to scourer the WWW to find anything it felt was missing, which it did
I'm hoping that you MB vets will want to read and comment on it
We plan to cover other topics prior to the launch of The Cleaning Standard
The Cleaning Standard
Identification & Safe Cleaning of Resilient and Laminate Floors
(Technician step-by-step procedures; coating-aware; moisture-controlled; brand-neutral)
Chapter 1 — Introduction & History
Why resilient floors exploded in popularity
- Availability & cost: Easy to source, far cheaper than stone/hardwood.
- Ease of installation: Sheet, plank, and tile formats; click-lock or glue-down.
- Looks: High-res images and embossing mimic wood/stone convincingly.
- Surface durability: Wear layers resist abrasion (thicker = tougher).
- Comfort: Cushion/rigid cores reduce sound and feel better underfoot.
- Laminate came first. It’s a photo layer on an HDF/MDF core. Marketing promised “waterproof/ spill-proof,” but the reality is: laminate swells fast at seams when moisture is introduced; edges chip; delam happens; repairs are costly. These claims persist, so treat laminate as high-risk and non-waterproof.
- Resilient (LVP/LVT/sheet) followed. Its surface is water-resistant, but seams, adhesives, and cushions can still be damaged by over-wetting, heat, or pressure.
- Wear layers on LVP/LVT commonly range ~6–30 mil; higher mils = better abrasion resistance. Plank thickness ranges ~2–9 mm (comfort/stability, not a cleaning green-light).
- Laminate = fragile and moisture-intolerant.
- Resilient = more forgiving at the surface, not at seams/edges/adhesives.
- Verify construction and clean by what it is, not by what marketing promised.
Chapter 2 — Identification & Assessment (ID first—clean second)
Know the families:Solid wood; engineered wood; laminate (MDF/HDF core); LVP/LVT (glue-down or click-lock; WPC/SPC cores); sheet vinyl; cork; bamboo; parquet; woven vinyl; rubber; porcelain lookalikes.
How to ID quickly & safely
- Visual/tactile clues
- Laminate: repeating photo patterns, sharp bevels, hollow “clack.”
- LVP/LVT: flexible plank; can emit vinyl odor when warmed; labeled wear layer (ask to see docs).
- Engineered/hand-scraped: thin real-wood veneer; stain is fragile on the ridged “peaks.”
- Porcelain lookalike: cool, rigid, grout present, no “give.”
- Inspection aids
- Look for spare planks/tiles in closets/garages.
- Lift an HVAC register to view cross-section.
- Use raking light to find aftermarket topical coatings (pooling/peeling/trapped lint).
- Scratch test (inconspicuous): is there a film sitting on top?
- Coating-response test: tiny patch of coating remover (VCT-type) on vinyl only (never laminate).
- Ask & verify
- Ask who installed it; whether paperwork exists.
- Request receipts/warranty docs: confirms exact line, wear layer (e.g., 6/12/20/30 mil), and install method. These details influence moisture tolerance and method choice.
- Wear, scratches, fading, delamination.
- Crowning, cupping, contraction/expansion (often acclimation issues).
- Baseboards (MDF), gaps at caulk/paint.
- Aftermarket finishes or consumer products present.
- Put it in writing: cleaning will not fix structural/install/wear damage.
Chapter 3 — Pre-Cleaning Safety & Baseboards
MDF baseboards = hidden liability
- MDF is compressed sawdust & resin—it swells with tiny amounts of water.
- Inspect for gaps in caulk, chipped paint, raw edges, prior swelling.
- Explain clearly: “We’ll work low-moisture and stay inches off edges, but no one can control every drop and gravity.”
- Client assumes responsibility for moisture-related base damage.
- Remove/reinstall baseboards after cleaning.
- Reseal with 100% RTV silicone, color-matched (e.g., ColorSil) ≥48 hours prior to service.
Chapter 4 — Client Communication that Builds Trust (and Repeat Work)
- Show legitimate concern for ongoing maintenance.
- Gently point out issues (chair scratches, dirty grout, residue from old mops) without shaming.
- Teach why cotton/sponge mops just spread soil; introduce flat-mop systems.
- Offer to email your blog article on proper hard-floor care and spot-cleaning.
- This tone sets you apart and ethically introduces other services without selling hard.
Chapter 5 — Troubleshooting & Red Flags (when to modify scope or walk)
- Price shoppers: clarify that cleaning ≠ resurfacing. Request photos ahead of estimates.
- Aftermarket topical coatings: unpredictable under heat/alkali/agitation. Keep coating removerin your estimate kit and on the truck for testing.
- Some coatings can be worked with using cold water, mild chemistry, gentle agitation.
- Raw/worn areas: do not wet clean. Use CRB + dry compound instead.
- Laminate swelling: Pergo-type floors often have some seam lift already—stick to lowest moisture.
- LVP with attached cushion: risk of swelling/delam if you over-pressure; rely on chemistry/dwell vs pressure.
- Thin wear layers: budget LVP can have ~6 mil; commercial lines ~20–30 mil (abrasion-resistant). Pad/brush aggressiveness must be dialed down.
- Hand-scraped engineered: stain at “peaks” is fragile—lightest agitation only.
- Heat: keep low or off—adhesives/coatings can deform.
- Turbo spinners: require ~700 PSI to activate and trap heat; the plastic glide can scratch—avoid on resilient/laminate.
- Shop chemistry residue: Consumer “miracle” cleaners often leave films that need neutralization or coating-remover steps.
Chapter 6 — Tools & Equipment (fit for the task)
- Dry soil removal
- HEPA vacuums (brush-roll shutoff; “sweep blade” helps prevent scattering).
- Microfiber dust mops with 360° fringe (natural static attracts dust).
- Agitation systems
- CRB with soft/med/stiff brush sets.
- 175 rotary or oscillating pad machines.
- Hand tools: doodle bugs; flagged nylon brushes.
- Melamine pads: effective but can abrade vinyl/coatings—use with max caution.
- Pad guide (3M-type colors)
- White = buff/light.
- Hog’s hair = gentle agitation.
- Red = general scrubbing.
- Blue/Tan = aggressive scrubbing.
- Green = strip sensitive surfaces.
- Black = extreme strip (only on safe surfaces).
- Absorbent pads/bonnets
- Microfiber foam-core (with/without scrub strips): one-pass or finish passes.
- Cotton / cotton-poly bonnets: big absorbency; swap often—they load quickly.
- Wand & hand tools (extraction)
- Hard-surface wand with brush ring or bristled adapter (prevents locking/scratching).
- Fit the wand to the tech (upright posture).
- Interchangeable heads (edges/corners/widths), swivel heads, interchangeable squeegee rings.
- Hand tools for walls/counters/detail.
- Low-moisture options
- Hose & site safety
- Corner guards, hose run planning, trip-and-heat hazard control.
- PPE (gloves/eye protection), signage, cord management.
Chapter 7 — Chemistry (by category; test first)
- Understanding the pH Scale
- The pH scale ranges from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline), with 7 being neutral.
- Acidic cleaners (pH < 7) break down mineral deposits and hard water stains but can damage some surfaces and finishes.
- Neutral cleaners (pH 7) are gentle and safe for daily cleaning and delicate surfaces. They are the best choice for routine maintenance.
- Alkaline cleaners (pH > 7) are effective on organic soils like grease and oils. They require thorough rinsing and can be too harsh for certain finishes.
- Alkalinity is an ally in degreasing, but an enemy of finishes and cores.
- Use categories, not brands
- Neutral cleaner — routine cleaning, final rinse after stripping.
- Low-alkaline cleaner — light/mod soil.
- Alkaline degreaser — kitchens/heavy build-up (rinse thoroughly to avoid haze/residue).
- Coating remover (emulsion) — to remove film-forming finishes on safe resilient/engineered (never laminate).
- Spot aids: adhesive removers; mineral deposit removers (vinyl only).
- Avoid
- Abrasives; strong solvents; steam mops; high-alkali household cleaners; vinegar/ammonia; extremely aggressive pads on LVP/LVT.
- TACT
- Time (dwell) beats pressure.
- Agitation: start gentle; escalate only if safe.
- Chemistry: match pH/target soils to floor tolerance.
- Temperature: keep cool/tepid on resilient & laminate.
Chapter 8 — Cleaning Methods (dry → wetter).
Pick the lowest-risk method that will meet the cleaning goal.
A) Dry Compound + CRB (lowest moisture / safest for laminate & MDF risk)
- 5 steps
- 6 steps
- Assess the surface and any topical coating.
- Dry soil removal.
- Precondition with neutral or low-alkaline cleaner; mop-apply if you need lower moisture.
- Pre-wet pads/bonnets lightly with the same solution; keep damp, never dripping (prevents wear-layer or finish damage).
- Agitate using rotary/OP; swap/wash pads before saturated; fiber pads can be rinsed and reused.
- Finish: post-vac or microfiber mop to remove lint/debris; optional buff with white/hog’s hair or dry microfiber for a uniform appearance.
- 6 steps
- Dry soil removal.
- Precondition with low-foam neutral/alkaline (soil-dependent); allow dwell.
- Pre-agitate traffic lanes with pole brush/175 as needed.
- Run the machine with minimal solution flow.
- Add extra dry passes.
- Accelerate drying with air movers and HVAC.
- 6+ steps
- Dry soil removal.
- Apply cleaning solution (neutral → low-alkaline → alkaline degreaser for heavy grease).
- Agitate with CRB/175/OP (safe pad/brush).
- Rinse/extract using a hard-surface wand:
- Heat low or off.
- PSI as low as possible to rinse without driving water under seams (often well under 300 PSI).
- Use a ball valve at hose end for fine-control.
- Multiple dry passes; towel edges; stay inches off MDF bases.
- Force-dry (air movers/HVAC).
- Check glide/brush often; remove lodged grit/screws that could scratch.
- Never use turbo spinners on resilient or laminate. They require ~700+ PSI, trap heat, and the ring can scratch. Risk to adhesives, cores, coatings is unacceptable.
Chapter 9 — Topical Coatings & Stripping (film-forming finishes)
Laminate: Do not strip.
Before you strip anything, ask:
- Is the floor safe to strip (no raw wood, no open plank gaps, no known water damage)?
- Any MDF baseboards at risk?
- Why was the topical coating applied (shinier look, hide scratches)? Will the client be happy if the underlying floor is revealed?
- Will the floor tolerate the agitation required?
- Do we need to re-apply a coating afterward? (If the site expects that look.)
- Furniture plan in place?
- Estimate test: Strip a 3’×3’ patch during quoting to learn chemistry/time/price.
- Mask/protect vulnerable edges/baseboards.
- Work tiny zones ≤ 75 sq ft (smaller if solo). Do not let the slurry dry.
- Apply coating remover; manage dwell.
- Agitate with 175 using the gentlest effective pad (start green; black only where truly safe). Edges/corners: doodle bug/3M punch-outs; wear knee pads.
- Recover slurry:
- Ideally a separate wet vac for wood projects.
- If using an extractor: fit an inline filter with two 5-gallon paint strainers over the basket; stretch pantyhose over the blower protection filter; dump often so you don’t overflow the waste tank.
- Final rinse with a neutral cleaner to remove all traces of remover/residue.
- Dry & inspect in raking light; repeat localized as needed.
- If re-coating is in scope, respect cure times per product category.
- Using a sink-conversion kit with a hard-surface wand can simulate truckmount supply when extracting on site plumbing.
- Keep PSI low; avoid injecting water through seams or worn zones.
- Be reasonable with scope. Don’t lose tomorrow’s work on a bad bet today.
- Multiple coating types or many layers may require more than one removal pass and potentially different removers.
- Unclear coating history; weak bond to substrate; open seams; MDF everywhere; client budget misaligned with labor.
- Keep a wood resurfacing pro in your referral list.
Chapter 10 — Post-Cleaning Final Touches & Troubleshooting
- Post-Job Walk-Through: Conduct a final walk-through with the client to demonstrate the results. Point out the improvements and get a final sign-off. This is your last chance to manage expectations and ensure satisfaction.
- Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them:
- Hazy or Streaky Floors: This is typically caused by cleaner residue. The solution is to re-clean the area with a neutral cleaner and a clean, fresh microfiber mop or bonnet, ensuring a thorough rinse.
- Tacky or Sticky Feel: This also indicates a residue problem, often from using too much product or an incompatible one. Use a clean, damp mop with a neutral cleaner to gently scrub and rinse the area.
- Residual Odors: Ensure the area is well-ventilated with fans and open windows. If the odor persists, you may need to use an odor-absorbing product or re-clean with a thorough, clean-water rinse.
Chapter 11 — Post-Install Protection & Environmental Considerations
- Adhesive cure & first clean: Allow proper cure time before wet cleaning (often ≥24 hours for adhesive set; deeper cleans deferred several days). Many guidance docs recommend delaying full maintenance for several days and using neutral pH when you do. Protect during construction with breathable coverings (reinforced fiberboard or heavy kraft—not plastic that traps moisture).
- Humidity: In humid environments, avoid over-saturating mop heads; ensure fast drying to reduce moisture issues.
- Warranty reality: Many “no-finish/no-buff” resilient lines are not designed to be coated; they specify neutral cleaner, no solvent/abrasive, and no aggressive pads. Respect these limits to avoid warranty conflicts.
- Applying a Protective Coating:
- For floors that will benefit from a protective layer, consider a durable, film-forming polyurethane finish designed for LVP/LVT. These products can enhance a floor’s appearance and improve durability against scratches and scuffs.
- Never apply a coating without a thorough deep-clean and neutralization step first. Any trapped dirt or residue will be sealed in.
- Ensure the product is compatible with the flooring. Not all finishes are suitable for all vinyl.
- Always follow the manufacturer’s application instructions for proper cure times and ventilation.
Chapter 12 — Aftercare the Client Can Actually Do (give this to them)
“Simple, Effective, Inexpensive, EASY” flat-mop method
- Dry dust: sweep or microfiber dust mop.
- Mix: 1 gallon warm (soft if available) water + 1 oz neutral no-rinse hard-floor cleaner.
- Soak heads: one 18" microfiber head per ~100 sq ft to be cleaned; wring to no drips.
- Mop pattern: work ~10’×10’ sections (smaller for heavy soil) in a figure-8 with the leading edge forward so debris doesn’t trail off the back.
- Swap heads each section; used heads go to laundry.
- Spot care: keep a spray bottle with the same neutral cleaner for touch-ups.
- No cotton/sponge mops (they redeposit soil).
- Entry mats with breathable backings; felt pads under furniture.
- Wipe spills immediately; routine dusting prevents grit scratches.
Chapter 13 — Quick Reference (decision tree)
- ID it → laminate? LVP? engineered? coating? MDF base?
- Risk scan → seams, heat sensitivity, residues, pre-damage.
- Choose method → Dry compound → OP/bonnet → Auto-scrubber → Truckmount/Portable rinse.
- Tune TACT → lowest effective Time/Agitation/Chem/Temp.
- Edges/baseboards → standoff + hand detail; no flooding.
- Dry fast → air movers & HVAC; towel edges.
- Walk-through → care plan; set realistic expectations and re-service schedule.
Chapter 14 — Masterful Identification & Salesmanship
Mastering floor identification is an ongoing process that requires dedication and a constant desire to learn. The key is to use every opportunity—including visits to the homes of clients, neighbors, and family members—as a chance to study different surface types until you have achieved mastery.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice is the most crucial part of mastering this skill. You can't learn everything from a book; you have to train your eye to see the subtle differences that determine a floor's composition and the correct cleaning method. Here's how to turn every interaction into a learning experience:Turn Every Home into a Study Project: Make it a habit to analyze every floor you encounter. Don't just look at the floor you're there to clean. Observe the materials in the kitchen, bathrooms, hallways, and living areas. This will build your visual library and help you quickly identify different types of flooring.
The Power of Observation: Observe how different floors react to wear and tear. Notice common issues like scratches from furniture, wear layers resisting abrasion, or swelling at the seams of laminate. This trains your mind to instinctively recognize potential problems and devise a cleaning plan.
The Confidence to Educate: The goal of this practice is to develop a deep, instinctive understanding of floor types. This allows you to not only talk to and educate clients on what they have but to also instinctively create a cleaning regimen in your head, providing accurate pricing and time frames. When you can discuss their floors with confidence and provide care advice, you build trust and set yourself apart.
The key to mastering floor identification is a combination of technical knowledge and genuine curiosity. Instead of presenting yourself as an all-knowing expert, you can use a conversational, relatable approach to gather the information you need while building a rapport with the client. This method turns every job, conversation, and relationship into a learning opportunity.
Mastering floor identification is more than a technical skill; it's the foundation for building a trusting relationship with your clients and creating a profitable, full-service company. The goal is to move beyond simply knowing what a floor is and to instinctively devise a cleaning regimen, provide a price, and discuss concerns with a client—all before you even speak.
The Learning Process: Training Your Eye
The best way to learn is through hands-on practice. Make it a constant habit to analyze every floor you encounter and use these opportunities to hone your skills.
Study in Flooring Stores: Make biannual visits to large flooring retailers like Floor & Decor. These are like living laboratories where you can stay current with the latest trends and product innovations. You can physically tap on laminate to hear the "clack," feel the texture of hand-scraped wood, and observe the repeating patterns of porcelain look-alikes. By talking to sales associates and reading product labels, you’ll learn the proper terminology to sound more professional.
Use Every Home as a Study Project: Turn every home you enter—whether a client's, a neighbor's, or a family member's—into a learning opportunity. Analyze the materials in the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas to build your visual library and train your mind to instinctively recognize potential problems. This practice will help you quickly devise a cleaning plan and provide an accurate quote.
Practice with Purpose: Don't just look at floors; observe how they react to wear and tear. Notice common issues like scratches from furniture, swelling at the seams of laminate, or how wear layers resist abrasion. This consistent study is what builds the deep, instinctive understanding of floor types that allows you to confidently educate clients.
The "Significant Other" Icebreaker
A great way to start this conversation is by using a relatable scenario. Say something like:
This approach achieves several goals simultaneously:
- It's relatable: By framing the question as a personal project, you disarm the client and make them more comfortable sharing information.
- It shows genuine interest: You're not asking for the sake of your business; you're asking for your personal benefit, which feels authentic.
- It manages expectations: You're subtly acknowledging the difficulty of identifying modern flooring, which can be a point of frustration for many homeowners.
- It gets you the answer: In this innocent, low-pressure exchange, the customer is likely to volunteer the exact information you need—the brand, material, or when it was installed.
Chapter 15 — How to Charge for This Service
How to Charge for This Service
Key Points to Consider When Setting Your Pricing:
- Align with Carpet Cleaning Rates: The core recommendation is to charge a price similar to or the same as your current carpet cleaning rates for moderately soiled hard surfaces. The reasoning is that the new tools and process make the job as quick and efficient as a typical carpet cleaning, eliminating the need for higher "restorative" prices.
- Focus on Efficiency and Avoiding Restoration: The goal is to clean floors more often, preventing them from ever reaching a state that requires expensive, time-consuming restorative methods like high-PSI spinner tools, acid washes, and neutralizing steps.
- Create a "Whole Home" Offering: The strategy is to bundle hard surface cleaning with carpet cleaning to get "whole home" jobs. The suggestion is to offer the hard surface cleaning for the same price as the carpet, making it a simple decision for the customer and an easy upsell for your staff.
- Value Proposition: Emphasize the value of removing common, sticky residues and allergens that mops and vacuums miss. The text suggests that the service addresses a key customer pain point: new hard floors that don't stay as clean as they'd hoped.
- Customer-Centric Pricing: The advice is to move away from an industry obsession with high-cost, high-pressure, and high-pH cleaning that is priced beyond what most homeowners can afford on a regular basis. By keeping prices reasonable, you can secure more frequent, recurring work.
Key Points to Consider When Setting Your Pricing:
- Align with Carpet Cleaning Rates: The core recommendation is to charge a price similar to or the same as your current carpet cleaning rates for moderately soiled hard surfaces. The reasoning is that the new tools and process make the job as quick and efficient as a typical carpet cleaning, eliminating the need for higher "restorative" prices.
- Focus on Efficiency and Avoiding Restoration: The goal is to clean floors more often, preventing them from ever reaching a state that requires expensive, time-consuming restorative methods like high-PSI spinner tools, acid washes, and neutralizing steps.
- Create a "Whole Home" Offering: The strategy is to bundle hard surface cleaning with carpet cleaning to get "whole home" jobs. The suggestion is to offer the hard surface cleaning for the same price as the carpet, making it a simple decision for the customer and an easy upsell for your staff.
- Value Proposition: Emphasize the value of removing common, sticky residues and allergens that mops and vacuums miss. The text suggests that the service addresses a key customer pain point: new hard floors that don't stay as clean as they'd hoped.
- Customer-Centric Pricing: The advice is to move away from an industry obsession with high-cost, high-pressure, and high-pH cleaning that is priced beyond what most homeowners can afford on a regular basis. By keeping prices reasonable, you can secure more frequent, recurring work.
- ID before you clean.
- Start with the lowest-moisture method.
- Heat low/off; PSI low (dwell beats pressure).
- Protect MDF baseboards and document everything (photos + signatures).
- Avoid turbo spinners on resilient/laminate.
- Some coatings can be cleaned gently, others must be removed—or the job declined.
- Over-communicate and confirm expectations in writing.
Appendix — Extra Pointers You Can Borrow
- Sprayers: keep labels matched to contents; don’t pour different products into a labeled bottle; comply with local regs.
- Microfiber technique: keep the leading edge forward or debris will fall off the trailing edge.
- Wand posture: select length/angle so techs stay upright.
- Sink-feed conversion: a handy trick when truckmount water supply isn’t practical.
- Don’t use metal brushes on resilient/laminate; flagged nylon only for sensitive detail work.
- Manufacturers cautions commonly include: neutral pH for routine care, no abrasive cleaners, no vinegar/ammonia, no steam mops, avoid brown/black pads on LVP/LVT, and rinse thoroughly after stronger chemistry to prevent haze/film. It's important to recognize and work within these parameters when a floor is still under warranty. If you need to work outside of these limitations, explain in writing to the customer the situation and have them sign off before proceeding.
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