Cleaning and maintaining your floors and carpeting

• Granite - Sealing is recommended for most stones. Granite is the hardest of the polished stones commercially available and is used in high stress situations. Polished granite usually is more absorbent to liquids than many people suppose. Flamed granite surfaces are very absorbent due to the stress fractures in the stone caused by the flaming process and should be sealed if it is desired to maintain the original color and appearance of the stone over time.

• Vinyl - Many homes have some sheet vinyl or vinyl tile somewhere in the house. It's one of the most popular flooring material for bathrooms, and laundry rooms. It's popular because it's cheap and easy to care for.

• Laminate - Harder than vinyl, plastic laminate has the ability to match virtually any wood flooring or even ceramic tile pattern with uncanny accuracy. The floor pattern is essentially a photograph -- but it's coated with a protective layer that provides years of virtually maintenance-free use, provided that you're not too rough on it.

Terrazzo flooring - Made of white portland cement and tan and white marble chips (the old method), or epoxy and marble chips (the new method), and formed into large "tiles" or slabs, terrazzo is a long-lasting, stone-like material. It's not a terribly common residential flooring material, but some late-1950s houses still have it.

• Carpet Care - The most effective method of keeping carpeting clean -- and making it last a long time -- is to vacuum it regularly. In fact, they recommend vacuuming three or more times per week, and daily in high-traffic areas. The motor must be powerful enough to create enough suction to remove the dirt, sand, and debris that is ground into the carpet. If the vac has a beater bar, its brushes should be free of lint, fuzz, and threads. The suction port and hose should be checked regularly for suction-robbing blockages, and the bag should be changed frequently to ease the flow of air through the vac.Most of today's carpets are made with a factory-applied stain guard. So usually, a small amount of water and a drop of vinegar (or club soda) will get out a stain. Use a clean, white dry cloth. Don't scrub. Blot. Over time, especially after numerous carpet cleanings, the factory-applied stain guard provides little stain protection. Although there are a host of stain repellants on the market, your best bet is to have an after-market stain guard installed by a professional carpet cleaning and dying company. If this simple, quick fix doesn't work, there are a million carpet-cleaning products you can use.

• Wood Floor Care - Properly finished wood floors are without a doubt the easiest of all floor surfaces to keep clean and looking good. As with carpeting, the trick is to keep grit off the floor. Use walk-off mats at all exterior doors to help prevent dirt, grit, and sand from getting on your wood. Use walk-off mats at all exterior doors to help prevent dirt, grit, and sand from getting on your wood. Throw-rugs or small sections of carpet just inside the entrances are also recommended.

• Here are some recommended steps to help your wood floors - Vacuum frequently to keep abrasive dirt to a minimum. In kitchens, use area rugs at high-spill locations and at work stations such as the stove, sink, and refrigerator. Avoid ultraviolet light damage to finishes by installing window tinting or draping large windows. Put fabric glides on the legs of your furniture to prevent scratching and scuffing when the furniture is moved. Wipe up spills immediately and then wipe dry. Clean using a not-very-damp mop and an oil soap solution, then wipe the floor dry immediately. If a floor is waxed, occasional buffing helps renew the shine and remove scuff marks that may appear in the wax coating. If the shine can't be renewed in heavily used lanes, occasionally re-waxing these areas may be necessary.