Metroclean Top Tips for Cleaning

Metroclean Top Tips for Cleaning

Natural Stone

• Natural stone should be cleaned carefully with water and a mild neutral ph cleanser specifically developed for stone surfaces. The acidic, alkaline or even abrasive properties of ordinary cleaning products may cause etching or scratching. Check out Neutraclean for safe and effective floor cleaning!


• Avoid using bleach and/or ammonia on marble surfaces


• When cleaning the floor, use a separate mop specifically reserved for the stone surface.


• Change mop water frequently to avoid streaks.


• Tend to spills immediately.


• Use mats at entrances to trap dirt, sand and gravel.


• Polish, rather than wax, with a polishing system suited to your particular type of stone.

Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning

• Natural delicate fabrics (such as silk and suede) should be solvent cleaned rather than water treated. Natural fibers absorb water and then mechanically deform causing waviness and brittleness: Solvents pass around the fibers carrying the dirt and grime away without penetrating the material.


• Always test a rug for water absorption and colour run prior to cleaning. A reaction with water will suggest the need for solvent based cleaning. As a general rule, Chinese and Indian rugs are usually fairly safe because they are normally washed after dyeing and hence have fewer propensities for colour run. Take care with Afghan and Persian rugs.


• If the rug is colour sensitive, avoid hanging it on a washing line: sometimes colour can migrate to the fringes.


• Avoid using steamers or wet shampoo cleaners. They are cheap to hire but are not only fairly ineffective in cleaning but also can easily cause damage for water sensitive fabrics


• Check the underside of rugs prior to cleaning: sometimes the price of the rug is written on the underside with a marker pen and this can migrate through to the surface during the cleaning process.


• Be careful with carpets and rugs that have a Hessian backing: if not treated correctly, browning can occur which is a difficult to remove brown stain


• Avoid the mixture of acid and bleach or carpets: they turn pink!

The general rule of solubility (and hence cleaning) is: treat like for like. Acid based stains such as tea, coffee, wine and fruit juice should be treated with acid based stain removers. The stain requires to be taken back to its original liquid state in order to facilitate removal. Similarly, solvent based stains (i.e. ink, paint, candle wax, nail varnish) should be treated with solvent based stain removers and protein based stains (i.e. milk, urine) should be treated with enzyme based chemicals. Commercially available stain removers usually contain a mixture to handle all three scenarios and can be frustratingly ineffective. For more detailed information see the science of cleaning.

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