Modern homes have a great variety of materials in them, and it is no wonder that people want to harness the varying aspects of these materials in to the designs that they use in their houses, and this is no more true than with the materials that are used in flooring. From traditional solid oak floor boards, to modern polished concrete, every material speaks a different amount about the owner’s taste, and contributes to the overall aesthetic of the place. You will no doubt understand that these materials need to be cared for just as anything in the home does, but it can sometimes be difficult to know how to treat certain surfaces, especially when some of them are so expensive and to damage them would be a waste of a lot of money! The main issues that revolve around cleaning the materials that floors are made from fall under three categories - chemical reactions, abrasion and water damage. If you can rule out these three issues, then you are good to go!To start with, you should be aware of the chemical content of your floor cleaner. Some cleaning products for the floor will contain a certain about of acid or alkali chemicals in them, and if their presence is too strong, it can cause bad reactions with the floor’s finish or main material. The best way to combat this is to use a PH neutral cleaning product, which will mean that the acid and alkali content of the product is completely balanced, and won’t get an issue with the floor material, as it will be as chemically dangerous as water. This may sound hard to find, but in fact, many cleaning products are PH neutral, and one of the most common ones is washing up liquid! If you put a couple of squirts of washing up liquid in to some warm water in your mop bucket, then you should have all the cleaning power that you need!As far as abrasion goes, you are in serious trouble if your floor gets scratched pup too badly. Scratches can result in the finish being lifted off the floor, and this can be pretty unsightly, as well as being a way for water to get in to the material and damage it. Water can get soaked in to hard wood flooring as well as stone flooring, and cause water spots, which are unsightly marks. In worst cases, the water may cause the material to expand, leaving cracks, and warping floorboards over time. In order to avoid scratching, use a tough microfiber mop head and cleaning product marked ‘non-scratching’. Vacuum beforehand to ensure that there is no chance that anything small and hard could be left there to scratch away at the surface when you are mopping.With water damage, the main thing to avoid is standing water. Leaving puddles or even a sheen of water on top that does not dry quickly enough will lead to all sorts of issues, from the warping mentioned above, to water spots on all surfaces, form concrete to wood. It is easy to avoid this sort of thing happening, just use a damp and well wring out mop when you are cleaning the floors, so that the water left behind evaporates quickly, and is not left with enough time to soak in to the flooring.