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Category: Floors

  • New Year, Fresh Start: How to Reset Your Home or Office for 2026 (A Humboldt County Cleaning Guide)

    New Year, Fresh Start: How to Reset Your Home or Office for 2026 (A Humboldt County Cleaning Guide)

    1. Start With a Quick New Year Cleaning Audit

    Before diving into deep scrubbing, take 5–10 minutes to walk through your space and make note of:

    • High‑traffic floor areas (carpet traffic lanes, dirt buildup)
    • Bathrooms and restrooms (fixtures, grout, sinks, mirrors)
    • Break rooms or kitchens (leftover grease, fingerprints, appliances)
    • Entryways (mud, pine needles, moisture)
    • Office desks or home workspaces (clutter, dust, cables)
    • Windows and tracks (condensation, dust, fog residue)

    A simple audit keeps you focused and prevents overwhelm.

    2. Deep Clean the Areas You Avoided During the Holidays

    Even the most organized homes and businesses get behind in December. January is ideal for tackling:

    ✔ Carpet & Upholstery

    Holiday gatherings, winter weather, and pet traffic can grind dirt deep into fabrics.
    A professional carpet or upholstery cleaning:

    • Removes allergens
    • Improves air quality
    • Restores freshness to your living or office space

    ✔ Kitchens & Break Rooms

    This is one of the most used areas in any setting. Degreasing, sanitizing, and wiping down appliances makes a huge difference.

    The CDC recommends regular disinfection of high‑touch surfaces to reduce the spread of viruses — making January the perfect time to reset kitchens and bathrooms.

    CDC Cleaning & Disinfecting – https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/cleaning.htm

    ✔ Bathrooms & High‑Moisture Zones

    Winter humidity + heavy traffic = grime.
    A proper reset includes:

    • Scrubbing grout
    • Polishing fixtures
    • Sanitizing high‑touch surfaces
    • Removing soap scum and calcium build‑up

    ✔ Bedrooms & Office Spaces

    Fresh linens, dusted blinds, decluttered surfaces — small steps that improve sleep and productivity.

    3. Businesses: Perform a January Janitorial Reset

    January is the best time to reorganize your cleaning plan for the year.
    A clean office helps reduce sick days, improve morale, and impress clients.

    “OSHA notes that good workplace housekeeping improves productivity, reduces hazards, and boosts employee morale — all ideal goals as your team enters 2026.”

    OSHA Workplace Housekeeping – https://www.osha.gov/housekeeping

    Consider:

    If you’re juggling staff schedules, customers, and deadlines — outsourcing your janitorial routine eliminates stress instantly.

    4. Simplify Your Life With a 20‑Minute Declutter Routine

    January is declutter season. If you don’t know where to begin, use this easy strategy:

    Pick one area per day. Spend 20 minutes. Stop when the timer ends.

    Great spots to start:

    • Entryway drop zone
    • Kitchen pantry or fridge
    • Home office desk
    • Vehicle interior
    • Supply closets
    • Laundry room
    • Office file cabinets

    Small steps, done consistently, create massive momentum.

    5. Improve Your Indoor Air This Winter

    Closed windows and damp weather can make your indoor air stale — especially in coastal areas like Eureka, Arcata, and McKinleyville.

    Winter months can reduce ventilation and trap allergens indoors. According to the EPA’s indoor air quality guidelines, improving airflow and reducing pollutants can significantly improve comfort during colder seasons.

    EPA Indoor Air Quality – https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq

    Improve air quality by:

    • Dusting blinds and vents
    • Vacuuming fabric furniture
    • Replacing HVAC filters
    • Cleaning behind large appliances
    • Scheduling carpet cleaning

    Your lungs will thank you.

    6. Build New Cleaning Habits for a Cleaner 2026

    January is the perfect time to create routines that actually stick.

    Try:

    • A nightly 10‑minute tidy
    • A weekly bathroom reset
    • A once‑a‑week vacuum and mop session
    • A monthly deep clean rotation
    • A quarterly professional cleaning appointment

    If you want to make life even easier, A‑1 Cleaning offers customizable recurring maid and janitorial schedules.

    7. Skip the Stress — Let Professionals Handle the Heavy Work

    Some tasks simply require professional equipment, training, and time:

    That’s where our team steps in.

    With over 30+ years of award‑winning service, certified staff, and proven systems, A‑1 Cleaning Service handles the jobs that take your time and energy — so you can focus on what matters most.

    Start Your New Year Fresh With A‑1 Cleaning Service

    Kick off 2026 with a cleaner, brighter, healthier home or workplace.

    📍 Serving all of Humboldt County: Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville, Trinidad, Fortuna, and beyond

    🧽 Book online in under 1 minute: A1Clean.com
    📞 Text or Call: (707) 442‑3229

  • Make Your Floors Shine With These Hardwood Cleaning Tips

    Make Your Floors Shine With These Hardwood Cleaning Tips

    Hardwood Cleaning Tips to Make Your Floors Shine

    Hardwood Floor Cleaning ArcataHardwood cleaning can be difficult, when a nice sheen on your hardwood floors is what you are aiming for, it can sometimes feel impossible.

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    This feels especially applicable when the ‘tried and true’ methods either leave you with a layer of ammonia water drying on the floor or force you to go back over the cleaned floor with a dry rag.

    Now while this will get your floors clean, it might not always restore the glossy surface that shows off the beautiful grain of your floor, thereby leading you to consider getting the entire flooring replaced and reinstalled with the help of Shadow Wood Flooring (https://www.shadowwoodflooring.com/).
    We definitely do not want that to happen to you! Therefore, want to use a product that not only cleans off the surface of the floor but restores the glossy look of the original varnish.

    If you have floor mats over your hardwood, then you will want to get those clean too as you do not want to put dirty mats back over a newly cleaned and varnished floor. So checking out links like https://serp.co/best/floor-mat-cleaner/ as well as other similar websites for these products, can help you get what you need so your floors are always looking great.

    My preferred cleaner that I use on the job is Bruce Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner, although some people might not like using it because of the perceived harm of chemicals such as 2-Propanol, or Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether. Well I’m here to tell you these complicated chemicals aren’t nearly as bad as you would think! For starters, this ‘2-Propanol‘ is really just everyday Isopropyl alcohol, and in hardwood cleaning applications, this is extremely useful (and safe) in the dissolving of oils, gums, and resins that have been deposited onto your floor from normal everyday use. Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether, whose proper chemical name is simply 2-Butoxyethanol, is also not nearly as hazardous as the name sounds, as it is used in such applications as paints, inks, leather protectors, oil dispersants, degreasers, liquid soaps, cosmetics, lacquers and varnishes. The combination of the 2-Propanol and 2-Butoxyethanol in Bruce Floor Cleaner allows us to not only strip the oils and resins off the surface of the floor (with the 2-Propanol), but restore a nice shine to the floor as if you had applied a new layer of varnish (with the 2-Butoxyethanol).

    Now, Bruce is not the only brand of floor cleaner that uses these two chemicals, and those are not the only two chemicals that will give us the desired results, but it is one that is widely available, and the one that I use out on the job cleaning houses. On floors sealed with varnish, it’s possible to use a floor-cleaning machine like those from Intelligent Design Manufacturing to apply the solution, which also has the benefit of drying, buffing and polishing the floor too. On smaller jobs, however, I use a 5 step method in hardwood cleaning, repeating each step as necessary before moving onto the next:

    1. Sweep the floor with a regular broom to get the bigger debris off the surface.
    2. Re-sweep the floor, focusing most of your time on the cracks between floorboards and the edges around the baseboards. At this point: TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF! This keeps you from tracking dirt and debris back across the floor.
    3. Wipe entire floor with dry cloth, or use a microfiber dust mop to get the fine particulate matter off the wood surface
    4. Spray a small amount of floor (about 5 feet wide and 2 feet deep from where I stand) with Bruce Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner or similar hardwood cleaning solution
    5. Wipe with a microfiber or cloth mop (NOT a ‘wet mop’) WITH THE GRAIN OF THE FLOOR, always moving your body backward, so you never step on the newly wiped areas. This way even if there are streaks on the floor when it dries, it will only blend in with the grain of the floor, and there will be no foot prints anywhere on the floor!

    After using your new technique for hardwood cleaning, and before walking on, or using the floor, you will want to wait for it to dry (only 10-15 minutes, as there is very little liquid on the floor) at which point the floor will still be quite slick, but dry to the touch. At this point if you turn the lights on in the room and get down near the floor you can see the glossy finish that you just restored, and check for areas that you either missed the first time around or areas that need extra attention.

    Hardwood cleaning can be difficult when you do not have a plan, but with these steps your floors will retain their shine and be less prone to scratches! With only a few minutes of hardwood cleaning a week, your floors will remind you that a beautiful home starts from the baseboards up.

    Also see http://www.scribd.com/doc/200630232/Hardwood-Floor-Cleaning-Tips-From-a1clean-net-Blog

  • Caring for Wood Floors

    Caring for those Wood Floors

    Taking care of your floors can be a tough. There are so many different factors that can keep your floors or your floors are vintage and came with the house, looking after your flooring is important if you want it to last. Of course, if you’re noticing an odd lean in your wooden floors or that they’re no longer level, it may be worth checking to see if the issue is with the floorboards or if there’s an issue with the foundation of your house. For the latter, make sure you go to a Quality Foundation Repair firm to keep your property safe. With that in mind, here are a few cleaning tips to make your floors shine.

    General Tips for keeping your wood floors looking nice…
    – Vacuum your floors weekly. The fine grit in the dust acts just like sandpaper and will wear through your floor’s finish. Use an attachment with a brush or a felt surface that runs along the floor. Rotating brushes can scratch the finish. And if you don’t feel like hauling the vacuum out, a dust mop or microfiber sweeper will work just as well. If you’re needing to clean specifically without damaging your floors, look at this site on how to clean urine on wood floors.

    – Be careful with your hairspray and furniture polish, it can cloud up your floors finish. Wipe it up immediately with a damp cloth. For a more thorough cleaning, use a non-ammonia window cleaner.

    – Water can ruin your finish as well as stain your wood. Close windows when it’s going to rain, put trays under potted plants, and wipe up water if you see it.

    – Use a door mat. They really do their job and beyond. Even though vacuuming and spot cleaning are good tips for keeping your floors from becoming dull, keeping the dirt out of your house is better. Making sure to stop and wipe your shoes before going inside keeps dirt and moisture from entering your home and staining your floors.

    – Protect high-traffic zones with area rugs. Walking across an area several times a day eventually wears down a wood floor’s finish. Nice-looking throw rugs are the easiest way to reduce the wear. But make sure they don’t have a backing. Vinyl or rubber backing traps humidity, which can ruin your floor’s finish and stain or damage the wood.

    – The rules about using waxes and restorers are an important thing to keep in mind. Yes, you can rejuvenate a wax finish with more wax. But don’t use wax on a surface finish such as shellac, varnish, or polyurethane. It will make the floor far too slippery and interfere with subsequent finishes. Use a polish made for the finish you have on your floor. You can also get a general-purpose floor restorer for some finishes, but make sure to first test the restorer on an inconspicuous area to make sure it won’t peel.

    Cleaning Tips For Your Wax Finished Floors:
    If you can’t get your floors to shine just using a dust mop, try buffing the floors instead of just adding on another coat of wax. Buffing should always be the first option, as it can provide a nice shine without adding another layer of wax to your floors. If this still doesn’t work, then you’ll need to apply a wood floor cleaner and liquid wax made specifically for wood floors. After you apply it, let the wood dry and then buff. This should be done once or twice a year, depending on how much traffic you have. You can get help with Floor Refinishing in Chesterfield Va if you’re looking for services in that area to keep your hardwood flooring looking as good as new.

    Common Stains: Here’s how to remove some common stains from wax finished floors.
    – Most food stains are easy to clean by gently rubbing the area with a damp cloth. Start on the outside, and work your way in. Make sure you dry the surface when you’re done.
    – Water spots and ink spots (white and dark), can be removed with steel wool. Start with #000 to remove the spot from your floor. If the stain is persistent, then try a very fine sandpaper, then #00 steel wool and a wood floor cleaner. Make sure to wax and buff when complete.
    – Surface scratches can be cured by applying a little wax on the area, then buffing.
    – If the substance is sticky or soft, harden it with a cold pack or ice cubes. It should then just peel off.

    Cleaning your Surface Finished Floors (Urethane):
    If you can’t get your floors to shine with just your dust mop, try cleaning with a wood floor cleaner recommended for cleaning wood floors with a urethane finish. If this still doesn’t work, the floor should receive a new coat of surface finish. Keep in mind you should never wax a surface finished floor.

    Common Stains: Here’s how to remove some common stains from surface finished floors.
    – Food, water, and ink stains can be cleaned using a wood flood cleaner specifically made for urethane finished floors.
    – Nicks and scratches can be repaired with a urethane repair kit.
    – If the substance is sticky or soft, harden it with a cold pack or ice cubes. It should then just peel off.

  • Refinished Floors

    Refinished Floors in Humboldt County and Lake County

    Here is some of the fine work done by A-1 Cleaning’s floor crew. We maintain floors in convenience stores, grocery stores, offices, and more.

    floor scrubbing

    A-1 Cleaning just refinished these floors. Can you guess this Humboldt County location?

    Ok, give up? It is in Mckinleyville, Ca.
    floor buffing

     

     

     

    “I just wanted to tell you that your crew did a great job on our concrete floors. They look like new and your staff were very courteous and professional. Being a business owner my self, I know it’s nice to hear this once in a while”

    Redwood Glass & Window

    Floor Maintenance in Fortuna, CA

     

    floor waxing

    Another fine job done by our floor crew. Can you guess this local location?

     

     

     

     

    floor recoating

    This is another location that our floor crew has serviced. Can you guess it’s location?

    Spoiler alert!

    Floor maintenance in Fortuna, CA

     

     

     Car Drives Into Grocery Store And Does A Burnout On Our Floor!

    Burn out on grocery stores floor
    One of our retail floor maintenance locations, an lady had a seizure and drove her car into the store. We had to do an emergency floor maintenance repair. Before, you can see the streaks from where the car drove by…

    Floor maintenance in Clear Lake, CA

     

     

     

     

     After Shot of Burn Out Streaks

    After Shot of burn out floor
    After Shot A-1 Cleaning was done with them, the floors looked good as new.
    Floor maintenance done in Clear Lake, CA

    The people at Uhaul are happy with their newly refinished floors.

    refinished floors

    Floor maintenance in Eureka, CA

     

     

     

     

     

    To get your floors refinished in Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, or surrounding areas. Contact A-1 Cleaning  today! 707-442-3229

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