With the holiday season out of the way I though it would be a good time to post my top 10 tips on keeping a floor looking good. So, here it is, nice and simple, most of the tips are equally relevant to ceramics floors also. (Oh, and all the best for 2009 from Tile and Stone Blog):

1. Dust mats-Grit is the #1 enemy to any floor, even the most hard-wearing tiles and stone. Two diamonds will abrade each other, so quartz and other hard minerals carried in on the feet will quickly dull and scratch almost any type of flooring. Keeping a dust mat outside the door will help to eliminate this. Go a stage further and put another mat inside for added protection. These mats will collect much of the grit, so don't forget to take them outside and shake/beat them clean every now and then.

2. Take your shoes off!-Think about it, if your floor was a plush carpet, or a polished wood, you would treat it with respect and wear slippers right? Well stone is no different, it needs respect too. Removing your out-door shoes further reduces the floor's exposure to harmful grit.

3. Dry-Cleaning-Regular sweeping with a soft brush and/or vacuuming will also help keep grit off the floor (are you getting the message here?)

4. Spills and Accidents-Again, using a carpet/wood floor analogy, if you spill something like water or (let's be seasonal) mulled wine or similar onto pretty-much another type of flooring, you mop it up right away right?-Why then do we not tend to react so quickly when we have a stone floor? Take the wine as an example, it is incredibly acidic and will quickly damage a marble, limestone, travertine, and even some 'granite' floors - so time is of the essence - pick up spills immediately with an absorbent cloth and wipe it clean with some clean water.

5. 'Routine' cleaning - Ok we have got to tip # 5 before we even mentioned washing the floor. The point is, apart from during the wettest of weather, if you observe the first 4 tips, then you may not have to 'wet-clean' the floor too often. When it does need a quick wash then no problem, just make sure to use a neutral cleaner such as Concentrated Stone and Tile Cleaner that will not harm either the stone, or any sealer or finish that has been applied to it. In case it is not obvious, by neutral, I mean not an 'off the shelf' branded wonder-cleaner from the supermarket - these are most likely high-alkaline degreasers, and certainly never use anything acidic.

6. Rinse, rinse, rinse - and dry - This is one of the most important, yet most overlooked tips. No matter how good the cleaning-chemical, nor how rigorous the effort applied, if you leave dirty water lying on the floor, when it dries, you will have residues. These residues will contain traces of dirt and also traces of the cleaning detergent you have used and if not rinsed off properly, will leave a dull coating. Over time this will build to a grubby patina and it will also attract more dirt. So, after washing, change the water, rinse the mop and go over the floor again with just clean water. Finally, after the rinse, why not dry the floor? Most floor surfaces are very smooth, some are highly polished, such surfaces are just like glass when it comes to cleaning and even plain tap water can leave water-marks, so I suggest (certainly on polished floors) that after washing (and rinsing) you take an old (but clean) white towel and dry the floor off.

7. Periodic'Deep-Clean' - From time to time the floor will need a deeper clean. This is the time to use those high alkaline cleaners. Preferably one designed for the job like Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner. The same rules apply with regard to rinsing. Note, this type of cleaner may have an impact on any sealer used, so check first, you may need to top up the sealer afterwards

8. Little Stains - What happens when a spillage is not removed fast enough (tip # 4)? You can get a stain. For isolated small stains try a localized poultice such as Poultice Stain Remover by Aqua Mix.

9. Etch Marks - Acid sensitive floors, particularly polished marble, may become etched from time to time. Etching is what happens when something acidic erodes away the fine polished surface (that red wine again!). Small and localized etching can be quickly repaired with a hand applied re-polishing cream such as Renue.

10. The Seal - For some reason, many people seem to assume that once a floor is sealed, it is protected for life and is now magically indestructible - this is simply not the case. So, I suggest that you check the integrity of any sealer at regular intervals: I would say every 2 years for impregnating types and every 6 to 12 months for coating type sealers or 'surface finishes'. I would also check them after a number of periodic deep cleans have been carried out. Just do a water-test; drop some water onto the floor and leave it for say 10 minutes. If it goes in quickly and darkens the stone, then when wiped away it leaves a wet patch, then it might be time to op up the sealer. If the water stays out, save for a feint surface shadow, it is probably fine for now.