If you have hardwood flooring, you’ll need to learn how to clean them. Once you’ve decided to replace the carpet or laminate flooring with stunning wood floors, it’s important that they remain in excellent condition. In fact, a basic deep clean is all it takes to keep these shiny brown surfaces looking young and beautiful.
It doesn’t matter whether your house has solid, manufactured, or reclaimed wood when it comes to sparkling hardwood floors: The same basic maintenance procedure should be followed. Fortunately, the routine isn’t too time consuming. However, there are still details that are important for upkeep, which is why we turned to the professionals for help.
Vacuum Regularly
Dirt and grime build-up, of course, can be a major barrier to clean hardwood floors. Debris should be kept off the floor. Furthermore, it is necessary to clean your floor on a regular basis. However, it’s not just because it looks unclean: When you walk across a wood floor with debris on it, it feels like sandpaper against the bottom of your shoe. It might damage or scratch the surface. Even pet hair has the potential to harm your hardwood floors, so take preventative measures now.
If you can, try to perform a basic sweep at least once a day. After that, use a dry mop or dust mop to collect any remaining dust and dirt. You may also utilize a microfiber cloth or mop that has not been wetened. If you just don’t have the time to complete your whole home every single day, concentrate on high-traffic areas such as doors and hallways as often as possible. Making a simple cleaning regimen might assist you in consistently and effectively dealing with all areas and spaces of your home.
You should also vacuum on a regular basis. This will pick up any fine particles that sweeping alone may miss, and the strong suction of a vacuum cleaner is useful for collecting dust and debris in cracks and crevices and between planks. To avoid marring the floor you’re cleaning, make sure you’ve switched on the hard floor setting, which deactivates the brush roll or beater bar. To protect the surface from bristles, use a flat attachment instead of a round one since the last thing you want to do is scratch your already filthy floor.
Identify the Right Cleaning Product
There isn’t a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to selecting a cleaning solution for a deeper wash. Different finishes require varying treatments, so all three experts advise listening to the product recommendations of your finish and flooring supplier.
However, there are certain cleaning products that should be avoided at all costs. We don’t suggest using any harsh chemicals to clean hardwood floors. Applied to the finish, chemicals can form hazing. This may take six months to a year to build up and isn’t particularly attractive. If you’ve made this mistake in the past, a damp microfiber cloth drenched in warm water is an easy method to remove the film from your wood flooring.
You don’t want to use anything that says it’s going to polish, shine, rejuvenate, or revitalize the hardwood floor. These cleaning solutions aren’t really doing your hardwood floors any favors. That’s essentially telling you that you’re putting down a supplementary product. It’s applying something on top of the surface that will make it seem nice for a short amount of time but isn’t made to last.
When unsure, go back to the beginning. Combine four cups of warm water with a few drops of Murphy Oil Soap to make a cheap DIY hardwood floor cleaner that won’t need you to buy anything on Amazon. Water and white vinegar are two long-standing DIY cleaning options, although the efficacy of each has been disputed.
Keep the floor dry
After you’ve found the ideal wood floor cleaner, use it with a damp mop on the floors. You don’t want to bring out a wet bucket and start soaking the floors because that’ll cause the wood to swell. As a result, consider using a microfiber mop rather than a cotton one since the former uses less water and leaves no dripping wet mop behind. In reality, according to a worldwide leader in hardwood floor care, microfiber mops use approximately 20 times less liquid and are the finest mops for the task. You’ll also save time trying to squeeze out the mop head, making it a win-win for you and your wood floors.
Also be aware against using a steam mop. Though it will clean wood floors thoroughly, it allows vapor to enter tight areas and harm your living room’s flooring.
Know the warning signs
When it comes to impeccable wood flooring, there’s a lot more to consider than simply how to clean hardwood floors. The environment in which your floor resides is also an important aspect of its upkeep and durability. Wood has a high reactivity to temperature and humidity, therefore you should be aware of these factors whether or not they are within your control. Being conscious of warning signals is the greatest way to defend yourself against wood. The advantage of wood is that it’s a natural product; it’ll let you know if something isn’t right.
If there is too much moisture on, around, or beneath the wood, it will cup. To prevent this from happening, find the source of the water and eliminate it. Excessively dry conditions induce gapping, cracking, and splitting. Humidity can help with this. Adding a little bit of moisture to the air will allow your floor to settle back down.
Touch up surfaces scratches
It’s natural for floor scratches to hurt when you scratch them. It’s part of owning a wood floor. It is, after all, quite easy to repair surface gouges with a stain marker from a wooden furniture touch-up kit.
Another simple method to personalize your space while also providing a floor barrier is with a basic area rug or doormats.
Recoat before it’s too late
When the floor is beginning to deteriorate, it’s time to intervene and recoat. It doesn’t require sanding. It’s really just another coat of finish being applied to the top of the floors in order to restore the luster and life to that finish so you don’t have to go through the sanding process.
By applying a layer of protection every time it’s needed, this practice can extend the life of a floor for many years. There are numerous floor finishes available, and the best refinishing option may depend on the needs and specifications of your wood floors. “One of the great things about wood floors is that they can be fixed, refinished, and recoated,” Miller explains. “On a wood floor, a lot of normal wear and tear can be taken care of.”
