Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips
Wood floors remain one of the most popular flooring choices. But is it just because they look pretty? How difficult is cleaning hardwood floors?
Fortunately, they're not terribly high maintenance.
The only upkeep precaution reiterated over and over by the professionals is to protect your wood flooring from moisture.
Wood flooring is beautiful and it can be environmentally friendly. Also it is extremely durable and will last a lifetime--if you take care of it. Cleaning solid hardwood floors is easy and a little common sense will keep them looking lovely for a very long time.
Dirt and grime are your worse enemies because they act as sandpaper on the finish and can result in scratches, dents, and dulling. You don’t have to be anal to the point of making everyone remove their shoes at the door (although this certainly does keep the amount of sweeping needed down), but floor mats at the entrances will go a long way toward trapping dirt that can be dragged in from the outdoors.
Water and other spills can warp poorly finished wood flooring but all you have to do is wipe up the spills as they happen, and you would do that anyway, regardless of your floor finish.
Avoid oil soaps because they can create a build up and cause problems later on. You can find some good neutral pH cleaners that are made especially for wood floors and most manufacturers will give you some ideas about their pet brands. They will also recommend various cleaning products that you apply with your mop and then wipe/buff it off when dry, but these products are not always necessary. Generally the stuff you can buy in the stores (at a significantly reduced price) works fine.
For the most part, cleaning hardwood floors simply means using a soft broom to remove abrasive particles of dirt. For stains or sticky patches, you can wash your wood floor with a clean sponge mop, using diluted household detergent as long as you wring out the mop before slopping water on the floor.
Wood will scratch so lift your furniture when moving it rather dragging it across the floor boards or put some pieces of felt under the legs to prevent scratching. If you prefer to vacuum rather than sweep use a vacuum with a brush attachment rather than beater bars.
Basic care can be done with a broom, vacuum or dust mop. That doesn’t sound so hard, does it?
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