Do you have wooden flooring in your home? The elegance and refinement of wood flooring is undeniable. Such flooring is popular and well-liked. If your answer to the question above is yes, then you should master the skills of cleaning hardwood floors quickly. It will help you maintain your wood floor in top condition for years together. Cleaning this kind of floor surface is pretty easy. The simple procedure involves the use of a microfiber cloth and the right cleaning solution. Unfortunately, that combination does not prove effective in clearing away all kinds of grime and messes.
You should stay away from using any commercially manufactured cleaner that claims to rejuvenate, polish, shine, or revitalize wooden floors. Most of these products provide only a short-term solution in making wood floors appear great. Therefore, it is better to avoid such products that yield only temporary solutions.
Here are a few important tips on how to clean wooden floors and keep those in great shape. These tips are kind of universal and can be applied to every kind of wooden floor, including floors that are made from reclaimed, solid or engineered wood.
When cleaning hardwood floors, which is the best thing to use?
There is no hard and fast rule when selecting a cleaning product for a deeper wash. As far as wood floors are concerned, different types of finishes need different treatments. Therefore, it is best to rely on product recommendations for the kind of wood finish your floor has.
Professionals with years of experience in cleaning hardwood floors in London suggest that whenever you are in doubt, you just stick to the basics. Here is the formula to prepare a superb cleaner for your hardwood floor at home. Ingredients you require are a few drops of Murphy Oil Soap and about four cups of warm water. Consider incorporating a few drops of your favourite essential oil into the cleaning for an aromatic touch.
Some people – on the other hand – suggest using a cleaning solution made from white vinegar and water. However, vinegar is acidic, and therefore, there is a fierce debate about whether this homemade cleaner actually dulls the wooden surface over time or not.
Things that you should never apply to your hardwood floor surface
There are certain cleaning products or items that you must always avoid using on your wood flooring. Those items include the following –
Never ever try using chlorine bleach, even if it comes diluted. Why? The reason is serious enough – it is known to weaken the structure of the wood. In fact, experts suggest not applying any harsh chemical to clean wooden floors. These chemicals invariably result in hazing. Technically speaking, wooden floor surfaces that have a polyurethane finish appear cloudier as a result of wax build-up. Dip a clean piece of cloth in warm water and swipe the floor with it. This is an easy but effective way to lift the cloudy film from floor surface. The task even becomes easier when you make use of a damp microfiber cloth.
Important tips on cleaning hardwood flooring yourself DIY
- #1 – You must sweep your hardwood floor every day
Professionals who provide the service of hardwood floor cleaning suggest that the first thing that you must do when cleaning any wooden flooring surface is to sweep it every day. Sweeping removes grime and dirt build-ups from these floor surfaces better than anything else. In fact, these grime and dust build-ups rob the natural shine of wood floors. Debris lying on the floor looks filthy, and sweeping clears that away. But more importantly, sweeping every day helps minimizing the damage. Even pet hair can damage your wood floors. Therefore, being proactive really pays off in this matter.
When maintenance is concerned, wooden floors have a complete different story. Suppose there is some debris lying on a wooden floor. As you walk across it, the debris works like sandpaper under your shoe sole, scratching and damaging the surface.
For this reason, it is important to sweep wooden floors every day if you can make that possible. To pick up the remaining dirt, you can follow up sweeping with dry mopping. A dry mop or dust mop for the purpose. Professionals who use hardwood floor steam cleaner suggest a microfiber mop is the best bet to preserve the luster of any wooden flooring. It may not be possible to sweep the entire house day in and day out. In that case, make sure to sweep the areas of high traffic or frequent footfalls. These mostly include the entryways and the hallways in typical residential properties. By maintaining this simple routine, you can ensure fewer scuffs on your wooden floor.
- #2 – Use the vacuum every day
Vacuuming the house every day is also as helpful in maintaining hardwood floors as sweeping. Sweeping may miss out on picking a fine particle or the other from the floor. This is why vacuuming is so important. Moreover, the strong suction of a vacuum also comes into play. It picks up dust and debris from crevices, cracks, and between the planks of any hardwood flooring surface.
While vacuuming any wooden floor, you should turn the setting on hard floor on. This turns off the beater bar or the brush roll. Thus, there is no chance of scratching the wooden floor. Many people also make use of a flat attachment to save these floors from bristles. Obviously, you do not want to scuff the floor surface while cleaning, says a hardwood floor cleaning service professional.
- #3 – Hardwood floors also need moping
Water is harmful to wood. But yes, wooden floors do require moping. However, you must be very careful while mopping any wooden floor surface. Make sure your mopping effort does not involve any excess water. It is also important to get hold of right floor cleaner. Apply it to the floor along with a just damp mop and the results will be stunning.
As far as mopping hardwood floors is concerned, do not ever overdo it. You should not allow water to pool on the floor surface. If you use excess water to mop the floor, there is always the chance for wood to swell. This is why cotton mops are not ideal for mopping wooden floors with. You should always use a microfiber mop to clean hardwood floors. Skilled and experienced professionals working at VIP Carpet Cleaning London explain microfiber mops require less water for soaking. Moreover, these do not leave you dripping wet unlike cotton mops. According to an estimate, microfiber mops absorb 20 times less water than their cotton counterparts.
