Foot traffic and accidental spills can put a lot of strain on hardwood floors. But wise measures help keep your wooden floors in good condition. For example, you can use foot mats, rugs, and the like to lessen unnecessary contact with the hardwood surface. However, these ‘veneers’ can’t substitute the need to clean your hardwood floors.
It’s not difficult to maintain your newly installed floors. But this ease is dependent on if you undertake the sanitation correctly. Most times, you only need to clean the floor regularly with a moist mop and a neutral solution when it appears dull.
Also, you may need well-bristled mats at different entry points. Likewise, ensuring dirty shoes are left outside is key to a clean floor. Here’s more on how to clean hardwood floors.
Regular Cleaning Routine For Hardwood Floors
You may effectively clean hardwood floors with a simple brush, dust mop, or vacuum at least once a week. However, the amount of traffic your hardwood floors see may need you to increase this frequency.
Firstly, you should dust your wood floors with a mop that has a dusting chemical treatment. This action will remove dust, debris, and pet dander from the wooden surface.
Microfiber mop heads are among the perfect instruments for cleaning hardwood floors. The mops easily collect dirt and filth. Meanwhile, you shouldn’t use wood floor cleaners or dusting sprays unless the mop maker recommends it. Some mops don’t need additional cleaning agents.
Furthermore, vacuuming is an essential part of maintaining hardwood floors. Therefore, it’s advisable to vacuum with a floor brush attachment weekly or bimonthly.
Remember to remove the beater bar attachment from any vacuum you use to clean your hardwood floors. This caution will ensure your hardwood floors are clean without damage.
A Guide to Thoroughly Cleaning Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floor cleaning is best done with preventative measures and regular cleaning. However, there are times when deeper cleaning becomes necessary. This need is because weekly dusting doesn’t remove all the accumulated debris and grime.
Thoroughly cleaning a floor requires using a wood floor mop and a wood floor cleaning product diluted per the manufacturer’s directions.
Firstly, put the sponge or mop in water, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Afterwards, ensure no lingering water on the floor post damp mopping.
Rinse your floor surface if the directions on the cleaning product advise it. Once again, look around to remove any extra liquid spill as soon as possible. This precaution is to avoid water damage to your wood surfaces.
Additionally, turn on your standing/ceiling fan or air conditioner when it’s muggy outside. This action hastens the drying process. When your floor no longer shines after thorough cleanings, it likely needs refinishing.
Related Article: Can you use Engineered Wood Flooring in a Bathroom?
Hardwood Floor Cleaners That Work Best
You need to make specific inquiries when you install your new hardwood floor. And one such question is to ask your floor maker questions regarding the best hardwood floor cleaner. A special cleaner for their product may be available for you to use.
There are cases when you can’t reach your floor’s manufacturer. You can alternatively use a product designed especially for wood floor cleaning.
Meanwhile, avoid using vinyl or tile floor cleaners since they may damage wood floors instead of cleaning them. It’s also important to note that you should look out for Greenguard Gold-certified hardwood floor cleaners. They’re safe to use in homes with children and pets because they don’t contain harmful chemicals.
If you have a recipe for homemade flooring cleaners, you can use them too. But ensure the cleaning solution isn’t wrong for your floor by testing first on a tiny floor patch.
Vinegar for Hardwood Floor Cleaning
Vinegar use is one of the best ways to clean hardwood floors. Using this household liquid to clean hardwood floors saves you money and protects your floor with its natural content. Cleaning and maintaining hardwood floors with vinegar is quite easy too.
Add half a cup of white vinegar to a gallon of warm water to disinfect wood floors. To prevent water damage to hardwood floors, ensure you follow the tips for cleaning hardwood floors earlier provided. Then, use vinegar to clean the remainder of your residence naturally!
Note: Before using vinegar to clean your hardwood floors, test your solution in an inconspicuous area first.
Removal of Hardwood Floor Stains
Before attempting to remove a cogent stain from wood floors, consider the finish of your flooring. Your floor likely has a strong finish like urethane if the stain is visible on the surface.
If the stain permeates through the wood, it indicates a soft oil finish. You’ll find finishes like gentle oils in old condos where floors haven’t been resealed.
Use a clean, soft cloth to remove surface stains from hard-surface flooring. Abrasive materials such as sandpaper or strong chemicals may permanently damage the wooden floor finish.
Hardwood floors that have been softly oiled can benefit from the following fixes. After these remedies, each stained region should be waxed and buffed to match the rest of the floor if necessary.
- Using steel wool and floor wax, remove any severe stains or pet debris from the surface.
- If the patch still appears unclean or dark, apply bleach or vinegar. Then allow it to soak in for about an hour.
- Rinse with a wet cloth and dry with a towel.
To get rid of those oil stains, white specks of dirt, water patches, and pesky heel marks:
- Dab some floor wax in with a piece of fine steel wool. This effort should clean heel marks.
- A tender cloth and dish soap will function for oil-based stain removal. Clean water is best for rinsing this soap off.
- Repeat the process if the first application fails. When you’re finished, keep kids and pets out of the room.
- After the place is dry, you can use sandpaper to sand down the elevated grain.
- To remove white spots or watermarks, use a combination of steel wool and floor wax on the affected area.
- Use fine steel wool and odourless mineral spirits to clean the floor if the stain is deeper.
Related Article: A Complete Guide To White Oak Floors
Summary
Having read up to this point, you should experience little or no difficulty maintaining clean hardwood floors. The right way to clean solid hardwood floors is by using recommended cleaning solutions. And by following the steps above, you can even get rid of stubborn stains.
LV Flooring is all about ensuring you have the perfect flooring experience. Look through our blog for more valuable hardwood flooring guides like this one.
