Cleaning Hardwood Floors
Top Tips For Cleaning Hardwood Floors
Cleaning hardwood floors should not be as much hassle as it may seem, as they normally do not need as much cleaning as many stone or other natural materials do. When properly finished and sealed, hardwood floors are relatively low maintenance. Keeping them dusted and resisting heavy buildup from waxes and glistening agents are a more important focus, and we will certainly touch on those areas. Most importantly, we will discuss cleaning hardwood floors in a manner which makes it easy for the one charged with their care, and that discussion begins with the proper cleaning agents.
We spend a lot of time preventing scratches and gouges to our hardwoods, as they can be extremely expensive to repair and replace. Before deciding on your methods of cleaning hardwood floors, you may want to spend some effort preventing damage in high traffic areas. If your hardwoods extend to a main doorway, for instance, investing in a high quality landing rug or thick matt will highly reduce the instances of wear and scuffing in that area. Runners, backed with safe rubber linings, should help to reduce your cleaning time as well in frequented areas through your kitchen or living room. This will make the business of cleaning hardwood floors much less laborious.
There are a great many oil soaps on the market, and a high quality, low buildup formula will do quite nicely for most types of hardwoods. It is most important to note that using too much water when cleaning hardwood floors can cause streaks and damage, so knowing just how much moisture to use is also key. Use a large bucket when you are ready to begin, and dissolve a small amount of oil soap into water as hot as your hands can stand, if you are made to wring the mop yourself. If your mop has a self-wringing feature, then the hotter the water the better. This will help it not only to cut through tough grime areas, but to evaporate quickly, leaving a nice clean shine.
If your water should become too cold or dirty while cleaning hardwood floors, don’t be afraid to change it for hot, clean water as often as needed. Once the entire floor has been cleaned to a shine you should feel free to replace your protective rugs and mats. Cleaning hardwood floors should only need to be done twice a week or so. You can do this more often, but dusting and spot cleaning should suffice for most floors. Once each four times that you clean your hardwood floors with oil soap, you may want to do your cleaning with a mild white vinegar instead. This will prevent a buildup of the natural oils within your favorite cleanser.