In all honesty, it is not very hard to achieve properly cleaned floors, especially if you know how to stay ahead of the game.
Keep your gritty boots and shoes at the doorstep, put down tough-bristled mats, vacuum, sweep, and dry-mop often, and anytime the flooring looks dull and dirty, get into all the nooks and corners, and clean it thoroughly with a neutral solution and a damp mop.
Here, in this article, we will discuss some cleaning the hardwood floors without causing any damage.
Table of Contents
Maintenance and Cleaning Steps
‘Typically, in every household, the wooden floors must be cleaned at least four to six times every year for it to look new and clean for long,’ comments Sara, a reviewer who did the best balding clippers review for Razorhood. Now, let us take a look at some effective methods for cleaning and maintenance of your flooring.
Pick a Soft-Bristled Broom Angled.
To reach the corners and keep your flooring clean, you need to conduct a pre-emptive action.
‘You can vacuum your hardwood flooring with a soft floor nozzle. Using brush rolls and carpet beaters can significantly damage the flooring’s finishing,’ states Micheal, a reviewer with TBF who did the best telescopic fishing rods review.
You can use the robot vacuum cleaners. Pick one that lasts you for an hour minimum before it runs out of juice and is good at cleaning the corners. It would help if you treated the sticky debris instantly with a damp clean cloth, a vigorous rub, and a mini squirt of hardwood floor cleaning. Homeowners who do not like crouching can plant one foot onto the rag.
Further, lift all the pet hair and dust using a microfiber mop head treated with a positive electric charge. This will help it capture negative-ion ephemera. Ensure that you have the mop head continually moving with the grain.
You can do this with a flat-head damp-mop and a microfiber string mop or microfiber pad, which has been wrung out completely whenever it seems dingy. Next, move with grain and only a tiny amount of cleaning solution. You can use the spray bottle to control the amount of solution you spray.
You do not need more than a gentle squirt or heavy mist of approximately ½ teaspoon for every two square feet. You do not have to buff or rinse here, and the soft socks or cloth diapers will work well here.
Tips to Prevent any Major Damage
Never Ignore the Sticky or Wet Spills.
The sticky or wet spills never go away on their own. So, whenever you spill some juice on the floor or shoot an ice cube under the table, take immediate action.
You Do Not need Heavy Equipment.
You may think of deep cleaning with heavy equipment but think twice before you decide on that. Why? ‘If you use a floor-cleaning machine meant for tougher flooring or attack your hardwood flooring with a broom designed for the garage, you damage the flooring’s finish,’ comments Danny, a review who did the best composting toilets for tiny houses review.
Using the Wrong Cleaning Product
Some products are simply not cut for the hardwood flooring, and if you still use them, they will have repercussions. For instance, experts believe that the Murphy Oil Soap leaves a residue on polyurethane.
Further, if you use paste wax, it can make the flooring slippery. Also, the acrylic polishes that claim to help you get rid of the glow when you put more on only dull polyurethane. All you have to do is remove the grime, and your flooring will automatically shine.
For this ensure that you only use the products that are designed exclusively for your hardwood floors.
Never Use Too Much Water
Overly wet mops and the standing water can seep moisture between the boards, or via the tiny tears in-between finish, which appear when the wood expands or shrinks with weather. This exposure to moisture can damage the hardwood flooring over time.
You Do Not Need Steam Cleaning
‘Steam cleaning is not for the hardwood floor. These must be saved strictly for vinyl, linoleum, or tile flooring only,’ advises Zac, an educator who offers CDR writing services.
What to use for Cleaning Hardwood Floors?
If you are using a neutral solution, you need a pH level of seven, or comparable to cured poly. If the pH is higher, the solution can be very alkaline. However, the lower pH can works fine, if you require an all-purpose cleaner. Hence, in the case of hardwood flooring, this is not a viable option.
Can I use Vinegar for Cleaning Hardwood Flooring?
Never, we repeat, never use baking soda solutions or vinegar for hardwood floor cleaning. Dated remedies, such as dish detergent or vinegar, cannot perform the job, which specially-designed cleaning solutions can do. At times, they even damage or dull the polyurethane.
How to Have the Wooden Floors Shine?
Here are some components that you need to check in the ready-made solutions designed for hardwood floor cleaning.
- Surfactants– They loosen the dirt and grease, emulsify them, and then move to the mop head. This ingredient is present in Rejuvenate’s Hardwood Floor Cleaner.
- Solvents:Solvents can accelerate the drying process and lower exposure to moisture. They also speed up the whole process and minimize the filmy and streaking build-up.
- Oxidizers:These can facilitate hydrogen peroxide release to bust up the dirt accumulated on the long-neglected floors.
- Citric Acid – The citrus acid breaks the dirt and works with alkaline ingredients to get you a neutral pH.
So, these are some tips that can help you clean and maintain your hardwood flooring without causing any damage. Have more such tips to add to the list? Let us know in the comment box below, and we will share it with our readers.
