5 Expert Tips for Cleaning and Taking Care of Hardwood Floors

Your flooring can help you make an impression on your visitors. More so if you have wooden floors.

The only caveat is that hardwood floors need proper care and cleaning. Otherwise, it will become lackluster and will not make an impact on your guest.

In this post, we will share five cleaning tips on how you can take care of your hardwood floors.

Determine Your Surface

The first step to cleaning your wooden floors properly is to know what kind of surface you have. Doing so can help you figure what cleaning products and materials you should use.

For instance, you can clean a sealed polyacrylic floor with water. But you should use it sparingly on a lacquered unfinished surface.

Regardless, you want to have a non-scratching broom, vacuum, and fiber cloth handy when cleaning your hardwood floor.

Cleaning Wood Floor with Protective Coating

Mix a suitable floor cleaner in water. Following your floor's grain, mop the floor using the solution. For stubborn dirt, dip a washcloth in the solution and rub it on the area moving inward.

Once done, you can rinse the surface with clean water and let it air dry naturally.

Your cleaner should not have bleach, furniture wax, or spray. That's because it can stain the wood and damage the floor's coating. Hence, you should read your floor cleaner's label carefully.

Cleaning Wood Floor without Protective Coating

The key to cleaning a real wooden floor without coating is to use water.

Following the grain, mop the floor with as little water as possible. Meaning the mop should be damp but entirely wrung out. For stubborn dirt, you can use a neutral cleaner and work it down with a clean cloth.

If you use a small amount of water, there is no need to wait for the floor to dry. Otherwise, you can wipe the floor with a clean, dry cloth.

Sweep the Floor Daily

Sweeping dust off of the floor is one of the underrated steps in keeping your hardwood floor clean.

Nonetheless, you should dust your floor daily to prevent your surface from getting scratched. Doing so can help extend the life of your floor. It also significantly reduces allergens in your home.

PRO TIP: Use a microfiber cleaning material when sweeping your floor. That's because it uses a static charge that helps lift dust and allergens off the floor.

Clean it Weekly

Debris builds upon the wooden floor over time. Hence, you should clean it regularly.

It is just a matter of looking for a cleaner suitable for the kind of surface you have. At Cleaning Exec Home Cleaning Services NYC, we recommend using a broom with angled soft bristles when sweeping the floor. It is also best to follow the floor's grain.

Polish the Floor Quarterly

To maintain your hardwood floor's shine, we suggest polishing it once every three months. Just remember to sweep and clean the floor before doing so.

We recommend using water-based floor polish. That's because they do not leave any residue and emit harmful toxins. It also helps restore your floor's shine.

Once the floor is polished, follow it up with vacuuming. This is to ensure that there is no dust and dirt on the surface.

Make it a Routine

Cleaning a wooden floor is not a one-and-done deal. After all, it is one of the most used surfaces in your home.

Plus, rain, mud, snow, and changing seasons can dull your hardwood floor through time. Hence, it takes effort to make your hardwood floor always looking great and clean.

That said, you should stick to a schedule of when to clean your floor.

Conclusion

The key to taking care of and cleaning your hardwood floors is not to scratch the surface. They may be robust, but that they are also sensitive. And your cleaning methods and solutions can damage your wood floor.

Hence, a soft broom and vacuuming will do. If you are unsure if a cleaning product is appropriate for your floor, we suggest testing it in a hidden part of the room. That way, the damage will not be too apparent in case the clean is unsuitable.

Regardless, regular cleaning allows you to prevent the build-up of dust and dirt on your floor. It will also make your periodic deep cleaning more effortless for you to accomplish.