Hardwood floors are a gorgeous addition to any home. They add warmth and luxury, and they are extremely durable. Learning how to clean your hardwood floors and protect them from damage is essential for protecting and maintaining them for a long time. Since dirt and grime is far more noticeable on wooden floors than carpets, cleaning your hardwood floors may seem like high maintenance. However, once you establish your own cleaning routine, cleaning wooden floors really isn’t that difficult.
It’s easy to keep your hardwood floors looking great by following these top tips from the professionals.
Dust Your Hardwood Floors Thoroughly
The first step to clean hardwood floors is dusting. You can use multiple dusting methods to clear your wooden floors of debris such as microfibre cloths, a dustpan and brush, or a hoover with a soft brush attachment.
Depending on the amount of traffic and the number of pets you have in your home, you will need to dust your floors at least once a week for the best results. Giving your wooden floors a thorough dusting will be your best defence against dirt buildup and potential surface damage, such as scratches.
Mop Your Floor Using Minimal Water
Moping your floors is important. However, it is essential to remember that water is wood’s worst enemy, so you must use a damp mop rather than a soaking wet one.
Simply dip your mop into a bucket of water, wring out completely and mop in the direction of the wood grain. Repeat this process until the water in your bucket is dirty. Then empty the bucket, mix a batch of cleaning solution suitable for your wooden floor and continue moping. Once you’ve used the cleaning solution, go back over your floors with clean water on a damp mop to rinse the floor.
Top Tip: If you have waxed wooden floors, do not mop them as this can damage the surface. Instead, just vacuum and sweep your waxed floors regularly and then, once a year, strip the old wax and apply a fresh new coat of paint.
Polish Your Floors Once a Month
Polishing your hardwood floors once a month not only keeps them looking great, but it fills in all those little scratches that have built up over the floor surface over time. Polishing your wooden floors is not a difficult task and can be done easily and with minimal effort. You can find wooden floor polish at most hardware stores. Simply follow the instructions on the label and your floors will look as good as new!
Once a Year, Consider a Deep Clean!
With all the abuse our hardwood floors receive over the years, it is worth giving your floor a thorough deep clean or a sand and refinish every couple of years. Sanding and refinishing your floors, repairs all the damage that has been done over time and leaves you with immaculately clean hardwood flooring you can be proud of!
Clean Your Wooden Floors Regularly
To make cleaning your hardwood floors easier, it is important to add cleaning your wooden floors into your weekly routine. It is especially important to clean your wooden floors regularly in high-traffic areas, such as the dining rom or kitchen, where you should sweep daily and mop once or twice a week.
Top Tip: For those scuff marks that appear on your floor every once in a while, there is a simple solution; baking soda on a damp sponge! This will erase all scuff marks on your hardwood floors in minutes.
How to Prevent Dirt on Your Hardwood Floors
To make your cleaning efforts easier, it is helpful to prevent dirt buildup. Preventing dirt buildup on your wooden floors is easy. Simply place doormats at entryways to prevent dirt and moisture being tracked into your home. And avoid scratches by using floor protectors under your furniture or putting down rugs in high-traffic areas. These tips are real time-savers, so you’re bound to find them helpful!
Cleaning Methods to Avoid on Wooden Floors
If you have wooden floors, it is important you avoid using vinegar or soap-based cleaning products, and wax or steam cleaners, as these can damage the floor’s finish over time. Instead, simply dust and sweep your floors regularly to keep them looking as good as new.
Finding the best way to clean your hardwood floors can take time, but once you have included cleaning your floors in your regular routine, you will be able to keep your floors looking their very best!
Hire Our Floor-Cleaning Professionals
If the thought of cleaning your hardwood floors is stressful a stressful one, or you simply don’t have the time to maintain them, call Why Bother Cleaning today. We have domestic cleaners available who would be more than happy to clean your floors for you, as often as you need.
All our cleaners have been fully trained and are experts at cleaning wooden floors. They will have yours looking as good as new in no time at all – and with no effort needed on your part! If you would like to know more, give our team a call today.
Do you want to know how to clean one of the most hard-to-clean areas of your home? Read more here.