Wood is making a dramatic comeback as a home flooring solution. More and more homeowners in Hoboken New Jersey are packing up their carpets and refurbishing the soothing natural wood they have kept underneath for quite some time. Some homeowners are also inclined to completely changing their flooring to wood. If you are thinking of going for wood floors you need to know the right ways on how to clean wood floors.
When you have wood floors in your home, you need to live with the constant reminder that wood floors look best when given regular care. That said here is an in-depth guide on how to clean wood floors to ensure yours always have an awesome shine.
Daily Routine
This can be a daily routine but if it is too tough on your schedule you may do this every other day.
Get rid of food debris, dirt, dust and pet hair. These are all abrasive and a huge build-up may scratch the wood floors. Use a dust mop, preferably a dry wool mop to clear all these contaminants. Wool mops do not move the dirt around in the same way disposable pads and brooms do. Wool mops holds onto the dirt until you wash or shake it outside.
Weekly Routine
You need to wet mop your wood floors once a week. Too much water can damage wood floors so avoid the bucket and sponge mops as they have more water than what you only need.
A spray bottle and a microfiber mop is what you need to efficiently wet mop your wood floors. The spray bottle is a good tool to control the amount of water that gets to the floor.
Seasonal Routine
Every quarter give your wood floors some deep cleaning with a vacuum cleaner minus its beater bar which can damage the floor. It is best to use the flooring attachment, bare-floor setting or the stick vacuum.
While you’re at it might as well vacuum the rugs on both sides, too. Make sure to also vacuum underneath the furniture. Move them for an easy reach. When you’re done vacuuming, do a thorough wet mopping with the spray bottle and microfiber mop.
Finish off your deep cleaning by applying some polish or floor freshener. Do this only once every quarter or anytime you feel the wood floor is losing its shine. Refer to the flooring manufacturers’ guide on how to go about these the proper way.
Cleaning Unfinished Wood
Unfinished wood comes with a matte surface while finish wood comes with a glossy surface. Very few homes in Hoboken New Jersey have unfinished wood floors and yours may be one of the few so you need to know how to clean unfinished wood.
Cleaning unfinished wood floors with water is a big NO! Wet wood can weaken its fibers and caused the appearance of watermarks. Wet unfinished wood floors can also cause the appearance of watermarks and promote the growth of mildew and molds.
Deal with scratches and dirt with floor wax and steel wool ball. Place a small amount of floor wax on the steel wool and gently rub it on the stained areas until you no longer see the stain marks. Make sure to use only a small amount of floor wax as too much will cause the wood floor to discolor.
Cleaning Finished Wood
Finished wood floors are coated with heavy duty sealants to protect the wood. Common waterproof and stain resistant sealants include polyacrylic, polyurethane and urethane. Since these wood floors are waterproof you can easily clean them with water and mild detergent or dishwashing liquid.
When cleaning wood floors with soap and water, make sure the mop is always just damp (wring off every so often). Although these floors are waterproof, the lesser water you use, the better.
Cleaning Wood Floors with Marks and Stains
No matter how careful you are there will be occasional marks and stains on your wood floors. These marks and stains become frequent when you have small children and pets. Well, adults can so spill a soda or a glazed donut and leave some marks and stains on the wood floor.
Attach a tennis ball at the end of a mop or broom. Dust mop the wood floor and use the ball to get rid of scuff marks from furniture and shoes.
Sticky messes such as tape or gum can be removed by gently rubbing the sticky object with vegetable or olive oil. Leave oil for a few minutes and wipe with a dry microfiber cloth. Wipe off the oil afterwards.
Use a pencil eraser to erase greasy marks on the floor. Dust mop the floor first before erasing the grease. Of course, do not forget to wipe off the oil.
Leave water stains on the wood floor for a few days. Cover the stain with a dry cloth and use a warm over the dry cloth for a few minutes. If this does not get rid of the stain, dip a microfiber cloth in lemon oil and rub the stained area.
Use a mop to immediately clean pet mess. Wipe with a mixture of vinegar and water (1:4) to get rid of the foul smell.
It is not difficult to clean wood floors as long as it is done regularly. Not cleaning wood floors for long periods of time will cause the floor to deteriorate fast. More importantly it is unhealthy to live in a home with dirty wood floors.