Do you know it can be tedious and tiring to clean hardwood floors? It can be as hard as spending hours scrubbing the floor. If you experience any of the above, this article is the right guide for you. We will be talking about the tips to clean your hardwood floor and how to maintain your floor. Before we get started, let me briefly define the hardwood floor.
Hardwood floors are engineered wood floors made up of three layers of solid wood and a protective layer. The three layers consist of the backing layer, core, and the face layer. The protective layer is referred to as the finishing layer.
It’s important to protect your luxury investment and understand how to clean hardwood floors, whether you’ve had a hardwood floor for years or just had a new one installed. Believe it or not, it has a little more to it than using any old broom or a mop. The way you’re used to cleaning your floors may be doing more harm than good. It, therefore, requires you to follow some guidelines or hire the service of local companies.
Life is full of hacks and lucky for you a lot of floor cleaning hacks, and some great local companies give the best wood flooring in Salt Lake City, Utah. Let’s look at some of the best tips and tricks on how to clean hardwood floors;
Hardwood Floors: Preventive Maintenance
You can reduce the amount of time you spend cleaning your hardwood floor by following these simple preventive measures;
- To lower the amount of dirt, place foot mats inside and outside the house.
- During snowy and rainy weather, ensure there’s a boot removal area to prevent damage that comes from water and di-icers.
- Use floor protectors and rugs where children play to avoid scratch on the floor.
- Clean up spills immediately to prevent damaging the floor. A damp cloth or microfiber comes in handy for spot cleaning.
- You can also consider using UV clothing on your home window.
- Lastly, pointy things can be a disadvantage to hardwood floors. Your high heel can leave imprint and scratches on hardwood floors.
Hardwood Floors: Basic Care
Do you know that hardwood floor cleaning tips can be handy in your day to day cleaning? You can quickly speed up things by following the basic care I will list below;
- Dust the floor with a mop that has been treated with a dusting agent to remove dust and dirt that might scratch the ground.
- If it’s a weekly or bi-weekly cleaning, clean with a floor brush attached to an electric broom or vacuum cleaner.
- Do not attach a beater bar to your vacuum cleaner to prevent scratches on the finishing layer of your hardwood.
Note: For fast cleaning, you can get disposable cloths at groceries and stores.
Hardwood floors: Cleaning it deeper
When I say deeper cleaning, I mean some dirt or stains don’t go entirely with the weekly or bi-weekly cleaning. You can consider the deeper cleaning during the winter holiday or spring.
To carry out your deeper cleaning, you can follow these outlined steps;
- Use a wood cleaning product and dilute according to the prescription on the label.
- Put a sponge or rag into the mixture. Then squeeze until it’s slightly dry.
- Clean the floor, making sure water doesn’t remain on the floor.
- Rinse the sponge or rag in clean water. Note that some cleaning product doesn’t support rinsing in water.
- If the weather is muggy, you can speed up drying of your hardwood floor by turning on the fan or air conditioner.
Hardwood floors: How can you remove marks?
Many local hardwood floor cleaners find this aspect very difficult because removing marks from hardwood is something that comes with a lot of tricks. Some hardwood cleaning services have also dealt with this particular aspect for some time now without a solution.
You will get the tips and tricks you will need to be a pro at removing marks from hardwood floors in this section.
Before you remove stains from your hardwood floor, make sure you consider your floor’s finish. If stain remains on the surface, there’s a higher tendency your floor has a hard finish, such as Water-Based Polyurethane or Wax. If the stain has penetrated the floor, there is a possibility the floor is a soft oiled finish. The soft oiled finish is typical in old homes that’s has not been resealed.
For a floor that has a hard finish, you can wipe the stain with a clean cloth. Never use anything that will damage the finishing layer ultimately.
While for the soft oiled finishes, follow this hardwood floor cleaning tips and tricks;
- Eraser: You can use the regular pencil eraser, though there are specialized hardwood-flooring rubber erasers that work well on stubborn marks. Note that if it’s used repeatedly, it can cause dulling of the hardwood surface.
- WD–40 type product: This is safe, and it makes your product shine after use. Make sure you wipe thoroughly after use to stay off the slippery floor.
- Toothpaste or baking soda: Use a clean, damp cloth or a toothbrush that’s moisturized to the marking area. If the surface is scratched or pitted, toothpaste and baking powder can leave a chalky residue on your floor.
- Mineral spirits (Naptha): You can remove stains easily with this, costing little time and less effort. It would be best if you were careful while using this because it’s caustic and flammable.
- Fine steel wool: For stubborn marks on dark wood. You can make use of fine steel wool (#00 or #000), though it can cause dulling and abrade the wood. If your floor is waxed, try and coat the wool in a waxing solution before you start.
Conclusion
Hardwood flooring makes home beautiful if the tips and tricks given in this guide are used appropriately. If you also think the steps presented are too much or it’s something you can’t handle, you can hire the service of local companies, and they offer excellent hardwood floor refinishing in Utah.