Hardwood floors add a touch of excellence to any room. Besides, it brings out a cool impression of nature. However, apart from all the glamour, it comes with, maintaining it is the elephant in the room. There has been an unending debate specifically on how you should clean hardwood floors. Today, we are going to end this debate by telling you exactly what you should keep in mind when cleaning and maintaining hardwood floors. So, without further ado, here are some great tips for cleaning and maintaining your hardwood floor.
Know the Finish
The most important thing you need to do after installing a hardwood flow in determining the finish. By knowing what kind of finish has been used, you will be able to make proper decisions on how you are going to be cleaning it and most importantly, what to use.
Surface-Sealed Floors: These are the most common and are sealed using urethane or polyacrylic. These floors are resistant to stain and water damage and are the easiest to clean.
Penetrating Seal and Oil-Treated Floors: This floor type is very delicate as it has been soaked in wood grain to make it harden. To clean such floors, you need to use liquid and paste wax to avoid water damage.
Lacquered, Shellacked or Untreated Floors: Even though they are technically surface-sealed floors, they are not resistant to water and stain damage.
For many hardwood floor owners, knowing their type of floor is the real issue. However, it is just a simple DIY test. Rub your finger on the floor and check if any smudge appears. Presence of smudge confirms that the floor has been treated and if no smudge appears, just know that it is a surface-sealed floor.
Always Use a Robot Vacuum Cleaner for Hardwood Floors
Even though most hardwood floor owners use a mop and water to clean their hardwood floors, this is very bad and might end up damaging your floor. Instead, invest in a robot vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors. A robot vacuum cleaner is the best tool for cleaning hardwood floors. These cleaners have been specially designed to clean hardwood floors without inflicting any damage or scratches on them.
Here is good article about. How to choose robot vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors.
One good thing about robot vacuum cleaners for hardwood floors is that they come with mop function. You can choose between dry and wet mopping. Because water damages hardwood floors, dry mopping is recommended. However, with those stains, grimes and pet paws, you can choose to do wet mopping. The good thing is that these cleaners have been engineered with superior features, for example, the i-Dropping technology that uses minimal water to clean your floor.
Insist on Routine Cleaning
Most hardwood floor installation companies advise that hardwood floors need to be cleaned daily. This is very important to avoid the buildup of stains and grimes that may cause the floor to get scratched when removing them. However, with tight schedules, it might be quite a tall order to be cleaning your floor daily. This takes me back to the above point on invest in a robot vacuum cleaner.
With a robot vacuum, you can just schedule it and it will help you clean your floor daily without needing your intervention. The convenience a robot cleaner offers is among the reasons why it is the best solution for hardwood floor cleaning.
Use the Right Cleaning Agent
Hardwood floors require special cleaning agents that guarantee zero damage and most importantly, help to keep floors in great condition. Ideally, the floor finisher will advise on what to use. If you are not sure on the right product, it is imperative that you get professional advice lest you damage your floor with an inappropriate cleaning agent.
If you find the appropriate cleaning agent is expensive or unavailable in your local market, you can settle on water and soap. This is regardless of whether you are using a robot vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors or just a bucket and a mop. The only thing you need to note here is that you should use minimal water. If you have a robot cleaner, you don’t need to worry about water usage because these cleaners have been optimized to use minimal water to prevent damage on floors.
Just for your floors safety, never use oil, furniture sprays, ammonia and alkaline products or even abrasive cleaners. These products have an adverse effect on hardwood floors and in some worst cases; they may render a newly installed hardwood floor totally damaged on a single use.
Keep your Floor Dry Always
One thing that is known to damage floors is water. You need to make sure that your floor is always dry. Ensure that all windows are closed when it is raining. A lot of homeowners ignore this simple maintenance practice forgetting that when water stays on the floor for more than 10 minutes, it soaks into the wood and will consequently damage the floor.
Also, ensure that you have a doormat to help visitors dry their feet when getting in the house. Pathways and high-traffic areas should also be carpeted with rags to prevent exposing them to a lot of dirt. With a lot of dirt, you will have to be cleaning these areas more often, something that may leave them faded.
Wrap Up
Hardwood floors are very expensive to install and bring an elegant look to any room. However, this elegant look needs to be taken care of or else it will quickly fade away. Most hardwood floor owners use water and a cloth to clean these floors. Even though it may seem to work, it is not the best cleaning method.
The best solution to cleaning hardwood floors I would say is by buying a robot vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors. These cleaners have been engineered to sweep, vacuum and mop hardwood floors leaving them clean and most importantly, in perfect condition. So, if you value your floor, make the right decision, use the right cleaning agents and above all, invest in a robot cleaner.
