Tips on how to clean wood floors

Now that the spring is here, all the inches and corners of your home meet revision and thorough cleanliness. Well, although done on a regular basis, cleanliness involves different techniques and products according to the area, items and fabrics to be cleaned. When spring comes, it’s time to revise absolutely everything. Today we’re focusing on how to clean the wood floor. It dresses one’s home in warmth and adds to the hospitableness of the place and that is just one of the many reasons why it must be clean and shiny.

To some people, cleaning the wood floor seems just a piece of cake compared to other cleaning to-dos. Actually, they’re not wrong. It is easy. Still, even if there’s nothing difficult about it, there are some tips and things to keep in mind in order to make sure you get what you want: a shiny, 0-scratches, welcoming wood-floor. First things first: in order to prevent dirt from piling up, make sure you use door mats both outside and inside. They love dirt and dirt should love them, too. Use rugs and floor protectors under furniture and where the kids play.

Make sure you know the type of your wood floor. Successful cleaning starts with choosing the appropriate cleaning products. Don’t go for ammonia, bleach or abrasive cleaners. Pick the ones that suit your wood floor and start the cleaning process by taking your shoes off (thus, you won’t dirt the floor while it’s wet) and then continue by dusting the floor with a mop. You can opt for a vacuum cleaner as well as long as it comes with a floor-brush attachment. Removing dust and thus, scratching agents, will prolong the life of your floor. Yet, do not exaggerate with deep cleaning. Done when needed, it leads to miracles while when performed too often, it can shorten the life of the floor.

Now that the dust is no longer keeping your floor company, let’s move to the deep cleaning part. The cleaning products you chose to clean your wood floor come with the necessary instructions. It usually goes this way: you dilute some of that miracle maker in a bucket of water, then saturate a rag mop in it, give it a wring until it is almost dry and damp mop the wood floor. Make sure water doesn’t stand on the floor as it can only lead to damages. If the cleaning product requires it, rinse the wood floor with a mop dampened in clean water. In order to speed up the drying, turn on the ceiling fan or the air-conditioner.

When it comes to marks, things get a wee bit more difficult. Not impossible-to-do kind of difficult though. Before removing marks, make sure that the finish type of your wood floor is no mystery to you. If that stain is just on the surface, then the floor has a hard finish, like urethane. Finishes like this one are water and stain resistant. So, this makes them quite easy to clean. In this case, a soft, clean cloth will do the work. Don’t opt for steel wool, sandpaper or harsh chemicals as they can damage the finish.

If the mark is deeper, then we’re most probably talking about soft oiled finish. For heel marks on such finishes, floor wax rubbed in with steel wool does miracles. As for oil-base stains, it is recommended to rub the spot with dishwashing detergent and a soft cloth and then to rinse with clean water. Use fine sandpaper to smooth the raised grain. When it comes to water marks and white stains, go for steel wool and floor wax. For deep marks, sand the floor lightly and clean it with odorless mineral spirits and fine steel wool.

You know, you can turn this task into one of your relaxing moments. Play some of your favorite tunes, get those wood floor cleaning products ready (they smell absolutely great, besides the fact that they do a great job) and just dance to those sounds!

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