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How to Clean Hardwood Floors
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Every house is different. Every family is different. Every floor is different. It may take some time to get into a healthy routine for cleaning your floors. Having kids and large animals running through the house, and hairy pets leaving fluffy presents on your floor, will increase the frequency of necessary cleanings. The following directions are guidelines to keeping your floor hearty and beautiful. |
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For pre-finished floors: Consult the manufacturer for their required cleaning procedures to keep your floors under warrantee. |
Lack of properly cleaning floors is the #1 cause to needing an early professional fix. When dirt is left on a floor, it acts like sandpaper when walked on, or a rug or furniture is moved over it. Taking extra care with the "traffic patterns" in your home can double the time inbetween professional visits. |
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There are three types of cleaning for your floors. The first is done on an as-needed basis. Sweeping larger debris is the first way to prevent premature wear and tear. This will mainly need to be done in the kitchen near the refrigerator and countertops, and in and around the entrances most used to a garage or outside. |
The second type of cleaning is the most important cleaning, and
is much easier than most people anticipate. The solution used
can either be straight water, straight vinegar, or a mixture of the
two. Usually straight water works best in non-eating areas,
and approximately a 2-1 water-vinegar solution works best in the
kitchen. Vinegar cuts through grease whereas water will
not. Put the solution/water on either a terri rag, turkish
towel, or a bona mop (http://www.bona.com/en/US/Concepts_and_Systems/Floor_Care_-_3_Easy_Steps/)
and wipe your floors down. This only takes a minute or two,
even for a large room. Note: if your floors are not at
a commercially used location, Bona's cleaning solution is
usually unnecessary. Because no chemicals were used on the
applicator, you can put the dirty materials in the washing machine
and reuse them again next time you clean. Bona's mop costs
about $20 and can be bought at a hardware store or home supply
store. The Bona micro-fiber cloths get rid of 99.9% bacteria,
and can be washed up to 300 times each. Depending on your
home, this should be done once every 4/5 days - 2 weeks. |
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The 3rd type of cleaning is a wet-mop job. This procedure
should not be done more often than biweekly, as doing this too
often can minutely warp the wood from the accessive exposure to
moisture. Using a small ammount of Desert Sun (a product you
can purchase at our showroom), regular Mr. Clean, or Top Job, mop
on the diluted solution from a bucket to the areas and let air
dry. Typically, this should be done in place of every 4th
water/vinegar cleaning. |
For scuff marks or sticky spots that you just don't know how
they got there: You can use small ammounts of
regular Soft Scrub or GooBeGone. Rinse with water thoroughly
after use; Soft Scrub leaves a film that will attract more dirt and
harm your floor more than it just cleaned off; GooBeGone leaves
chemical residue (easily rinsed off with water) that will
eat away at the urethane slowly over time. |
DO NOT: Do not use Murphy's Oil
Soap. It leaves a waxy film that not only attracts more dirt
than was cleaned off with it, but also prevents us from doing a
screen and coat process. A screen and coat does not involve
the indepth sanding procedure and the downtime along with it, and
it is less expensive than sanding. Most cleaners are not good for your floor, even if it says "for
hardwood". Oil based urethane and water based urethane have
slightly different PH's. The cleaner used on your floors
should be as close to or identical to the urethane's PH. Most
cleaners are very basic (soapy products) or very acidic (Lysol or
ammonia); both are harmful to both the urethane and the wood.
Many "hardwood cleaners" are meant for funiture surfaces, which are
cleaned differently. If a hardwood furniture cleaner leaves a
"polish", remember you will be walking on, scuffing and creating
build-ups in the polish if it is used on the floor. |
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