We all want clean, magazine-ready wood floors inside our homes. However, the reality is that floors can end up looking dingy from the wear and tear of everyday life. Things get even more complicated once you realize that many of the popular cleaning products and techniques that people use today can actually harm floors and leave them looking worse. What’s the secret to maintaining wood floors perfectly? Knowing which tips to embrace and which tips to avoid can save your floors. Take a look at the cleaning tactics you should and shouldn’t use when cleaning your wood floors.
Do Practice Routine Cleaning
You should never let your fear of improperly cleaning your wood floors keep you from developing a routine. A consistent cleaning schedule is the best way to ensure that your floors aren’t being neglected and left vulnerable to stains. People living in homes with pets or children will probably need to create cleaning schedules that are a little more robust. People living in homes without pets or children have a little more freedom when it comes to going a few days between cleaning sessions. The most important thing is that you develop a routine and stick to it. Of course, spontaneous cleaning sessions are also very important when it comes to addressing the spills that occur in day-to-day life. Never allow spills to sit on your flooring. The likelihood of a stain being left behind increases with every second a substance is allowed to sit on wood flooring. Stains aren’t just bad because they’re unflattering. Stains also have the ability to seep beneath the surface and severely damage your wood floors.
Don’t Use a Wet Mop on Your Wood Floors
Mopping a kitchen seems intuitive to many of us. However, mops should only be used in kitchens with tile, vinyl or similar flooring styles. Wood floors and mops are not friends. A wet mop can damage wood flooring and lead to costly repairs and replacements. Mops aren’t the only offenders that should be avoided. Any product that directly applies moisture to your wood floor is a potential recipe for disaster. Moisture can cause floors to warp very easily. The type of damage that occurs when wood floors are exposed to moisturize can be very difficult to fix.
Do Use a Vacuum To Clean Wood Floors
A good vacuum is probably the most important tool when it comes to keeping wood flooring properly maintained. Daily vacuuming can ensure that food particles, dirt from outside and other damaging factors don’t become embedded in your wood floors. Investing in a portable and powerful vacuum makes it easy to do a quick vacuuming session each evening. In addition to helping to make your floors look amazing, vacuuming also ensures that your home is a safe and hygienic place for your family.
Don’t Use Harsh Cleaning Products on Wood Floors
Simply strolling down the cleaning aisle of your local grocery store and picking up whatever looks good is not a smart strategy for taking care of your wood floors. Harsh cleaners may seem attractive because they offer a way to cut through dirt and bacteria. However, the same ingredients that tackle dirt and bacteria can strip away the finish of your wood floor. This could reduce the lifespan of your wood flooring by years and leave them looking dull or discolored. It’s important to be aware of the fact that even some products that are labeled as being appropriate for wood floors can still cause damage.
Do Get Creative With Natural Solutions
It doesn’t always take harsh chemicals to clean wood floors. A product containing harsh chemicals should be a last resort because it can destroy your floors. In addition, trying to remove substances that are stuck to the floor using strong scraping devices or materials like steel wool can really harm your floors. Did you know that you can actually use ice to remove things like candy, gum and other sticky substances from your floor? Applying ice will harden the substance you’re trying to remove and make it easier to scrape it from the floor without making scratch marks.
