Wood is often considered a type of flooring which is not that tough to maintain. Hardwood flooring enhances the look of your home, are strong and durable, and maintains good air quality; these are among the many benefits of switching to wooden flooring. Even though it is easy to maintain, there is still a need for properly maintaining and cleaning wooden floors. In the following, a brief insight has been given for cleaning wood floors, so that it keeps on giving you the same gleaming effects and maintains the aesthetic look of your home for a long time.
In general, all types of flooring need basic care, like the following:
- They need to be vacuumed or dry mopped at regular intervals
- Water should be sparingly used for finished floorings and completely avoided for the unfinished floors
- Using rugs or doormats at the entrance to any rooms
- Furniture should be placed on rubber floor protectors
- Avoid using shoes while cleaning hardwood floors.
To begin with, it is important to understand the important aspects of wood flooring that is, the two types of wood finishes as the care and cleaning required is different for these two types.
- Finished wooden floorings
- Unfinished wooden floorings
Steps for cleaning finished wooden floorings:
- Most of the modern hardwood floorings are finished which means they are coated with urethane, polyacrylic, and polyurethane, the heavy-duty, hard wearing sealants that protect the wood beneath them and are both waterproof and stain resistant.
- As it is waterproof, for cleaning hardwood floors, we can easily make use of water with Sud-producing soaps, like mild detergents and dishwashing liquids.
- Be sure to wring out the mop thoroughly before using it on the floor and run the mop back and forth, moving with the grains of the wood in smooth strokes.
- Use a cloth to lift the soapy residue and rub the floor in gentle circular motions to bring a shine or sparkle to the floor.
Steps for cleaning unfinished wooden floorings:
The unfinished or lightly-finished hardwood floors are the ones which have got a matte finish and are not glossy.
- This type of flooring is not water resistant or waterproof because of the absence of the sealants; therefore, this type of flooring cannot be treated with water as once water seeps into the wood, it can weaken the fiber, causing watermarks to appear and it might help in the growth of mold and mildew.
- A dedicated floor wax can be used to treat any dirt or scratches.
- A ball of steel wool can be used to gently rub a small amount of floor wax into the stained areas until the marks are diminished or vanished. Try avoiding the use of wax often as an overusage can lead to discoloration of the stained area.
Cleaning wood floors is not a tough job. Only a little regular care could help you to retain the sparkle of your wooden floor for a very long time.
