Tips for cleaning your hardwood floors
Regular sweeping and dust mopping your hardwood floors is the best way to keep them looking great in any season. But now and then, you need to dig a little deeper and give your floors a good scrubbing.
With the weather being wetter and colder, and the footwear more intense, you are going to see a lot more dirt, grime, snow, sleet, mud, etc., dragged through you home. Keeping your floors clean requires a little more effort. You can take preventative measures to keep your floors clean, but at some point you’re going to have to get out the mop and the bucket.
Sweep and dust your hardwood floors regularly
For weekly (or daily) use, stick to a broom with soft bristles and a dust-mop. Or use a vacuum cleaner with the brush attachment, so you don’t scrape scratch the finish on your floors. For the dirtier times, you’ll need to get a good cleaning agent, and gently mop up the grime on your floors.
We’re not going to advertise for one cleaning agent or another, but we do have a few tips to when you start mopping your floors.
Avoid too much water when you’re mopping your hardwood floors
Wood and water are natural enemies, so don’t just slosh a bunch of soapy water over your floors and swirl it around. Wring out the mop so that it is damp, not dripping wet, when you go to clean the floor. If your cleaning solutions requires that you wipe down the floors after cleaning, be sure to use fresh, clean water and then go over your floors again with a damp mop.
Hopefully, the stain will now be gone, but if you still see areas of dirt on your floors, get a soft cloth and use some elbow grease to get that stain out. If you have a hard finish on your floors, chances are most stains will remain on top and be easy to wipe off.
Soft finish may hold onto dirt and grime
For floors with a softer finish, dust can sometimes get buried deep in the wood. If this is the case, you may need to look into re-staining that area. Be careful, even if you use the same finish and the same color, the end results may still not match.
Don’t let a little dirt and grime keep you from hardwood floors. Sure, they may get dirty and scratched over time, but with minimal effort and care, they’ll last you a lifetime. And, you can always sand and refinish.
