Wooden Floor Cleaning Tips for Homeowners

07/17/2019

There is no denying the fact that all of us love our wooden floors. However, keeping them beautiful over a period of time is not easy at all. Getting rid of grime and dirt by regular cleaning is critical to the health of all wooden floors. Luckily, however, there are certain wooden floor cleaning tips and tricks that can help maintain sparkling floors that all of us want.

Identify the Finish:

Before we start cleaning our wooden floors, we must gather adequate idea about the finish of the floor.  Please remember that cleaning wooden floors is more about the finish, and less about the wood. Therefore, figuring out the type of finish is your first task. In general, new wooden floors are surface-sealed using water and stain resistant materials such as urethane, polyacrylic, and polyurethane. It is also common these days to find floors with sealants like lacquer, varnish, shellac, penetrating seal, oil finish, etc. In some instances, unfinished floors are also found.

It is not very difficult to determine the finish of a wooden floor. Rub your finger on the floor and check for smudging. If you notice a smudging of the floor, there is a high likelihood that the sealant used is oil finish, lacquer, penetrating seal, varnish, or shellac.  On the other hand, if it doesn’t, urethane, polyacrylic, or polyurethane has been used to seal the surface.

• Surface-sealed Floors: Wood flooring sealed using urethane, polyacrylic, or polyurethane is the easiest to clean. You just need to sweep the floor and mop it with a dishwashing soap and warm water. However, please make sure that the mop is not soaked. Please remember that regardless of the types of seal, excessive water can damage the floor.
• Oil-treated or Penetrating Seal-treated Floors: It can be a little tricky to clean wood floors with oil treatment or penetrating seal. Cleaning of these floors demands a paste or liquid wax treatment from time to time. The floors can also be mopped, but the mop must be damp.
• Lacquered, Varnished, or Shellacked Floors: Just as in oil-treated and penetrating seal-treated floors, these floors also require liquid or paste wax treatment. Additionally, a dishwashing soap mixture with water can be used for mopping up grime.

Cleaning Techniques:

Apart from using damp mops, there are some other effective tricks for the cleaning of wood flooring. Mentioned below are some of the best ways to clean wood floors that have been surface-sealed.

• Avoid Furniture Sprays: Please note that if your wooden floor has been surface-sealed, you don’t need wax or oil to make it shine. This process is complicated, time consuming, and may make your floor extremely slippery.
• Use Gentle Cleansers: Always avoid cleansing products with abrasive formulas, or high levels of ammonia or alkalinity. All these materials pose the potential threat of creating scratches on the floor. Instead, mix a pH-balanced soap in warm water for this purpose. Dip the mop into the mixture until it is damp, and clean the floor surface.
• Avoid Using Vinegar: It is true that vinegar is a commonly used ingredient for DIY cleaning. However, when it comes to wooden floors, you must make it a point not to use it. Use of vinegar will make the floor appear gloomy and dull. Similarly, you must not use plain water because instead of lifting grime from the surface, water will only spread it around.
• Seek Recommendations: It is always a good idea to seek recommendation from the floor finisher with regards to what type of floor cleaner should be used. These guys generally have a wealth of experience about any specific floor type and a safe cleaner for these surfaces.
• Clean Frequently: One of the best ways to maintain the look of your wood floor is to clean it as frequently as possible. This is particularly essential for high traffic areas such as family rooms, kitchens, and dining rooms.
• Change Water while Cleaning: Your entire purpose will be defeated if you use dirty water for cleaning. Therefore, keep replacing the water from time to time throughout the cleaning process.
• Baking Soda for Scratches: Don’t panic if you discover a few scratches during the cleaning process. Apply baking soda in small amounts in the affected areas using a damp sponge. This will make the scratches and scuffs less noticeable.

If you have any further questions related to maintaining your wood floors, please contact us at Enoak. Over a period of more than twenty years, we have been turning heads with the outstanding design and performance of our wooden floors.