Whether it’s solid, engineered, or reclaimed wood, all hardwood floors require similar maintenance to maintain their luster and keep them from enduring significant degradation. Hardwood can be difficult to manage if you aren’t keeping up with regular maintenance that staves off damage and keeps the wood shiny and fresh.
Sweep
If you have hardwood floors, you should sweep them daily. Sweeping the entire floor every day isn’t necessary, though. Instead, focus on high-traffic areas, especially those that are near doors that lead to the exterior of the home. These areas experience a build-up of dirt and debris. When you walk over this debris, you create pressure that scratches the surface of your wood floor and damages its finish. Keeping the floors clear of this dirt and debris can help to avoid unnecessary damage and mitigate the need for a more frequent recoat.
Vacuum
You should vacuum your hardwood floors about once a week. Sweeping keeps a lot of debris off of the floor, but a weekly vacuum gives the floor a deep clean and gets the more embedded dirt and debris out of the nooks and crannies, such as between the flooring planks. This also clears debris from the areas of the floor that don’t get swept daily, keeping the entirety of the floor safe from damage.
Mop
When mopping a hardwood floor, care is necessary. A traditional mop and bucket won’t work for this task because using a wet mop will cause the hardwood to swell. Instead, use a microfiber mop that requires significantly less water to get the same level of clean. This will allow you to give your hardwood floor a deep clean without the danger of causing serious damage that could result in needing a partial floor replacement.
Recoat
Keep an eye on your wood floor, so you know when it’s time to recoat. Doing this whenever the top layer of the hardwood show noticeable wear will maintain its luster and boost its longevity. A hardwood floor that is well-maintained will last for decades—there are original hardwood floors in homes built back in the 1800s!
Cleaners
The right cleaner varies depending on the floor you have, so the best option is to use whatever is recommended by the manufacturer. That said, there are cleaning products you should always avoid regardless of what kind of hardwood floor you have. Most importantly, any cleaning product that promises to polish or rejuvenate your wood floor, or other similar language, should never be used. These products have added chemicals that will give your floor some extra shine at first but then will become cloudy, which will require extra cleaning to remove.
Cleaning Tips and Services from A 360 Cleaning
A 360 Cleaning has provided Maryland with top-notch professional cleaning and janitorial services for over 12 years. We don’t cut corners and ensure that every customer is satisfied with their cleaning. Whether you need a glitter spill cleaned up or an entire office building, we are happy to help! We currently serve the following areas: Baltimore, Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Severna Park. To explore how we can help keep your windows clean all year long, give us a call at 410-852-5800 or visit us online. For more cleaning tips, follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Tags: floor cleaning, hardwood floor care, hardwood floor maintenance, hardwood floors, wood floors