How to do Maintenance and Cleaning of Wood Floors?
When life gets a little messy, having easy to clean floors can be a boon. If you have kids/pets in the house, you can imagine how hard it gets to clean and maintain hardwood flooring. Solid oak flooring and engineered oak flooring are a delight to have, and they rank high on the cleaning processes as well.
To keep wooden flooring up and running, you need to clean and maintain it regularly, so that there is no permanent damage. This will not only enhance the look and feel of your floors, but also extend their lifetime, giving you damage free floors for years and years to come.
What does regular cleaning entail?
Regular cleaning procedures include sweeping, vacuuming and even dust mopping, to wipe the layer of dust settling on the surface. This would in turn mean that there is a lot you can still do to ensure your floors shine throughout the day.
When you are cleaning floors, it is important to note you don’t let any liquid sit on the surface for long periods of time. Wooden flooring, like solid oak flooring and engineered oak flooring, can absorb water, and end up losing its shine if left unregulated for a long time. Water, or any other types of liquid spills, can endlessly damage your floor’s sheen, and make it look dull, sloppy and weathered.
Similarly, avoid using wet mops, steam mops, or harsh floor cleaners on the floor’s surface for best results. Depending on the type of flooring you have, you should purchase a mild cleaner best suited for different flooring types. In an ideal situation, your flooring installer should be able to let you know which is the best type of cleaner in the market, depending on the available options.
Maintenance is not a one-time job
Just like cleaning, even wood flooring maintenance is by no means a one-time job. It’s a regular piece of effort, which can add years to your floor’s surface. Even though applying a new coat of wood finish is just one of the many options, there are a few things you can add to your daily schedule to keep your floors going.
Here’s what you can do:
- Daily: Sweep floors with a soft brush or use a dust mop
- Weekly: Vacuum the floors using the bare flooring settings
- Monthly: Clean your floors with a recommended floor cleaner, which is neither too gentle nor too harsh.
- Every 2-4 years: Add a new coat of finish to the surface
- Once a decade: Sand and refinish your floors to wear off the top layer and bring out the new layer.
Conclusion The schedules listed above might sound a little tedious and time-consuming in the beginning. But, once you get into the flow, you would automatically get into the groove and begin to make it all a part of your regular chores. Your reward will be in the form of better-looking floors offering lifelong commitments.
