The best way to clean hardwood floors
The best way to clean hardwood floors
Our best advice for cleaning hardwood floors:
1. Wet wipe only when necessary
This is perhaps the easiest advice to follow, but is an important step in your floor care routine. If your floor is not stained or dirty, it is sufficient to dust or vacuum it. This helps minimize the amount the hardwood floor is exposed to water. When too much water is used, you can risk swelling or discoloration that could lead to permanent damage to your floor. The kitchen normally requires more frequent wet wiping, while the bedroom more often just needs dusting.
2. Dusting is the key to scratch-free floors
Vacuum or dust with dusting pad often and regularly to keep dirt and debris off your floor that could damage your floor’s finish. Practice this step before wet wiping.
3. Choose a cleaner with care
Use a pH-neutral cleaner formulated for your hardwood floors. Products with too high or too low pH-levels can damage the hardwood floor and its surface treatment and could stain the floor. Using the right kind of cleaner intended for your surface treatment assures that you will avoid damaging your floor with a product formulated for a completely different surface. Products like paste wax and furniture polish should be avoided since they are notorious for leaving a hazy, sticky buildup on your floor.
Moreover, when cleaning oiled floors make sure to use a nourishing floor cleaner to keep the oiled surface from drying, something that is not needed for lacquered and hard wax oiled hardwood floors.
4. Replace your bucket and yarn mop
As little water as possible is the golden rule. Too much water can damage your hardwood floor. Classic yarn mops leave too much water on the floor, which in the long run leads to discoloured joints. Instead, use a spray mop or other kind of spray product. They add a very small amount of cleaner to your hardwood floor which evaporates quickly. In addition, it is much easier to clean with a spray mop than to drag a heavy bucket around your house.
5. Use a microfiber cleaning pad
For efficient and gentle cleaning, use a microfiber cleaning pad when cleaning your floors. They effectively lift and remove dirt and debris without the use of too much water. They are also machine washable so they are better for the environment and more sanitary for your home.
6. Deep clean from time to time
It is recommended to give your floor a thorough deep clean from time to time, especially hardwood floors in entrances or kitchens. With an extra thorough cleaning you get rid of stubborn stains, dried residues and heavy dirt build-up. Use an oxygenated deep cleaner formula developed for hardwood floors and a microfiber deep cleaning pad to provide extra cleaning power and prevent odor-causing bacteria.
To clean lacquered and hard waxed oiled wood floors we recommend:
To clean oiled wood floors we recommend:
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There is a lot you can do to make your hardwood floors stay beautiful over time. Clean, maintain or a thorough deep clean? Find out what you can do to ensure that your hardwood floor is always looking it's best.
Avoid water and vinegar on your wood floors
For many people looking for a quick and easy DIY cleaning solution, nothing beats vinegar and water. Cleaning with vinegar and water is cheap, and generally does a great job at cleaning many items in your home. Just please don’t use them to clean wood floors.
Household cleaning combinations to avoid
While we’ve shared the message that wood and water (and water and vinegar for floors) don’t mix, here are some other household cleaner combinations to avoid.