What Can Be Used To Clean Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floor cleaning and maintenance steps.

What can be used to clean hardwood floors.

A steam cleaner by its very nature uses water heated to a very hot vapor to clean and disinfect the surface of a floor. An engineered hardwood floor as opposed to a traditional hardwood floor made of only wood comprises several layers. Take a soft cloth and wring it out in the tea. You can also use boiling water and two teabags to clean hardwood floors.

It is always best to use cleaning products that are specifically for laminate floors but if necessary a teaspoon of unscented clear dish soap or baby shampoo in a gallon of hot water can be used. Don t rely on lemon juice or a vinegar and water solution to clean hardwood floors. Hardwood is naturally a very absorbent material and exposure to water can cause it to plump warp twist and mold. If you clean wood floors with the same harsh chemicals as you do laminate floors or tile you can strip away the sealant and damage the wood.

This is especially true for prefinished hardwood floors. In most households wood floors should be cleaned at least four to six times a year. Pour the tea into a bucket. While the surface of the engineered hardwood is genuine hardwood the underlying layers are typically made of plywood or high density fiberboard.

Wring the mop out until it is almost dry then. One way how to clean hardwood floors is to use a mop and hardwood floor cleaner according to the manufacturer s instructions. When vacuuming use a floor brush attachment and avoid the beater bar its rotating brush can dent wood floors. Spray a small 3 foot by 3 foot area with the cleaner and pick up any dissolved dirt with a microfiber mop.

Move your cleaning tool from one side of the floor to the other giving extra. The cloth merely needs to be damp not soaked. Be careful not to soak the floors. Make sure to wring most of the water out of the mop so it s damp.

The key to knowing how to clean floors is understanding which cleaning methods allow you to get the floor clean without clouding or removing the finish. They ll dull or scratch the finish. Then i clean the kitchen floor weekly and in other rooms twice a month. Avoid leaving any standing water on the floor for this can damage the wood.

Don t use straight ammonia alkaline products or abrasive cleaners. The tannic acid in tea creates a beautiful shine. Damp mop every two to three months but do not saturate the mop. Let two teabags steep in the boiling water for a few minutes.