When you know how to clean your hardwood floors properly, you will keep them looking gorgeous for longer. Hardwood flooring brings a warm, earthly beauty to a living space. While this flooring is durable, it requires proper care to retain its beauty. Correct cleaning is among the maintenance practices that will extend the life and beauty of your hardwood floors. Here’s a step-by-step guide for cleaning your hardwood floors.
1. Dust Your Hardwood Floors
Dusting or sweeping hardwood floors is the first step in their cleaning process. Grime and dirt buildup interferes with the shiny appearance of these floors. Therefore, keeping this buildup off your floor will minimize damage and retain its beauty. So, sweep or dust your flooring to remove debris before mopping it.
2. Spot-Clean
Avoid waiting for spills to dry and stick to your hardwood floors. Instead, spot-clean them promptly to ensure they do not attract more dirt or dull your flooring finish. An absorbent cloth will enable you to blot spills. Also, use a water-dampened paper towel before wiping the floor dry.
3. Vacuum the Hard Floors
Regular vacuuming is vital to keeping your hardwood floors looking fantastic. Proper vacuuming lets you pick up fine particles you may miss when sweeping. The strong vacuum cleaner suction pulls debris and dust from the crevices or cracks between the planks. Nevertheless, select hardwood floor settings on the vacuum cleaner to turn off the machine’s brush roll to prevent scratching. Also, protect the flooring from bristles using a flat attachment. This tip is vital since you don’t want to scuff your floor while cleaning it.
4. Mop Your Hardwood Flooring
If your hardwood floors have grime, dirt, or food spills that are hard to vacuum or sweep away, deep-clean the flooring. Wet cleaning with a spray is the ideal option for surface-treated floors. Use the cleaner spray to soften dirt before picking it up with a microfiber mop once it dissolves. Focus on one area before moving to the next to restore the beauty and shine of your entire floor.
5. Fix the Scratches
Scuffs and scratches can mess up your hardwood floor. Therefore, get a stain marker or wax stick to fix the scratches. Buff the scratches or scuffs by sanding the floor with fine-grit sandpaper. Apply a small amount of the stain marker before wiping it away. You can also brush on a little polyurethane to enhance the flooring’s shine. However, ensure a similar finish to the flooring.
6. Maintain Your Hardwood Floors
Cleaning your hardwood floors alone isn’t enough. The environment surrounding the flooring can affect your flooring’s durability since wood reacts to humidity and temperature. Therefore, pay attention to red flags and act accordingly. For instance, ensure no exceedingly humid or dry conditions around your floors. Also, your hardwood floors may need recoating when they wear down.
Final Word
Cleaning your hardwood floors will prolong their life and ensure they always look fantastic. Besides following these steps, ensure you have doormats outside and inside the exterior doors to reduce the moisture and dirt that enters your home. Also, use protectors under your furniture and rugs in high-traffic places.
Sponsored by: Floor Installers Winnipeg
