Do you have Wooden flooring in your home? Flooring made of wood looks dignified and tasteful. A lot of people prefer this kind of flooring. If your answer to the question above is yes then you should better master the skills of cleaning hardwood floors fast. It will help you maintain your wood Floor in top condition for years together. Cleaning this kind of floor surface is pretty easy. The simple procedure involves use of a microfiber cloth and a right cleaning solution. Unfortunately that combination does not prove effective clearing away all kinds of grime and messes.  

You should stay away from using any commercially manufactured cleaner that claims to rejuvenate, polish, shine or revitalise wooden floors. Most of these products provide only a short-term solution in making wood floors appear great. Therefore it is better to avoid such products that yield only temporary solutions. 

Here are few important tips on how to clean wooden floors and keep those in great shape. These tips are kind of universal and can be applied to every kind of wooden floors including floors that are made from reclaimed, solid or engineered wood.

In cleaning hardwood floors which is the best thing to use?

There is no hard and fast rule in selecting a cleaning product for a deeper wash. As far as wood floors are concerned different types of finishes need different treatments. Therefore it is best to rely on product recommendations for the kind of wood finish your floor has. 

Professionals with years of experience in cleaning hardwood floors in London suggest whenever you are doubt just stick to basics. Here is the formula to prepare a superb cleaner for your hardwood floor at home. Ingredients you require are a few drops of Murphy Oil Soap and about four cups of warm water. To add some aroma to the clean consider adding a few drops of any essential oil to it.  

Some people – on the other hand – suggest using a cleaning solution made from white vinegar and water. But vinegar is acidic and therefore there is a fierce debate whether this homemade cleaner actually dulls the wooden surface over time or does not. 

Things that you should never apply to your hardwood floor surface

There are certain cleaning products or items that you must always avoid using on your wood flooring. Those items include the following –

Never ever try using chlorine bleach even if it comes diluted. Why? The reason is serious enough – it is known to weaken the structure of the wood. In fact experts suggest not applying any harsh chemical to clean wooden floors. These chemicals invariably result in hazing. Technically speaking wooden floor surfaces that have a polyurethane finish appear cloudier as a result of wax build-up. Dip a clean piece of cloth in warm water and swipe the floor with it. This is an easy but effective way to lift cloudy film from floor surface. The task even becomes easier when you make use of a damp microfiber cloth. 

Important tips on cleaning hardwood flooring yourself DIY   

• #1 – You must sweep your hardwood floor every day

Professionals who provide the service of hardwood floor cleaning suggest the first thing that you must do in cleaning any wooden flooring surface is to sweep it every day. Sweeping removes grime and dirt build-ups from these floor surfaces better than nothing else. In fact these grime and dust build-ups rob the natural shine of wood floors. Debris lying on the floor does look filthy and sweeping clears that away. But more importantly sweeping every day helps minimising the damage. Even pet hair can damage your wood floors. Therefore being proactive really pays off in this matter.   

When maintenance is concerned wooden floors have a complete different story. Suppose there is some debris lying on a wooden floor. As you walk across it the debris works like sandpaper under your shoe sole scratching and damaging the surface.

For this reason it is important to sweep wooden floors every day if you can make that possible. To pick up the remaining dirt you can follow up sweeping with dry mopping. Use a dry mop or dust mop for the purpose. Professionals who use hardwood floor steam cleaner suggest a microfiber mop is the best bet to preserve the lustre of any wooden flooring. It may not be possible to sweep the entire house day in and day out. In that case make sure to sweep the areas of high traffic or frequent footfalls. These mostly include the entryways and the hallways in typical residential properties. By maintaining this simple routine you can ensure fewer scuffs on your wooden floor.

• #2 – Use the vacuum every day

Vacuuming the house every day is also as helpful in maintaining hardwood floors as sweeping. Sweeping may miss out picking a fine particle or the other from the floor. This is why vacuuming is so important. Moreover the strong suction of a vacuum also comes into play. It picks up dust and debris from crevices, cracks and between the planks of any hardwood flooring surface. 

While vacuuming any wooden floor you should turn the setting of hard floor on. This turns off the beater bar or the brush roll. Thus there is no chance of scratching the wooden floor. Many people also make use of a flat attachment to save these floors from bristles. Obviously, you do not want scuff the floor surface while cleaning says a hardwood floor cleaning service professional. 

• #3 – Hardwood floors also need moping

Water is harmful for wood. But yes, wooden floors do require moping. However you must be very careful while mopping any wooden floor surface. Make sure your mopping effort does not involve any excess water. It is also important to get hold of a right floor cleaner. Apply it to the floor along with a just damp mop and the results are bound to be stunning. 

As far as mopping hardwood floors is concerned, do not ever overdo it. You should neither allow water to pool on the floor surface. If you use excess water to mop the floor there is always the chance for wood to swell up.   

This is why cotton mops are not ideal to mop wooden floors with. You should always use microfiber mop to clean hardwood floors. Skilled and experienced professionals working at VIP Carpet Cleaning London explain microfiber mops requires much lesser amount of water for soaking. Moreover these do not leave you dripping wet unlike cotton mops. According to an estimate microfiber mops absorb 20 times less water than their cotton counterparts. 

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