Best Way to Clean Hardwood Floors

How To Clean Hardwood Floors: A Basic Guide

Hardwood floors offer a warm and earthy atmosphere to your home. Above all, they are durable and last for decades when you keep the floors clean and maintained. Take a look at the best way to clean hardwood floors and keep them in good shape.

Step 1

The very first step is to clean the floor of any furniture or items that you can easily move. This way, you will not be obstructed by things coming your way when you are cleaning your hardwood floor.

Step 2

Then it is time to vacuum or dry mop the floor. This ensures that you get rid of the debris and dirt that may be there on the floor. Giving the hardwood floor a good dusting is the best defense against any damage and scratches. Use microfiber cleaning pads as they are good to trap the dirt particles and other allergens.

Step 3

You can take boiling water and tea bags to clean your hardwood floor. The tannic acid present in the tea bags will create a shine on the floor. How to do it? Let the tea bags sit into the boiling water for a few minutes. Pour this into a bucket and with the help of a soft cloth, mop the floor with the damp tea water dipped cloth.
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In case your floor is polyurethaned, dampen the mop with water and few drops of a good dishwashing liquid. Ensure that you ring out your mop correctly before use. Then run the mop across the floor, going with the grain of the wood. This way, you will be able to clean your floor gently and smoothly.

Step 4

There are sometimes when there is some soapy residue left after mopping. In such cases, get a soft cloth and rub it on the floor very gently in circular motion to make your floor sparkle and shine. Always use a good wood floor cleaner.

Apart from this cleaning schedule, you can have a monthly polish session as well. Polishing the hardwood floor every few months or so is an excellent way to keep your floor well maintained. Polishing helps to renew and refresh the finish of your floor. With the floors that have some protective sealant, it is the actual finish which gets the most attention. Polishing the floor further fills in the microscopic scratches and makes your floor even. In fact, polishing the hardwood floor is not at all a tough job, it can be easily done with minimal effort and time.

Last but not least, along with maintaining your hardwood floor on a daily basis, a yearly schedule of deep clean is also important. With all the rough and tough use of the hardwood floors, consider giving it a deep clean every 3-4 years. Refinishing and sanding the hardwood floor helps to remove the protective finish and replaces it with a new one. When your floor has some gouges or scratches, sanding or refinishing can help a great day to repair the damage and make your hardwood floor clean and maintained.