Wood floors are timeless, elegant, and durable. They make your home appear inviting, cozy, and warm. However, maintaining them is a huge hassle. Without the right cleaning methods, they swell, go out of shape, and even rot.
But don’t worry because we’ve covered the best way to clean wood floors here!
Daily Cleaning Tips: Dust Removal
Regularly washing hardwood floors is not an option. However, if you don’t clean them at all, dust, pet dander, and debris collect on them.
These particles are abrasive and can leave scratches on your floor as they get dragged with your foot or with furniture. So, it’s best to regularly clean the floors to prevent dust buildup. Here is the easiest way to clean wood floors every week.
Step 1: Start with sweeping
Sweep the floor with a soft-bristle broom or microfiber dust mop. These options remove dirt without any scratches. Always sweep in the direction of the wood grain. It ensures no dirt stays stuck in the nooks and crannies.
Step 2: Vacuum as a finishing touch
After sweeping, vacuum the floor using the bare-floor setting. This prevents the dirt from scattering.
Don’t use the carpet cleaning settings on the wooden floor. Change to bare floor settings. If you buy a new vacuum cleaner, get one without the beater bar to reduce the risk of scratches.
Weekly Cleaning Tips: Mopping
Every week, you must mop the wood floors with great precaution. This removes all leftover dust from the floor without causing water damage. Here’s everything you must do for it.
Step 1: Select the right mop
Get a separate microfiber mop for the weekly mopping. This must be of the highest quality available and have effective dirt-trapping abilities.
You can also get a spray mop. These come with an attached reservoir. You fill it with water and cleaner in the same proportion. This reduces the risk of toppling over an entire water bucket. It lets you control how much water you need to use to clean a single area.
Avoid sponge or string mops as they hold way more water than required. They form puddles, causing water damage.
Step 2: Pick the right cleaning solution
The easiest way to clean hardwood floors weekly is by using a dedicated wood floor cleaner. Check the instructions on the bottle and mix the mentioned amount of cleaner into a bucket of warm water.
Never use harsh chemicals, and avoid experimenting with DIY mixes, like water and vinegar solution. They can dull the hardwood floor’s shine and finish over time.
If you’re interested in eco-friendly cleaners, you can check out plant-based ones meant for wood.
Step 3: Mop the floors diligently
If you use a cleaning solution in a water bucket, dip the mop slightly and wring it out. Ensure it’s slightly damp and not dripping wet. If you use spray mops, you can spray as much solution as you need while cleaning.
Try to mop in small sections of 3ft by 3ft at a time. Start from the edges of each section and work towards the center. Make sure you work with the grain of the wood.
Step 4: Rinse the mop in between
If you’re using a bucket, never dip a dirty mop into the cleaner solution. Otherwise, you’ll coat the entire room with dirty water.
If you’re using spray mops, don’t continuously use the dirty mop for every section.
Instead, keep another bucket of fresh water at a distance. Dip the mop in it and wring out excess water. This will keep the mop relatively cleaner.
Step 5: Dry the room
After mopping a room, dry the floor immediately as an additional remedy against water damage. Use a soft towel or microfiber cloth for this.
If the room is huge, you can also do this in between mopping each section. Don’t wait until you’re done with the entire room. Otherwise, the wood will absorb a lot of water.
However, if you’re not confident about this, the best way to clean wood floors is to seek professional cleaners who offer eco-friendly cleaning services.
Seasonal Deep Cleaning
Sweeping and mopping are never enough. With time, dirt and allergens also get deeply ingrained into the wood through seasons and ruin the shine.
Around 1 in 4 kids and 1 in 3 adults in the US suffered from seasonal allergies in 2021. It’s better to be prepared to prevent allergic reactions.
So, here is the easiest way to clean wood floors every season and bring back the good old shine!
Step 1: Remove everything out of the way
Get all furniture, rugs, mats, and everything else lying on the floor away. This way, you will have access to the entire room and its nooks and crannies.
Step 2: Vacuum and mop
As mentioned above, in daily and weekly cleaning procedures, sweep and vacuum the room thoroughly, followed by mopping and drying.
Step 3: Check for stains and spills
Next, check your room for stains, spills, and buildup between floorboards that you couldn’t remove throughout months of cleaning. Here are tricks to deal with different stains.
- If the stain is from a sticky, viscous liquid like honey or cough syrup, soak a microfiber cloth in warm water. Wring it dry and place it on the sticky stain. Gently put some pressure on the stain, and it should come out slowly.
- For wine and grease stains, use wood-specific cleaners.
- If the stain is from water, buff the spot lightly with a steel wool.
- Remove trapped dirt between floorboards with a putty knife.
Step 4: Polish the floor
Deep cleaning alone isn’t enough to restore the shine. The floors have experienced quite a lot of damage over the months. So, perform any of these hardwood floor conditioning steps post-cleaning:
- Apply a non-toxic hardwood polish on the floor using a microfiber mop and let it air dry. This is the simplest hardwood floor conditioning step.
- Rent a buffing machine and remove all minor scratches to make the floor glossy.
- Get rid of deep scratches from old, worn-out floors by sanding down the floors. Apply wood stain and seal it with a protective finish.
Special Preventative and Maintenance Measures
Besides the best cleaning method for wood floors, you must also follow these preventative and maintenance measures. They’ll reduce your overall cleaning load.
- Place doormats at the entryway to trap dirt and debris from following indoors.
- Use rugs with wood-friendly, non-slip backing in high-traffic areas to prevent the wood from wearing out.
- Fix rubber caps or felt pads under furniture legs to avoid scratches. Never drag heavy furniture on the floor.
- Don’t walk in high-heels indoors as they cause dents.
- It’s always better to wipe spills immediately instead of waiting until later. Use a dry and absorbent cloth or towel.
- Never wet the floor excessively, as it might swell and warp out of shape.
- Maintain indoor humidity at 30-50% levels to prevent wood warping with changing seasons. Use a humidifier or dehumidifier that fits your needs!
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best way to clean wood floors is a mix of different methods. Perform daily, weekly, and seasonal cleaning meticulously to preserve its aesthetic appeal for a long time!
If you’re too busy to follow this routine, consider hiring reliable, professional services like us, MaidforHaven. With the top 2% of veteran cleaners vetted by our system and eco-friendly products, your satisfaction is always guaranteed!
