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Cleaning Wood (hardwood) Floors – How to?Cleaning wood floors needn’t be an arduous task and our good housekeeping and homemaking tips are here to prove this point. The cleaning tips are set out in an easy to read format and will certainly point you in the right direction.
First thing first is you need to adopt a good housekeeping ethos. By this I mean you need to brush the floor by using a soft bristled broom. Brushing the hardwood floor will ensure it’s easier to clean – if there are bits on the floor then these will become embedded in the wood. Once you’ve done this you can get down to the gritty and perform the homemaking task in hand. N.B.See to it that any gritty substance such as sand is vacuumed up as soon as possible (use the soft brush extension to vacuum as the traditional extension may scratch the floor), as the course nature of it will make a real mess of your floor; in fact you should make a point of undertaking good housekeeping by vacuuming the floor at least twice a week, get into the habit, you won’t be disappointed. The answer to this question is yes, I recommend that you clean in the direction of the natural grain of the wood. Therefore whether you’re cleaning up spilt water or generally cleaning follow the grain.
If you have an accident and spill a glass of water or any other liquid on the floor see to it that you clean it up right away. This is because liquids are the scourge of wooden floors; when it comes into contact with it, it will be absorbed into the wood, making it expand slightly. This may lead to the wood splitting or cracking and generally becoming unstable. The liquid should be gently mopped with a soft towel and with most of the surface water cleared up be dried with the same towel or a new one if it is too damp to sufficiently dry the area.
It’s very important that you employ the correct footwear if you have hardwood flooring laid out throughout your home. Certain footwear such as stiletto heels and steel toecap boots have a nasty habit creating indents and marks on this type of flooring. In fact if you have wooden flooring throughout your home it might be an idea to invest in some nice rugs or carpet runners to place on heavily walked on areas such as hall, stairs and landing, if you do decide to make this investment then ensure that you purchase ones with non-skid pads otherwise you could seriously hurt yourself. As well as the above wood floor cleaning tips see to it that you place mats by the front and back doors as affording people the opportunity to wipe their feet when entering your home from the outside will limit the chances of them bringing dirt and grit into your house, plus it shows them you’re house proud and you would like them to treat your abode as they would treat their own. Please see to it that you don’t drag furniture and other heavy object across the floor, if you don’t adhere to this good housekeeping tip then you’ll end up with black marks and other scratches all over the floor. If you must move your furniture ensure that you either do so by picking it up and moving it or by placing furniture pads underneath to make sliding it nice and smooth. N.B.If you do decide to move furniture by using the pads then it’s imperative that you employ good housekeeping and clean up any grit and dirt before you allow your furniture to embark on its journey to the new spot in your home. If you fail with this homemaking task then the grit and dirt will more than likely scratch the floor, which will the defeat the whole object of using pads in the first place. This wood floor cleaning tip is a good one to follow as the dirt found underneath rugs and mats is generally treated as out of site, out of mind. Some mats may move slightly when walked so any dirt or grit found underneath it will scratch the floor. Therefore see to it that you use a little bit of good housekeeping and vacuum underneath rugs and mats – using the soft brush extension – at least once per week. Generally in my homemaking activities I tend not to use soap on hardwood floors. I would therefore advise against using it on the grounds that after a while it will start to dull the wood leaving you with a lifeless floor. A fantastic wood floor cleaning tip is to use tea to clean it. The naturalness and brownness of the tea helps to restore the wood’s natural colour. In order to prepare the solution, place a tea bag or two in a jug of warm/hot water and leave to cool down for about 7-10 minutes. When the time has elapsed pour the solution into a spray bottle, spray the contents on the area you wish to clean and then buff with a soft cloth. If you do have the misfortune to find marks and dents on your hard wood floor it’s to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. For me this is the best good housekeeping tip I can other you as in my opinion this is the greatest chance you have of rectifying the problem. If you follow the above wood cleaning tips then this should limit the chances of any of these problems arising. If you decide not use the manufacturer’s instructions there is one method you can try when removing black marks from your hardwood floor and that’s by using a tennis ball. This sounds bizarre, but can be quite effective. What you need to do is grab yourself a tennis ball and a broom handle. You then need to carefully make one slit in the centre of the ball and then by cutting across the middle of the original slit make a second one so that you have a nice cross Once you have crossed the ball push the broom handle through the slits so that it is secure and then use your newly made gadget to erase the marks.
Some hardwood floors need to be waxed or polished regularly therefore before undertaking this wood floor cleaning approach you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions, this will ensure that the correct cleaning solutions are used. This is an important good housekeeping tip to adhere to as not all hardwood floors are the same
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