How to Clean Hardwood Floors: Advice from a Pro Cleaner
Pro tips to make your beautiful hardwoods sparkle and shine!
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Introduction
Hardwood floors are game changer! When they are clean and polished they add so much vibrancy and flavor to your space. However, they only keep their allure if they are properly cleaned and maintened. This article is here to keep your floors looking incredible through proper cleaning techniques and maintenance. I want your floors to sparkle, shine and wow your guests for years to come!
How often should I clean my hardwoods?
When I begin to build routine cleaning schedules, the first question I ask is ‘how much foot traffic does this space recieve’. Not every room in your home is going to recieve equal amounts of foot traffic. I would prioritize cleaning your highest use spaces first. Think entry ways, kitchen, living room. For these high traffic areas, I recommend cleaning them once a week.
That way you will prevent the build up of dirt, grime, and pet hair on your floors. If your home is busier, kids coming and going with their multiple activities, then I would clean your highest use areas twice a week. Every home is different and you’ll know best what works for you. The key is consistency. I always encourage clients to set a schedule that they can stick to, and that won’t burn them out. Hardwood floors require regular cleaning and maintanenance and too much build up of dirt and grime can lead to scratches, and scuffs from deep cleaning and scrubbing to remove heavy dirt layers.
How do I remove stains?
Stain removal can be tricky with hardwoods. You’d think that natural homemade remedies like white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda would work best, but the acidity is often too strong and it will penetrate into your floors and cause discoloration. You want to make sure that you are not distracted when cleaning your floors as you want to be able to wipe your floors right away. I recommend using natural all purpose cleaners and natural designated hardwood floor cleaners.
Here’s a list from Good House Keeping that includes some of my favorite multi-purpose cleaning products
How do I prep my floors?
Good news is that there isn’t too much prep work/prep time that goes into this. Vacuum! That’s the most important thing you can do. You want to set your vacuum to the lowest suction setting so that it can grab small pebbles amd grit. If you skip this step, you risk scuffing up your floors when it comes to mopping.
How do I clean my hardwoods?
With the floors thoroughly vacuumed, here’s a list of materials you will need to get the job done right!
Vacuum
Natural dish soap, or natural all purpose cleaner
Microfiber mop
Regular mop (this one you will keep dry and use that to go over the wet sections)
Mop bucket
Hardwood floor cleaning instructions (what you came here for!)
Make sure your floors are vacuumed removing all dust, and any debris that can lead to scuffs.
Fill your mop bucket with warm water and a few drops/dashes of either dish soap or cleaner.
Lightly dip your microfiber mop into the bucket and strain. You don’t want to add excess water to your floors.
Start mopping your floors one section at a time. Always work going back out to your bucket so you avoid stepping over the section you just finished.
Go over your section with the regular mop and do 2 or 3 pases to ensure the section is dry and streak free.
Pro tip: when you mop your floors it’s really important to make sure you aren’t adding to much water. Moisture can warp wood floors which if repeated can cause permanant damage over time and may cost you a pretty penny to replace.
How do I prevent streaks?
There is a method to mopping a floor believe it or not, but don’t worry it’s not that hard. The best way to prevent streaks is to mop in the direction of the wood grains. Don’t do little swirls, that will leave white marks. Here’s a picture of what that looks like. Sorry I’m not much of a graphic designer, but I hope this helps none the less!
As my lovely photo demonstrates find the direction of the wood, and ‘go with the grain’. This way you’ll prevent streaks.
Tips for maintaining hardwoods
Hardwoods are delicate. Unlike carpet that can hide dust and debris or tile which is easy to clean up, you just have to nurture your floors a little more. Here are my top hardwood floor maintenance tips:
Use rugs or floor mats on your highest traffic areas. Think entry ways or hallways.
Immediately wipe up spills.
Regularly sweep and vacuum using soft bristles.
Add rubber pads to the bottom of furniture to prevent scuff marks.
Encourage family members and guests to leave their shoes at the door.
Conclusion
I think I’ve covered everything there is to cover with cleaning those hardwoods. Keeping those surfaces spotless does require you to be more alert and able to make a consistent committment. Of course you can always hire a pro (I think I know someone) to do it for you. If that sounds like the plan for you, let’s chat! 970-433-1074 or fill out the form here.
Interested in eco-friendly/natural cleaning products? A great place to find the best ones is the Good Housekeeping Institute Product Reviews
