Hardwood Floor Maintenance

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Jennifer Dutz asks, “What is the best way to clean Cherry hardwood floors without leaving a residue or pitting the finish? My kids bare feet and 2 dogs are leaving footprints everywhere. Thanks.”

Hardwood floors appear easier to maintain than carpet. Carpet captures dust sooner and can ultimately have stains that are impossible to take out. If foodstuff or drinks spill on the wooden floors, is it simpler to just wipe them off by means of a rag or hardwood floor cleaner. If your carpet is poorly soiled then you might need to hire specialized carpet cleaners to do the job. These are charges you could do without. It is more difficult to spoil hardwood floors than any other surfaces.

hardwood floor installation
Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are tough, resistant to dust and simpler to maintain than carpet. Even though hardwood floors hardly ever get dirty, you can’t avoid getting some dust on it from time to time. If you have children at home, their toys could graze the wrap up. Dogs & kitties may cause pet stains on wood. Split liquids with tough chemicals can spoil the floors. This is if a good hardwood floor cleaner becomes handy.

You will wish for the suitable cleaners for the wood floors to stay away from damaging the hardwood. Various cleaners are very harsh & can actually strip away the protective finish, making it more weak to scrapes, stains & damage. It’s ironic but does occur if you employ the incorrect type of cleaner. You can in fact create your own cleaner by mixing a teaspoon of vegetable oil with one teaspoon vinegar & a quart of water.

Mix the elements in a pail of water & apply it on the floor with a rag or mop. Ensure to sweep the floor clean first before obtaining the floor wet with the hardwood floor cleaner. As soon as you’ve finished rubbing the cleaner on the ground, you’ll need to go back with your mop or a new rag and wash it off with clear, clean water. Furthermore, a rag will come in helpful to clean hard to reach corners before & after applying the cleaner.

For tougher stains, you may have to rub the similar cleaner over you required to in any other locations. In extremist cases, you may need to sand the stain out a little bit before implementing the cleaner. If you have slight scratches, you are able to fix it up with concluding lacquer. Deeper scrapes will have to be sanded and refinished.

It is also important to know what sort of wood floor covering you have. Although it has a defensive finish, it isn’t completely water-proof. The most modern sorts of wooden floors are very effortless to install that they don’t need numerous sealant to keep it in position. The following exposes the flooring below the hardwood to water damage. In this instance, avoid wet through the floors using the hardwood floor cleaner. Use only adequate liquid to get the floor damp and cleaned out.

An additional impressive recipe for home made wooden floor cleaners is usually a watered down combination of vegetable soap or Murphy’s oil soap. The same rules as above apply. A fantastic recommendation is to use a spray container to spread the fluid on the ground to get simply the correct amount of liquid on top. A Swiffer mop is also a better choice to the usual mop because the pads do not have to be soaking wet to be efficient. Less moisture also implies less probability of warping the wood.

Hardwood floor care should never include wax, or oil-based detergents or vinegar. Vinegar will etch the surface. Waxes and oils leave a sticky residue on the surface of the wood and prevent the polyurethane from shining. When cleaning hardwood floors you need to use a proper hardwood floor cleaner.My definition of a “proper hardwood floor cleaner” is NOT a “wood floor polish”. That usually implies a wax based product. Select a hardwood floor cleaner that is made to be chemically neutral, specifically designed to clean hardwood floors. Vinegar and water or lemon based cleaners, are acidic and will over time pit the polyurethane finish, and ultimately reduce the shine of any wood floor. Choose a brand name product like the Murphey’s Oil and a Microfiber Mop.

 

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