Cleaning Hardwood Flooring – The Right Way
Just like the rest of the flooring in your home, dirt and grime can accumulate on your hardwood. From shoes, pets and everyday dust, your hardwood floor will start to lose its sheen without regular cleaning. The good news is even if you have been neglecting the regular upkeep, with a thorough cleaning your floor will be looking like new again.
Many homeowners immediately reach for the wet mop for all of their non-carpet floor cleaning. While certainly an effective choice, a wet mop may not be the best for treating your hardwood floors with a little TLC. Simply put, water and wood do not mix. Wet mops leave the floor just that, wet. Over time this prolonged exposure to moisture can damage and stain your hardwood flooring.
Regular dusting of your home’s hardwood floor with a microfiber cloth or dry mop will go a long way to removing the loose dirt and dust, before it gets caked on. While a broom can be a good choice for this as well, the microfiber will actually pick the dirt up instead of having to maneuver a dustpan as well.
Depending on how trafficked the area is, once a week your hardwood floor will probably need a deeper clean. Yes, the mop can come out, but do so with caution. Using a dry mop while misting the floor with a cleaner that is made especially for hardwood flooring is your best bet. This will give your floor the cleaning that it needs, without leaving a trail of moisture behind that can cause damage.
Every three months or so you may also want to treat your hardwood floor to a polish. A polish designed for hardwood will reinvigorate your floor, putting the sheen back and making it look like new.
Remember, when cleaning your hardwood flooring less really is more. Keeping excessive liquid off of the hardwood, will keep your floor looking beautiful for years to come.