BLOG/ 7 Tips to Clean Hardwood Floors and Make Them Look New!

So many people cover up or remove hardwood floors because they don’t know how to take care of them.

Why opt out of such a beautiful and timeless addition to your home when cleaning hardwood floors can be such a breeze?

After reading this article, you will be able to slide around like Ferris Bueller on your like-new hardwood floors.

  1 The Right Tools for the Job

To get your floors looking new, you will want a nice broom and dustpan with soft bristles. Coarse bristles may actually damage your floors!

Sweeping is great for picking up large debris, but a vacuum cleaner with a hardfloor floor setting is a must-have for fine particles and dander. It’s a bonus if your vacuum has a hose attachment for accesses hard to reach places and the tops of your floor boards.

A good mop is essential for getting a deep clean. You can use a basic microfiber mop with a fluffy, reusable pad for dry mopping and a towel-like pad for damp mopping.

Spray mops are really handy and come with a refillable tank. Otherwise you will want to use cleaners that you can manually spray or squirt on the floor.

If you want to splurge, you could purchase an electric mop with rotating brushes. Powered hard floor mop scrubs your floors so you don’t have to use as much elbow grease.

2 Daily Maintenance

A quick, every day sweep will remove debris that can cause micro scratches over time. Dust and debris accumulates quickly and makes your floors look dull.

To really get the job done, use a damp microfiber mop as a way to gently remove fine particles. Be sure to immediately wipe up any excess water to prevent damage!

Try to wipe up any spills in the moment they happen to prevent a stubborn and sticky mess! A small squirt of your wood floor cleaner and a clean, damp cloth should do the trick. If you don’t want to get on your hands and knees, you can aways use a clean cloth and your foot.

3 Weekly Maintenance

For areas in your home that receive a lot of foot traffic, you will want to do a deeper weekly clean. Vacuuming provides a more thorough clean; plus with a wand attachment you can more easily reach hard to get to places.

Make sure your vacuum has a specific hard floor setting. This setting raises the vacuum and brush roll to prevent scratching.

After you vacuum, use a microfiber mop and a pH-neutral non-toxic cleaner to remove bacteria from your floors.

Unless your manufacturer specifies a particular product, a mixture as simple as 1/4 cup castile soap in a bucket of water should do the trick! Remember to keep your mop damp, not wet, to avoid water damage.

4 Monthly Maintenance

Less trafficked areas should still be vacuumed and mopped once a month. You would be shocked at how much dust piles up in spaces you don’t even use!

5 Yearly Maintenance

After one of your monthly cleans, you may want to polish your floor with a water-based polish to refresh your floor’s finish.

This will get it back to that shiny new look as well as actually protecting your hardwood floors from wear and tear. You can do this monthly if you are a polishing enthusiast, though once a year should suffice.

6 Preventative Measures

One of the best ways to keep your floors looking new is to prevent excess wear and tear! If you have pets, keeping their nails trimmed will help prevent your floors from getting scratched.

Using easily cleanable rugs in high traffic areas can also help protect your hardwood floors.

Make sure all of your furniture has felt pads on their legs to prevent scratching and scuffing as they inevitably move around.

7 What Not to Use on Your Hardwood

We already mentioned what kind of cleaners are appropriate for use to clean hardwood floors; we want to make sure you also know what NOT to use. The following cleaners will actually dull or damage your floors finish or leave an unpleasant residue.

It’s best to avoid;

• Vinegar cleaners
• Wax cleaners
• Steam cleaners 
• Harsh detergents.