If you are worried about cleaning your hardwood floors. you came to the right place. This article can take you through all of the important steps to clean your new hardwood floor correctly. If you clean these beautiful floors every day. you will guarantee that they will stay beautiful for the life of your home.
Solid hardwood floors are the easiest kind of flooring to keep clean. So taking good care of them will maintain their beauty without a lot of fuss on your part. Ground in dirt and particles are the real enemies of hardwood floors. When walked on. these particles can actually make tiny dents and scratches in the floor that lead to a dull appearance. Daily cleaning will avoid. or at least reduce this. In addition. you can extend the life and improve the appearance of your floors by preventing the dirt and grime from accumulating in the first place. Make sure you have mats or rugs at every entrance. These will absorb the initial dirt as it enters the house. You should only use neutral PH cleaners on hardwood floors. Make sure you use your vacuum's soft brush attachment. Sweep your floors frequently. and use a dust mop to lift dust off the surface. Make sure your home has curtains or drapes on all of the windows. Hardwood floors that are exposed to excess sunlight will fade or discolor. Be careful not to drag any of your furniture over the hardwood floors. Either wait for help to lift the furniture. or keep felt pads under the legs of each article of furniture. And. one of the most important things: make sure you never let water stand on the flooring for any length of time.
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How should you be washing the floor? It will depend on the condition of the floor. A floor that has scratches. chips or gouges should not be cleaned with water since the water will seep into the cracks and damage the wood. If the finish is smooth and in good condition. use a slightly damp mop with a mild detergent. If your floor looks dull after this. you may consider waxing it. A maintenance coat of wax will continue to protect the surface even further. If. even if you are very careful with standing water on your flooring. you get water stains. use a light steel wool pad soaked in water to rub the stains out. then clean and wax as usual. Cigarette burns can be removed with a mild detergent. If your hardwood floors are treated with polyurethane. you will have to use a different method. First. take all of the furniture out of the room and sweep or vacuum the floor. Then. using a very slightly dampened mop. clean with mild soap. then rinse with fresh water. Make sure no water collects in the corners of the room or the joints of the floor. Using a clean. dry towel. rub the floor completely dry. If your hardwood floors have an oil finish. vacuum or sweep the floor. as above. to remove all loose dirt and debris. Then. using a rag dampened with a neutral cleanser made for this purpose. clean the entire floor. Next. a damp rag with fresh water to remove the cleanser. then rub it briskly dry with a fresh cloth.
The Proper Way to Clean Hardwood Floors
Andrew Caxton is a consultant who writes on many consumer topics like flooring and http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com. For additional information regarding flooring or floor care go to hardwood floors
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