One of the most important areas of any room is the flooring, it is the essence of the room that brings the whole room together and one of the best floorings that you can have is hardwood flooring. It is quite simply a stunning finish to any room with a timeless and tireless appeal, an elegant beauty, that can make the home feel natural, cosy, and sensational.
As with anything in your home you want it to look great, and last, for as long as possible without losing any of its charm or beauty, and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to look after it and keep it clean. However, there are some mistakes that everyone makes that instead of prolonging the life of your hardwood floor you are actually hindering it and, in short, ruining it. Thus, this article will bring you 3 of the top mistakes that are ruining your floor so that you no longer make those mistakes.
Table of Contents
Water
Most people think that water is imperative for cleaning, however, water and wood are not a match made in heaven. Hardwood floors are a natural source of flooring and they will respond to water accordingly, and this will cause the flooring to swell, displace and decay, and although you may not see this damage on the floor itself, the damage will be done on the bottom of the flooring. The best way of cleaning is to use a damp mop that has been thoroughly wrung out and is not dripping water as it is recommended that no water at all is used, not even steam cleaning as this too can damage hardwood floors.
For a daily clean a soft brush or broom should be used with a dustpan and for a weekly clean it is recommended that a vacuum that is designed specifically for hard flooring should be used.
Using Wax
Wax is great for giving the hardwood flooring a glossy finish however they are also perfect for attracting dust too, which means that you also have to clean it more frequently, thus, it is probably best to just stick to simpler methods.
Using products such as ammonia or vinegar
There are without doubt many cleaning benefits to vinegar, however, using it on your hardwood flooring is not one of them. The acidity in the vinegar will eat away at the finishing upon your wood floor and ammonia has a similar effect whilst leaving your floor looking faded and blotchy. Consequently, it is best to avoid them both directly and any products that contain them. also cleaning products should never be poured directly on to the wood, it is just as effective mixing it with water and using a cloth to clean the floor.
As well as these ideas as to where you could be going wrong when cleaning your hardwood floors you could also try using machinery such as the Bona Floor Spray Mop or a cleaner such as an Hardwood Floor Cleaner to assist you in the cleaning and upkeep of your hardwood floors. Hardwood flooring is a great investment for any home and by following the advice in this article your floors will be left in perfect condition and sparkling for longer.