Wooden Floor Spring Cleaning Guide
Spring is the best season to achieve that sparkling clean, extra healthy, free of dust, and overall very cosy and beautiful look and atmosphere for your home. Your floors do not make an exception and they should be one of the main points in your Spring cleaning list. Especially when it comes to hardwood floors, you should prioritize their proper housework routine during the rest of the year and consider a more thorough and in-depth cleaning during this time of the year.
With Spring comes the April showers and despite the fact that we are excited about the flowers, there are a few more things you should finish before you can enjoy the beautiful seasonal plants. Since Springtime in many areas of the world equals a lot of mud and dirt, make sure that you pay the special attention to your wooden floors and you will be able to enjoy them for decades in the same flawless condition and appearance. Make sure to keep reading this Spring cleaning guide if you are a proud owner of beautiful solid, engineered wood, or parquet floor.
One of the main goals of every Spring cleaning process is removing all the dust and dirt collected in your home during the winter months. Dust comes with a lot of allergens and bacteria you don’t want in your home if you want to enjoy a healthy and clean indoor environment. You are lucky enough to own a beautiful wooden floor that comes with a lot of benefits and advantages over the other hard and soft bottom covering alternatives on the market. One of the main benefits of wood is that it does not collect as much dust and dirt as other options, carpets for example. Thanks to the natural materials such as hardwood, softwood, and plywood, wooden floors are naturally more hygienic, healthier option.
However, this does not mean that wooden floors do not need regular care and attention and you can skip them during your Spring cleaning routine. Instead, make sure to clean and maintain them properly and all your love and care will pay off. Get rid of all the dust and dirt, otherwise, you risk the wood floor finish to be damaged and stripped off which will make your floor vulnerable to unwanted staining, dullness, scratches, and scuffs.
Real wood floors can increase the value of every property and create a unique and welcoming atmosphere of warmth, cosiness, elegance, and beauty. You already know that these floors need special attention and a proper cleaning routine. Thankfully, this does not mean that you will have to spend a lot of time, energy, money, or elbow grease for achieving perfect results. Still, being able to achieve an efficient and suitable cleaning routine can take up years and years to figure out. To add to the fact, there are still some debates over which way is the right way to thoroughly clean (or Spring clean) your hardwood flooring. In order to save you all the hassle and stress, today we are providing you with the most effective, effortless, and suitable strategy plan!
Wood Floor Spring Cleaning Do’s
• First things first, you should always start any wood floor cleaning process, no matter if regular or Springtime one, by being informed with the manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations on what to do and what not to do. Make sure to follow these instructions and advice and don’t experiment with things that are not tried and tested.
• However, if you still want to try out a new product on your floor, make sure to first apply it on a small and hidden area that you will be able to cover easily if things don’t work out as you expect them.
• Since floors tend to take on a lot (just think of the amount of daily traffic, heavy footfall, the inevitable and accidental spills, scratches, mishaps, and stains), you should consider the preventive measures first. If you do your best to protect your floor in general and during the entire year, there will be less to clean and stress over when Spring cleaning comes. The most popular and effective preventive measures include placing flooring mats strategically around the house in order to lessen the tracked-in dirt, stop wearing shoes in, especially in Spring and in snowy and rainy weather since this can damage the floor, always keeping a rag or a cloth on hand so you can quickly clean up spills, errant puddles, and mud stains. Forget about wearing high heels around the house as this will inevitably leave the floor’s surface scratched. The same applies to your furniture pieces that can leave dents and scratches due to their heaviness or due to them being dragged. Use flooring protectors under furniture that will work as a pillow and soften the pressure over the floor’s surface. Place rugs and mats in high-traffic areas, in the zones where kids play with their toys, where there is a risk of spills and splashes (for example in front of your kitchen sink), and under your pet’s food bowls and dishes.
• Pets bring a lot of joy in every household, but when Spring arrives, they also bring a lot of dirt and debris along and after every walk outside. If you want to protect your hardwood floors from all the mess, make sure to wipe your pet’s paws clean after every walk outside and keep their nails trimmed to prevent scratches.
• Whenever you are using cleaning products for your floor, make sure that they are designed for real wood floors only and they are suitable for the finish you have. If you are not sure what to choose, do not hesitate to contact your local wood floor refinishing and maintenance company and they will be able to recommend you. If this does not work, don’t risk using products that can damage the finish or harsh chemicals that can entirely eat it away. Instead, opt for the good old water and soap, or add a bit of vinegar for that extra cleaning power.
• You should vacuum your floors at least once a week. High traffic areas should be vacuumed more often, twice a week is a recommendation but if you notice a lot of dust and dust do not hesitate to vacuum more often. Use the vacuum’s attachment with a brush or one that is designed for hardwood floors to avoid scratching the finish. Consider investing in a lightweight and more mobile vacuum to avoid the heavy hoover scratching the floor while dragging it around.
• Wipe up any spills and dirt immediately, especially water and other liquids. Keep your cleaning supplies always on hand so you can react as soon as possible.
• Instead of vacuuming the floor you can opt for dusting it with a dry mop or using a broom.
• Opt for a mop with a microfiber head as this material collects a lot of dust.
Wood Floor Spring Cleaning Don’ts
• Don’t use cleaning products and soap with above or below the neutral pH. These can damage your floor and the finish significantly.
• Make sure you don’t use waxes, oils, or other furniture sprays unless these are not specifically required for the maintenance of your floor. Dealing with waxes and maintaining your floor after the application is usually a very challenging job and requires a lot of hard work for a long time. Furniture sprays and oils leave residue you don’t want to deal with.
• Never use ammonia, abrasive, and alkaline products on your floor as these will eat up the finish away and damage the wood underneath.
• When you incorporate lemon juice or vinegar to your wooden floor cleaning routine, make sure you use small quantities and these products can damage the floor’s seal when used excessively and too often.
• Wax and wax-cleaners may be a good solution for restoring the look and freshness of your floor but never use wax on polyurethane, varnish, lacquer, shellac, or oil finishes.
• Never use excess water when mopping your floor. The general rule is always using a slightly damp mop.
Springtime Maintenance of the Wood Floor’s Finish
The frequency of your finish maintenance routine, as well as the method, is chosen depends only on the type of flooring and finish you have. Each style of wood flooring and finish have their own style of maintenance routine and we highly recommend you leaving any heavy-duty and more challenging maintenance job in the safe hands of experienced professionals instead of making DIY attempts that can end up catastrophically.
In addition, the frequency of the finish maintenance routine can sometimes depend on your own preference. For example, pinewood flooring tends to develop this vintage look over time. If your intention is getting this look and you are sure that the floor’s finish is not damaged and still strong enough to protect the wood, there is no need of getting rid of the finish yet. Keep in mind that commercial spaces and areas that experience very high traffic also have their specific maintenance requirements and should be treated accordingly.
Hands down, if you are planning a sanding and refinishing treatment, Spring is a good moment to hire a professional team and start the process. It will give your floor that fresh new start it is in need of, it will ensure extra protection against water, moisture, stains, scratches, etc., it will improve the appearance and get rid of the dullness and the worn and tired look.
So happy mopping and let the big Spring cleaning begin!