Wooden floors are a popular choice among all kinds of flooring options nowadays. It gives your house a cozy yet stylish look. But cleaning them and keeping them clean takes some particular measures, which the other flooring materials might not follow. We are here give you a brief about all of these handy procedures using homely ingredients.
The Three Levels of Cleaning Wood Floor
Basic Care
- Dust Mop
Dusting is a good way to get rid of all kinds of coarse particles like food debris and pet hair off the floor. Since they usually get spread in bunches and are stuck to wooden materials, dusting these off every once in a while can automatically increase the cleanliness of your floor. The best option to do this is the wool mop which takes in all those materials and keep them with itself until you manually shake them off. You can also give it a wash in your sink if it is too cold outside and you prefer cleaning it indoors. Try to buy a large one so that more portions can get cleaned in shorter time periods.
- Less Water
While normally a lot of water is good for the floor, it is not that good of a news for the wooden ones. We all know how water or moisture affects anything made of wood and leaves marks and bad odor on it. So avoid using sponge mops which take up much more water than required. Instead, go for a microfiber mop and use a spray bottle to have more control on the amount of water it is absorbing.
- Seasonal Vacuum
Deep vacuum cleaning is necessary only twice or thrice a year. Make sure your vacuum does not contain beater bar which is known to harm wood flooring. Clean the wood floors thoroughly with it and give a good sweep under the rugs and below the furniture too.
Basic Cleaning
- Sticky marks
Olive oils or vegetable oils can get the floor rid of sticky marks. First, rub the oil on the area and let it sit there for a while. Then use a microfiber cloth to wipe it away and clean the spot.
- Scuff marks
If you are a tennis player, this will come in handy for you. Take the tennis ball and cut an X on it. Then stick it to the end of the mop or broom and use it on the scuff marks left by shoes and furniture. It is better to do this after dust mopping, saving you a lot of back pain.
- Greasy marks
First, use an eraser from school stationary or from the back of the pencil to rub off the greasy marks. After that, wipe off the area with a damp and clean cloth.
- Pet Stains
Don’t let pet stains sit there for even a minute. Firstly, use a mop to get rid of the mess. Then mix water and vinegar in a 4:1 ratio and apply it to alleviate the odor.
- Water Stains
No need to clean up these stains immediately. Instead, wait for a day or two to allow the area get completely dry. Then warm up the iron and make sure it is not steaming. Place a dry washcloth on the affected area of floor and run the iron on it. Don’t keep the iron in one spot for too long since it can make the situation worse. Move it all over the area constantly for two minutes and see the results.
If the stains are still there, damp a microfiber cloth in lemon oil and rub the spot with it. Remember to clean up all these with a floor cleaner, otherwise members of the house may face accidental slips in this oily area.
Nail polish and paint
These are the easiest to wash since all they need is some alcohol. Rub some alcohol on the spot and they should take no time to leave your wooden floor.
- Deep Cleaning
Here we will mainly give you some DIY solutions to deep clean your floor once its warranty is over. These cleaners can save you some money and assure you the authenticity of the included ingredients, unlike the industrial ones. Use them every few months to bring back the shine on your floors.
- Vinegar and alcohol
Mix half a cup of white vinegar with a quarter cup of plain rubbing alcohol. Add two cups of water to it and store the mixture in a spray bottle. Then put some plain liquid dish soap in no more than three drops. Make sure the soap is:
- not made of castile
- not scented
- does not contain oxygenatin action
- not moisturizing
- not anti-bacterial
You can add a few drops of any essential oil you prefer and mix all the ingredients gently. Before using this on the floor, dust-mop it well. Start spraying the mixture in small amounts and immediately wipe it off with a dry microfiber cloth. Do this as many times as needed to cover the whole floor.
- Teabags
This is one of the easiest cleaning solutions. Just put in two teabags in boiling water for a few minutes. Their tannic acid will help the floor gain back its lost luster. Move the mixture onto a bucket and dip a clean soft cloth in it. Then clean up the floor with it in small portions and see how good it shines!
Preventive Measures
To save yourself from cleaning the floors again and again in short intervals, you can follow the easy tricks below. These will prevent most of the dirt and marks from sticking onto the floor.
- Doormats
Place two doormats – one on the outside and one on the inside of the door to stop moisture from building up.
- Protectors and rugs
Keep some floor protectors below the furniture and keep rugs in areas where people usually move a lot more than others. This will prevent forming scratches.
- Crayons
If some scratches persist even after cleaning, take some crayon which has the same color as the floor and rub it on the spot for a world-class camouflage! Use a blow dryer and heat that area so that the color stays longer.
And that’s it! Get rid of all the current dirt and marks and prevent more from taking place by following these tips.
