Your browser is out of date. For the correct work of a site, install the new version. Reader Tip: How to Clean Hardwood Floors While reviewing several of the comments from yesterday's review of the Starfiber Microfiber Mop, we noted that reader "amiencc" (who also happens to operate a cleaning service) left a very detailed and informative cleaning process that they claim is the best technique for keeping your wood floors looking beautiful... This is the BEST way to clean wood floors according to The Cleaning Bug :DO NOT use vinegar on a wood floor!! I own a cleaning company and am well aware of the damage this method can cause. Vinegar is acidic and will slowly eat away at the poly coating, or wax coating, or oil, whatever your floor is sealed with. It is fine for no-wax linoleum and ceramic but don't use vinegar on wood floors! If you have new wood floors, using anything but what the manufacturer specifically recommends will void your warranty. When in doubt, use just water.

I use a product called EcoMist Colloid W and a Rubbermaid commercial microfiber mop and it gets raves from my clients with wood floors." 1) Use a soft microfiber dusting pad (preferably with fringe) and run it along all the baseboards without lifting it. top rated vacuum cleaners for apartmentsThen run it up and down the room, like mowing the lawn, again not lifting the mop. heat duct cleaning equipmentLifting the mop allows larger debris to get under the mop pad, which can scratch the floors. best way to keep laminate wood floors cleanYou want the larger debris to be trapped by the fringe and pushed ahead of you while dust and dirt is trapped by the microfiber pad. duct cleaning companies reviews

This is why swiffer is horrible...it can scratch! 2) Use the hose attachment on you vacuum to run the perimeter of the room and suck up any trapped dirt near the baseboards. 3) Using a spray bottle, mist the floor lightly with water, or a cleaner specifically formulated for wood floors like EcoMist Colloid W, Dr. Bonners, or Method. DO NOT use Murphy's Oil Soap on your floors, nor should you use Orange Glo. Murphy's Oil Soap will ruin the floors and Orange Glo makes them dangerously slippery. Again, when in doubt, just use water. 4) After lightly misting a small area, use a seperate microfiber pad that is labeled for wet use and mop the area following the grain of the wood. 5) Continue to spray as you go. The floor should dry behind you. Never dump a bucket of soapy water on a wood floor...it will warp, cup, split, and generally need replacing really quickly. "I recommend the Rubbermaid Commercial Mop with a seperate wet and dry mopping head..they just velcro to the mop.

You can get them at Home Depot for about 20 bucks and they do have replacement heads when you start to get icked out by the old ones, but all you need to do is run the wet mop under the shower tap and use some shampoo to clean it out, while the dry mop can be vacuumed with an attachment then thrown into the wash." We use a similar technique of removing larger debris with a soft dusting pad, then vacuuming, followed up by using the spray/wipe technique with Dr. Bronner's or Method products on our floors. Though we admit we've used Murphy's Oil Soap in the past without any noticeable damage at previous apartments (in fact, a landlord once commended us for keeping his rental floors noticeably clean during our 2 year stay and rewarded us with the full deposit and a handshake). As we noted in the past, there seems like a wide range of techniques and solutions for keeping wood floors clean, with a bit of controversy about using vinegar (we're apt to agree with advice above, as vinegar is indeed an acid).

How to Clean Hardwood Floors: Must-Know Tricks Keep hardwood floors in top condition with smart cleaning methods that will make caring for your floors and maintaining their good looks even easier. Share your take on this idea!Upload your photo here. Hardwood Floors: Preventive Maintenance Cut hardwood-floor cleaning time with smart preventive maintenance. Position mats both outside and inside exterior doors to lessen tracked-in dirt. In snowy or rainy weather, include a boot removal area to avoid damage from water and de-icers.Prevent marks by using floor protectors under furniture and by using rugs in play areas to ensure children's toys don't scratch the floor. Hardwood Floors: Basic Care Speed up the cleaning process by first dusting the floor with a mop that has been treated with a dusting agent to pick up dust, dirt, and pet hair that might scratch the floor surface. For weekly or biweekly cleaning, vacuum with a floor-brush attachment on a vacuum cleaner or an electric broom.

Do not use a vacuum with a beater bar attachment, which can scratch a wood floor's finish. For quick dusting, use disposable electrostatic cloths, available at grocery and discount stores. Save money by using both sides of the disposable cloths. Hardwood Floors: Deeper Cleaning Dirt, oil, and grime build up over time and aren't completely removed by a weekly dust mopping. For occasional deep cleaning (consider doing the cleaning in the spring or just before the winter holidays), use a wood-cleaning product diluted according to the label instructions. Saturate a sponge or rag mop in the water, then wring it almost dry so it feels only slightly damp to the touch. Damp-mop the floor, being careful to prevent standing water on the floor. Rinse with a clean mop dampened in clear water, but only if the cleaning product requires it. Wipe up excess liquid because standing water can damage wood surfaces. If the weather is humid, operate a ceiling fan or the air-conditioner to speed up drying.

Hardwood Floors: Removing Marks Consider your floor's finish before trying to remove a mark. If the stain is on the surface, your floor probably has a hard finish, such as urethane. If the stain has penetrated through to the wood, the floor probably has a soft oiled finish -- common in older homes whose floors have not been refinished and resealed. Wipe surface stains from a hard finish with a soft, clean cloth. Never use sandpaper, steel wool, or harsh chemicals on such a surface because they can permanently damage the finish. The following remedies are for hardwood floors with soft oiled finishes. If needed, end each treatment by staining the wood, then waxing and buffing the spot to match the rest of the floor. Dark spots and pet stains: Rub the spot with No. 000 steel wool and floor wax. If the area is still dark, apply bleach or vinegar and allow it to soak into the wood for about an hour. Rinse with a damp cloth. Heel marks: Use fine steel wool to rub in floor wax.