Clean Hardwood Floors

^[1]Many people choose hardwood flooring because of how easy it can be to clean compared to carpet or tile. Hardwood flooring can add value to any home with its beauty and elegance. If it’s not taken care of properly, your flooring can start to look terrible though. For this reason it is important that homeowners with hardwood flooring, especially expensive hardwood flooring like cherry, maple and mahogany, learn how to properly clean and care for it.When clean, hardwood floors look great and are incredibly warm and inviting. This is why it is so important to learn how to properly clean your hardwood floors and avoid damage.

Dirt, sand and gritty build-up is incredibly damaging to hardwood floors if it is not cleaned regularly. These particles act like sandpaper on the finish. They can cause scratches, dents and dulling of your floor. Regular use of a dust mop can prevent this, but you may also want to consider placing floor mats or carpet runners in high-traffic areas and entrances to trap the dirt and prevent damage to your hardwood floors.

Usually when you clean hardwood floors you need to pay attention to the specific finish of your floor. Often times cleaning products that work good for one type of floor will not work, and could damage another. This is why microfiber mops ^[2] are so appealing. They are safe for hardwood floors because you only use a small amount of water to clean with and there is no need for extra chemicals. Of course you can use chemical cleansers if you like, but the great thing is that you don’t have to.

Sweeping Harwood Floors
In high-traffic areas, like the dining room and kitchen, you should sweep daily, if possible. Rubber brooms ^[3] work great on hardwood floors because of their soft, yet durable head. They won’t scratch or mar the finish of your floors in any way and they actually work better than a traditional broom. The pliable rubber bristles actually form a wall when pulled accross your floor and all of the dirt, dust and hair are removed in just one sweep. A static charge is created which keeps everything on the ground and actually pulls dirt into the broom. Regular sweeping of your hardwood floors with a rubber broom ^[3] will keep them looking great for years.

Mopping Hardwood Floors
You should mop high-traffic areas of your home once or twice a week. Areas less traveled can be mopped once a month or so. Mopping hardwood floors can be tricky because water is a hardwood floor’s worst enemy. Even sealed floors are suseptable to water damage, so it is important that you don’t use a soaking wet mop to mop your hardwood floor. For this reason microfiber mops ^[2] are great. You don’t have to use any chemical cleansers and it only takes a small amount of water to clean your floor. The specially design microfiber material grabs and holds dirt, grease and grime. These mops work better than any other for cleaning hardwood floors.

Make sure to sweep and mop regularly and your floors will continue to look great for years to come. Additionally you should immediately clean any spill or muddy foot print as standing water will damage your floor.