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Cleaning Hardwood & Laminate Floors

by ‎02-13-2015 04:30 PM - edited ‎07-01-2015 04:07 PM

No one's hobby is mopping or cleaning floors, even for a neat freak like myself. Your floors are the biggest real estate in your home and for most of us the biggest time consumer in terms of cleaning.  It doesn't have to be that way. Let's talk hardwood or laminate floors today and next week we will discuss how to resolve the bigger issues like discoloration and stains.

 

 

 

Wood floors add a warmth and beauty to a home but we forget some times that it is a natural product and needs special care.  The best part is they are easy to keep looking nice.

 

Always vacuum or dust wooden floors before "mopping". Dust, dirt and even pet hair can scratch wood surfaces so get any debris off the floor before the actually cleaning process.

 

 

 

I want to give you some options and remember that QVC is a retailer with great products and I will make some recommendations but the choice is entirely up to you.  The first thing I will tell you is throw away your old sponge mops.  Sponge mops were invented to spread floor wax not to clean.  They do a nice job of evenly spreading dirt or grime like they were designed to spread wax.  I personally prefer using a steam cleaner such as V32928 - The Monster Steam Jet Floor Cleaner with washable micro fiber pads.  First there are no chemicals and secondly it does not saturate the wood.  Excess water can swell or warp wood.

 

A moist, not wet, micro fiber mop is also a superior way to clean using warm, not hot tap water.  Hot water opens up the grain of the wood and allows dirt to get trapped instead of removing it.  Wood has a distinctive grain pattern and excess moisture is not good for wood.  When mopping always mop in the direction of the grain pattern.  Most of us don't think to do that but it prevents streaking.  V31632  - Don Aslett's Micro fiber mop with 6 washable micro fiber pads is a good piece of equipment as well.

 

 

 

About once a month I will mix a spray bottle with a few teaspoons of white vinegar and a few drops of vegetable oil in warm tap water.  Spritzing the floor as I clean.  The vinegar gets the deeper dirt and the vegetable oil gives luster and much needed natural oils to the wood itself.  Always then wipe the floor down with a micro fiber cloth to prevent it from being slippery. 

 

 

 

One last tip, if your floor has a gouge or scratch in it (we have five dogs and that's twenty paws and I don't even know how many claws), take a crayon that closely matches your floor color and rub it into the scratch.  With a hair dryer melt the wax crayon into the scratch and then when allowed to cool buff with a soft cloth.  It is a great way to make those marks virtually disappear.

 

More tips next week.

 

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