Wood Floor Cleaning Tools

Whether you have new or older wood floors, the proper care is essential in keeping them looking their best. There are many gimmicks on the market that promise to keep your floors beautiful and in good condition. When looking for tools to clean your wood floors, a combination of a broom, vacuum, mop and towels works best.

Water

Water and any type of wood are not a good combination. Water can cause wood to warp, cup and stain. Wood floors are no different. Even if they have a protective finish, they won't be able to stand up to excessive water, continued wetness and or spills that aren't cleaned up immediately.

Spills

Spills are a common concern for wood floors. If a spill occurs, make sure that it is cleaned up immediately with a few dry, soft cloths. First soak up the spill with a soft, dry cloth. Then follow that up by gently buffing the area with a new soft, dry cloth to ensure that the entire area is dry and there is no leftover dampness on the wood.

Broom

According to BuildDirect.com, day-to-day cleaning of your wood floors can be done with a broom. Use a soft, fine bristled broom to remove dirt, grit and dust buildup on your floors. For floors in high traffic areas, you will probably need to sweep them with a broom daily, while for less used areas, you can probably sweep them with a broom every other day or less.

Vacuum

A vacuum can be used on wood floors to remove dirt that is not picked up with a broom. According to BuildDirect.com, it is best to use a vacuum with a soft brush attachment. This will give you more control over picking up dirt, dust and pet hair, and it will also prevent your floors from getting scratched with sharp, rougher vacuum attachments.

Mop

The WoodFloorDoctor.com suggests using a mop to clean your wood floors once a month or less. The site calls this method damp mopping. For this, you will get a mop with plain water. Wring the mop out completely to the point that it is almost dry. Smooth the mop over the floor once to dissolve the dirt build-up. Rewet the mop and again wring it out until it is almost dry, then smooth it over the wood floor again to remove the dirt completely. After you are finished damp mopping, run a soft, dry towel over the floor to buff it completely dry.

References

• BuildDirect
• WoodFloorDoctor.com