Tips To Clean And Keep Protected Your Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring provides a warm and beautiful surface in your home that is easy to keep clean and resists staining as carpeting does, which is a great bonus when you have pets in your home. But be sure you keep up on its care properly to protect it as you clean it regularly. Here are some recommendations for cleaning your hardwood floors to keep them looking nice and to protect them over the years.

Check Into Your Flooring Warranty

Before you start cleaning your floors with any type of cleaning product you have in your cupboard, always check with the professionals about the type of flooring you have. Whether your hardwood flooring is solid, engineered, or a laminate coated flooring, you should check with the manufacturer for your specific flooring's needs. The warranty on your flooring product may be void if you use the wrong type of cleaner on your flooring. And if this happens you will be stuck with damaged flooring that you need to pay to replace out of your own pocket.

Look up your flooring online if you are not sure to find out cleaning recommendations. Or you can talk to the company that installed the flooring for you. Not all flooring can take an application of a cleaning product you can use on vinyl or tile flooring. Hardwood flooring and other engineered wood often need a special formula to keep the surface finish protected and prevent warping and other moisture damage.

Look For Recommended Products

There are a number of cleaning products available for cleaning your floors, and some are specific for the type of flooring material you have. Inquire with your flooring manufacturer for a recommended cleaning solution to use on the flooring you have installed. Otherwise, a basic water and soap mixture is a good option. 

However, be careful and read the recommendations well because even this type of method may void your warranty or cause damage to your floor. Often you can use plan water to clean the surface of your hardwood floors or a few drops of specific soaps in the water to help the cleaning process. But be careful you don't use a steam mop on your hardwood floors because this can put too much heat into the wood and cause it to cup and result in long-term damage.

Follow the Right Cleaning Steps

When you are ready with the right cleaning solution for your floors, be sure you always sweep or dry mop your floors first. Then as you apply your cleaning solution or water, it will work on wiping up stuck on debris and dirt and not scratch the finish of your floors with any debris left behind. In between mopping, you should sweep your floors regularly to pull up dust and particles that can scratch and dull your floor's finish. 

Reach out to a professional like those at Leo's Holland Floor Maintenance for more information about hardwood floor cleaning.