The truth is, nearly all of us tend to over clean our hardwood/laminate floors which tend to get more dusty than dirty. When they are dirty, it’s usually just surface dirt or spills. These days there are great products around to help minimize the chore and we highly recommend a chemical free cleaner which you should use once a month (unless needed more often).

Here are a few tips to keep your floor looking good:

Cleaning

• Our advice is do not use vinegar to clean your floors. Whilst it is wonderful for many things it is acidic and one customer who used vinegar destroyed the finish which became very dull and couldn’t be rectified without re-finishing.
• The lighter the wood the less dirt/dust you see.
• Grit and dirt are the enemy so make sure you sweep/vacuum your floors regularly to pick up any gritty bits which can and will cause scratches.
• Swiffer to get rid of dust. It’s dust that builds up usually, not dirt.
• Make sure to vacuum area rugs. Remember dirt can filter through onto your hardwood/laminate and cause scratching too.
• Mop up water spills straight away – same goes for food spills and then use your floor cleaner with a soft cloth to go over the area.
• For your once a month clean with the floor cleaner, spray your swiffer/mop with the cleaner rather than the floor and clean the floor as you would with a mop. It’s a good idea to keep two swiffers – one for wet and one for dry.
• This is just an opinion only regarding steam cleaners. I refuse to use them unless it’s on ceramic. Don’t we try to keep humidity out of our wood? With that in mind I cannot see any benefit in forcing steam into my wood! I know people will say it’s to sanitize, but I find cleaning up spills straight away and then using my cleaner does a sufficient job without putting excessive moisture into my floor.

Maintenance

• Why not consider using carpet runners in high traffic areas.
• If you or your friends wear shoes indoors, take them off! High heels especially put a massive pressure per square inch on your floors and can cause unsightly dents.
• Use heavy duty furniture pads. These are available at your local Home Centre. The pads will make moving heavy furniture easier too – but if you have to move something heavy, make sure first it has the pads underneath and that the floor is free of grit.
• You’ll be amazed how much dirt and dust gathers on the bottom of the pads so make sure to clean them off every few months with a damp cloth.

Looking after your floors is mostly common sense really but remember that as with most things, less is more! Wood is a stunning natural product and doesn’t get “looked after” in the forests – it just thrives and looks beautiful, as will your floors with the right amount of cleaning!