An Explanation For Cleaning Hardwood Floors

(By: Lawrence White)

The beauty and elegance of hardwood flooring makes it an ideal choice for most homeowners. Wood flooring improves the decor of your room and you need to maintain it to ensure it retains its beauty. Here are a few tips which will help you maintain and cleaning your flooring.

Before you start cleaning your flooring, you need to take steps to maintain the flooring. You need to place mats or rugs on every entryway to ensure that dirt does not enter your rooms. Tiny pieces of dirt act like sandpaper and cause marks on the floor which are difficult to remove. Avoid using non-ventilated mats as they could damage your hardwood flooring. Instead use mats made especially for hardwood floors as they prevent damage to your flooring. Also make sure you shake them regularly to ensure dust does not accumulate in your rugs. You can also use these mats in areas that get wet easily, like the kitchen or bathroom area. Buy a good quality broom and sweep your new floor regularly to pick up grains of dirt, dust and other particles.

To clean your hardwood flooring you will need a vacuum cleaner as it helpful in reaching areas between planks, which are difficult to reach otherwise. The technique of cleaning the hardwood will depend on the finish and installation of the hardwood flooring. You can use a terrycloth mop to clean "finish in place" hardwood floors. Terry cloth mops make it easy to clean under the cabinets and baseboards. If you are planning to clean prefinished hardwood flooring you need to use products that are specified by the manufacturers. If you want to remove stains and marks from the hardwood flooring, you need to use cleaning products recommended by the manufacturers.

Points to remember when cleaning your flooring:

If you are using hardwood flooring with a urethane finish, avoid using wax to clean the flooring. Instead, use cleaners that do not leave a residue on your flooring. If you plan to remove heel marks, spray some hardwood floor cleaner and rub the area with a cloth. If you are troubled by sticky spots, you can use a damp towel to remove them. Avoid using oil soaps as they dull the polish of flooring.

Using oil soaps could also affect your ability to recoat the flooring. Never use water to clean your hardwood floors as it could cause damage. Since wood is a natural product, it expands when it comes in contact with water.

If you feel that your flooring is excessively damaged, then you might want to recoat and screen your flooring. This will help repair the damage and prolong the life of your flooring. If screening and recoat does not help, the floor should be sanded, restrained and refinished. If nothing helps then you may have to replace the damaged area.

If you feel that you are unable to repair and maintain your flooring, then you may require the help of experienced professional.

(Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com)

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