Make Your Hardwood Floors Shine
by: Craig A. Mouldey
You have just installed hardwood flooring in your home. Now what? How do you
keep your hardwood floors clean and shiny? Read the following Q&A in which two
hardwood floor owners are asking just that.
Q: "I was reading your site and saw that one should not use oil based cleaners.
Why? Our installer told us to use vinegar in water, and use a damp cloth to
clean the floor about once a week. Will this damage the floor? What is a
polyurethane cleaner? Where do you buy it?"
A: If an oil based cleaner is used on polyurethane finished floors, it leaves an
oily residue on the surface which can not only make cleaning the floor more
difficult, but after a period of time, when the floor is showing signs of wear
and needs to be buffed and recoated, this residue can present adhesion problems.
When cleaning any hardwood floor, or furniture, minimal water should be used. In
other words, wipe with a dampened, not wet cloth. Adding a capful of vinegar can
help and is suggested by the National Wood Flooring Association. However, I have
heard one floor finish manufacturer dispute this, believing the vinegar is too
acidic and can break down the finish eventually. The absolutely simple and safe
way to clean any sort of wood that is finished with a urethane is to use
polyurethane cleaners which are manufactured by both hardwood flooring
manufacturers and manufacturers of polyurethane. I use Squeeky Cleaner from
Basic Coatings. Any hardwood flooring supplier near you should carry this or
similar product. Also, Home Depot is a likely place to look, since they do sell
hardwood flooring. This cleaner is usually blue in color, and is mixed 4 parts
water to one part cleaner in a spray bottle. Mist some on a cloth and wipe. You
can use this to clean any wood finished with urethane top coats.
Q: "We bought a beautiful old home with wonderful wood floors throughout which
were installed in 93. They looked pretty good when we moved in two years ago,
but now they look dull and mottled. Our cleaning person uses ****** for floors
and some floor dusting cloth called ********. Could they be the problem? What
can we use to get the shine back?"
A: There are any number of cleaners on the market, found in supermarket that say
they are for hardwood floors. Your safest approach is to purchase a cleaner
created by hardwood flooring manufacturers or floor finish manufacturers. This
can be purchased (these products, as far as I am aware, are all basically the
same) from local hardwood flooring retailers or a big box store that sells
hardwood flooring. Best bet is the Hardwood retailer who specializes in
hardwood. I use "squeaky cleaner" manufactured by Basic Coatings. See their web
site: www.basiccoatings.com.
Mirage cleaner is another one.
It sounds likely that the cleaners being used on your floors are leaving some
sort of film on the wood surface. This can create the situation you are
describing and can make buffing and recoating in the future impossible to
achieve due to adhesion issues.
To sum it up, your best bet to make your floors shine is to purchase a cleaner
created by hardwood flooring manufacturers or floor finish manufacturers.
About The Author
Craig Mouldey is the owner of http://www.FaceLiftFloors.com. He has been in the
flooring business for over two decades. You can find more flooring Q&A at
http://www.FaceLiftFloors.com.
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