Hardwood floors are usually quite long lasting. They can withstand a lot of wear and tear. There is abuse from daily traffic as well as scuffs and scratches from pets and lastly there are spills. Wearing shoes inside, children playing with hard toys, moving heavy furniture are some other factors that are known for damaging wood floors. But do you know if you do not clean your hardwood floor properly at regular intervals that way too it can sustain scratches and appear dull?

Let us go through few tried and tested tips in the paragraphs below. These tips deal with how to clean hardwood floors like pros. If you follow these tips properly you can keep your floor looking in its best condition for years to come. It is important to take note that every hardwood floor does not require the same level of effort and care from you in keeping it spick and span. Most importantly your lifestyle and the volume of traffic it gets on a daily basis are the two most crucial deciding factors.  

Cleaning hardwood floors – how often the task should be

Maintaining a regular routine proves to be the best way to keep any hardwood floor clean. If you sweep and vacuum your floor at short and regular intervals, you actually save your time and effort in the long run. Now you may ask how? Experts providing hardwood floor cleaning service in London explain this becomes possible because in that case there is no need wet cleaning your floor frequently.

Hardwood floors should better be dusted and swept thoroughly every few days. Moreover, it should be weekly vacuumed. A careful deep cleaning is necessary every one to two months or as and when required. Actually, this depends on how much daily use your floor undergoes.

Tools and items that you need

You obviously require few tools and items to carry out the task of cleaning hardwood floor easily. Let us list those items below. The things that you require include the following –

• Vacuum cleaner
• Microfiber dust mop
• Sponge
• Baking soda from the kitchen shelf
• Wet mop meant for hardwood floors like Swiffer Wet Jet
• Hardwood floor cleaner like Bona Powe Plus or Bona Clear Spray

Step by step guide

• Step 1 – Perform dusting or sweep the floor almost every day

A broom or a microfiber dust mop proves sufficient for quick regular maintenance of any hardwood floor. Make sure to pick up the dirt and crumbs from the surface that accumulate over the day. These elements are mostly responsible for scratches on wood floors.

• Step 2 – Prompt spot clean in necessary

You should clean up spills from your hardwood floors promptly almost the moment one occurs. Do not allow wet spills to dry on the floor itself. It attracts additional dirt and also makes a floor appear dull and grim. If there is a spill just blot it up immediately using an absorbent cloth. This saves the hardwood floor polish to a great extent in the long run.

P.S. If you come across a spot on your hardwood floor you should treat it with a paper towel soaked in water. Later wipe dry the area. This is a fast touch up solution that proves effective.

It is better not to use vinegar in cleaning hardwood floors. Why? Vinegar is basically an acidic solution. It brings dullness to certain types of hardwood floor finishing.

Vacuum routinely at short and regular intervals

You should vacuum your hardwood floor routinely at short and regular intervals. In fact, depending on the traffic, you get you should make use of the vacuum every few days. It is important to tell you that a canister vacuum is undisputedly one of the best vacuums for hardwood floors. The long and oval floor brush of the gadget can easily access tiny spaces. While using the vacuum you should keep the rotating brush off. Its bristles may scratch your floor.

We the mop whenever required

In certain cases, you will neither be able to sweep away or vacuum dirt, grime or food spills from the floor surface. Then you should better realise that it is time for deeper cleaning of the floor. If your wood floor is already surface treated, in that case you can wet clean it with commercially manufactured best hardwood floor cleaning services like Bona Spray. Spray the cleaner across an area of say 3 feet by 3 feet. Then work your way with a microfiber mop to pick up the stubborn dirt and debris. This way you clean the entire floor cleaning only a tiny area at a time.

How can you remove scuff marks?

As far as the loss of natural sheen of hardwood floors is concerned dirt and grime are not the only culprits. When you move heavy furniture along the floor scuff marks are created on hardwood floor surface. Thankfully this problem is not very difficult to with. Apply a little elbow grease and it is gone. Here are few more tips about removing scoff marks from the floor.

• To get rid of light scuffs use a clean, fuzzy tennis ball or a sock to buff it out.
• To get rid of heavier scoff marks sprinkle a little baking soda and rub it gently with a damp sponge. The mark will be completely gone and then you can rinse using a damp paper towel followed by buff drying.

The tips above are shared by trained, skilled and experienced professionals working at VIP Carpet Cleaning London.

Tips to keep hardwood floors clean longer

In order to keep your floor clean longer you have to implement certain policies in your home. Initially these rules or policies may seem inconvenient. But within a few days your habit will develop and the inconvenience will be gone.

First implement a “no shoes indoors” policy. You should leave your shoes outside at the threshold. This keeps floors clean much longer. Dirt and grit carried under shoes also prove abrasive for wooden floors. When this habit gets fully developed there is no track-in dirt in your home.

As far as cleaning hardwood floors from spills and messes is concerned, just always remain proactive and get it done as soon as it occurs. In easier words you cannot afford to let a spill dry on its own on your floor surface. In cleaning up a spill you must also make use of as little water as possible. Never let water puddle on the floor.