At each and every jobsite, hardwood floor contractors have to put on their teaching hats.
Making sure your clients know how to properly clean a hardwood floor is essential to protecting the integrity of your work in the long run. (It also helps you avoid angry callbacks.)
Before we get into the products that your clients should use to clean their floors, let’s go over some…
…things that should never, ever touch a hardwood floor:
Wet mops: The #1 source of damage to finishes – Although people might think that sloshing a soaking wet mop back and forth over their floors is a good idea, this will actually ruin the finish and damage the wood itself. A mop that is used to clean hardwood floors should only be slightly damp.
Vinegar is good for cleaning many things, but not hardwood floors – White vinegar was once a popular product used to clean hardwood floors. And a quick Google search reveals that a lot of people still recommend using it. But vinegar should not be used as a hardwood floor cleaner because its acidity can lead to etching in the wood’s surface.
Avoid ammonia – Ammonia will discolor, deteriorate, and dull the finish. Using ammonia to clean a wood floor will take years off of its life.
Steam cleaners are bad news – You should only use steam cleaners on carpets and other surfaces that they are designed for. Using a steam cleaner on a hardwood floor can cause peeling, cracking, and cloudiness in the finish.
Popular cleaning products – Most of the cleaning products sold in grocery stores aren’t friendly to wood. They’ll damage the finish if used over a long period of time. Pair one of these products with a soaking wet mop and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
Approved cleaning products for hardwood floors
When it comes to long-term care and maintenance, make sure your clients are aware of what they should and shouldn’t use on their floors. You should include information about approved cleaning products and processes in the floor care guides that you hand out to your clients. Click here to read our guide to floor care guides.
To further encourage good cleaning practices, you might even consider giving out floor care kits to your clients.
As a contractor, it’s up to you to lead by example. A few good products to use during and after a hardwood floor installation or refinishing include:
Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner – For long-term maintenance, you should advise your clients to invest in a product like Bona’s Hardwood Floor Cleaning Spray. This product is designed for use on hardwood floors, so it’s wood and finish-friendly.
Basic Coatings IFT – This intensive floor treatment (IFT) is designed to remove the toughest of dirt and grit from hardwood floors. It also removes scuff marks, waxes, oils, and polishes. Using IFT is the first step of the Tykote Dustless Refinishing System process.
Basic Coatings Squeaky Clean – This product is designed to clean hardwood floors without damaging the finish. It’s a commercial-grade cleaner that’s safe to use on all wood and laminate floors. This product is the second step in the TyKote Dustless Refinishing System process.
Using Basic Coatings IFT and Squeaky Clean to prep for refinishing will ensure that you start every job on a professional note, and will encourage your clients to take care of their floors with the proper products.
For more information on how to properly clean a hardwood floor, or to find out more about any of the products discussed in this blog post, call us at 1-800-737-1786 or email info@cityfloorsupply.com.
Pingback: How to Protect Hardwood Floors in the Summer | Philly Floor
I didn’t realize that cleaning your hardwood floors with a wet mop could damage it. It makes sense that understanding what the best way to keep your floors spotless can help you make sure they also last a long time. I can see how anyone looking into this would want to consult with a professional and make sure they have the best liquids and materials to protect their investment.
Thanks for the information on wood floors! My wife and I really want to replace out old carpet with wood, but we haven’t known exactly what we need to know! I didn’t realize that wet mops were bad for the finishing. We will make sure we keep those away from our wood!
You said that we should only use steam cleaners on the carpet. If I was going to clean hardwood floors I would want to know that it is going to stay in good condition. Maybe I should ask a professional for assistance when I need to clean my floors.
Need to clean my 1955 hardwood flooring for pet accidents, what will work best? Bed to get the smell out I am renting
Hi Janeen,
The stains you refer to are difficult to remove. Sometimes Oxalic Acid Crystals work most times the stain is too deep from going unnoticed. Typically the floor mechanics will replace the boards and sand the floor.
Hey! My entire house has light colored laminate floors. Actually, I am suspicious of using the wet cleaner for them? Because I heard about that wet cleaner is harmful to laminate. What do you think should I use wet cleaner for my hardwood floor?. Thanks!!.
Hello,
Typically Squeaky cleaner is ok to use on laminate flooring but you should check with the manufacturer and installer.
After reading the article it seems there is a lot more that could damage your floors than I thought. I invested a lot into my hardwood and would hate to make a simple mistake and ruin them. For this reason I would rather trust a professional.
Amazing tips! I think most of the people did not know about how to clean laminate floor. Thanks for sharing such nice tips! I really love this blog and content is really useful. Thanks for telling us about the importance of solvency. Keep sharing this post more and more.
We purchased this house with old hardwood floors quick fixed with minwax stain. Looked good for a minute. Besides its peeling now, it’s showing every footprint etc. after cleaning. Have used every type cleaner from Murphy’s oil soap, pine sol, dawn dish soap, rejuvenate, and more. Looks horrible shortly after. I don’t even care about shine, just want a clear floor!
Without seeing the floor but focusing on the “peeling now” it sounds as if this may need a full sanding.
Wonderful article packed with pieces of information.
I can tell you, this is the best information I have found. It is what I have done successfully for 16 years cleaning hard wood floors and everything in between. I found a secret, rinse ring out, rinse ring out,rinse ring out and only use Bona. All the homes I clean have a bona kit. They don’t even clean their floors, they dust them, I clean them.
Need to clean my 1955 hardwood flooring for pet accidents, what will work best? Bed to get the smell out I am renting
The stains you refer to are difficult to remove. Sometimes Oxalic Acid Crystals work most times the stain is too deep from going unnoticed. Typically the floor mechanics will replace the boards and sand the floor.
This post is very informational. Thanks!
Hey,
Thanks for the good advice. It was a surprize for me that wet mops can cause floor damage, I never thought about it. Live and learn forever.
Joseph
What if you have an area rug over hardwood floor and the area rug needs spot treatments from pet accidents? Will that damage the floor?
Yes, pet accidents can soak through an area rug and damage the floor underneath.