What Amount Of Water Should Be Used When Cleaning Wood Flooring?

This is a question very often asked by our clients who wonder how to clean a hardwood floor the right way, without damaging the wood. The answer is as simple as that – always use as little water as possible to prevent it from soaking into the wood and causing damage.

Hardwood floors are a very popular choice among homeowners and it is like that for a reason – a hardwood floor a considerable investment (of both time and money), which can look good over a really long period of time, if you ensure it gets the right care and maintenance. Recently, there has been an increase in demand for aged or reclaimed floors, which suggests that some people consider older floors even more attractive than new ones. Having said that, we also need to stress that each hardwood floor requires proper and regular maintenance. And you always need to remember to avoid the use of excessive amounts of water when cleaning it.

The right maintenance involves thorough cleaning every now and then. To do that, remove all the items, including carpets and furniture, so that you can really focus on cleaning your hardwood flooring. When clearing the room of all the items, remember to lift the furniture, especially all the heavy items, instead of dragging it across the floor. It will help you avoid any damage to your hardwood flooring.

Having emptied your room, you need to sweep and vacuum the hardwood floor before applying any water at all. When the floor is fee of dirt and dust, you can use water, by applying it on a microfiber mop or a soft cotton cloth. That’s the best solution as far as cleaning a hardwood floor is concerned.

However, you need to bear in mind one common mistake people make when cleaning hardwood floors – applying too much water. Remember that the less water you use, the better. If you want to make sure, you don’t overdo with the amount of water when cleaning your hardwood flooring, get a water-misting bottle and spray a mop or a soft cloth, applying as little water as you can.

You may wonder why we stress that using only a small amount of water is crucial. The reason is that the water shouldn’t be left on the surface of the floor. It would be best that any water which has been applied on the floor evaporates within a short time, instead of soaking into the floor.

And if your hardwood flooring is really dirty and you need to use a cleaning product, do make sure to choose the right product for the given type of flooring and carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions.