What cleaning supplies to use on hardwood floors depends not on the type of wood, but on the type of finish your floor has. Most modern floors now are surface sealed, which means that they have a urethane, polyurethane, orpolyacrylic surface seal. To test if your floor is surface sealed, run a finger across your floor and see if it leaves a mark on the floor. Otherwise, your floor is probably treated with a penetrating seal or an oil finish. In that case, you’ll need to apply liquid or paste wax to your floor, and regular cleaning methods will not work.
Surface sealed floors are usually quite resilient to cleaning methods that might harm a floor treated with a penetrating seal. However, there are cleaning methods that should not be used on surface sealed floors. Read on for more information on what not to use to clean hardwood floors.
Surface sealed floors
– Don’t use oils, they tend to leave a residue that builds up over time
– Don’t use furniture spray, as it makes your floor incredibly slippery
– Don’t use wax, it’s not necessary for your surface sealed floor and wax is a huge hassle to take care of
– Don’t use any abrasive cleaners, such as ammonia or other alkaline products that will dull the surface of your floors
– Don’t only use water, since water alone will not remove dirt very well and your floors will not be as clean as they could be
– Don’t use vinegar and water, as vinegar is an acidic substance that may dull your floors faster
– Don’t use a completely wet mop, because water can still get behind the seal and ruin the wood flooring
Penetrating seal floors
– Don’t use acrylic and water based waxes, which can turn a floor white
– Don’t use furniture waxes, since they make your floors incredibly slippery
– Don’t use one step waxes, as they tend to trap dirt
– Don’t damp mop, floors with penetrating seals are much more vulnerable to water damage
A flooring specialist will be able to tell you in greater detail other products you should not use on your specific type of floor, in addition to what you should be using to clean your floor. Use TalkLocal to find a high quality flooring specialist at no additional charge today.
