Those who read our blogs know that we often stress the importance of cleaning your flooring regularly. Redundant as it may be, we feel it is our responsibility as flooring professionals to make sure your floor is going to last as long as possible, and cleaning is a big factor in the life of your floor. This is especially true of hardwood floors because of the natural fibers that they're made up of.
The process of shopping for the best products to clean your floor with is a bit more involved than you may think. Lined up on the store shelves are plenty of different products promising a beautiful finish for your floor. Some cling to the promise that they smell great, others that they will make your floor shine, and still others that say they are environmentally friendly. All of these things are great, but they don't make the decision much easier. The good news is that you can eliminate a few contenders just by checking to see if they're oil-based or water based.
If the bottle you're looking at labels itself as an oil-based solution, you need to walk away. Here's the thing; oil-based cleaning solutions do work. If they didn't there wouldn't be a market for them, right? The problem is that they create a buildup in your floors. That oil doesn't just disappear. If you were to place a drop of oil in a pan and leave it sitting out overnight would you expect it to? Nope. Oil is just good at camouflaging itself into your floor.
Set out some water, though, and what happens? Eventually it will evaporate. This means that even if you don't rub your cleaning solution into your floor as thoroughly as you thought you did, there will be no problems later on. The excess water will just evaporate and you can go about your business without thinking about it again. Easy!
Now, while there are several water-based cleaning solutions to choose from, we always recommend the Bona floor cleaning kit to our customers. This is, in our opinion, the best floor kit on the market and super easy to use.
Cleaning Your Hardwood Floor in 3 Easy Steps:
1. Dry mop your floor at least once a week. No cleaner necessary!
2. Once a month, spray a moderate amount of water-based cleaning solution onto your floor and rub it into your floor with your dry mop.
3. Make sure the floor is thoroughly dried and then enjoy the rest of your day!
Happy Flooring!