You really can’t beat gorgeous oak floors. They are stylish, practical, and they look amazing. Whether it’s older floors or sleek, modern varieties, when you look after them, they make a fantastic backdrop to your home. So, let’s take a look at how to look after your floors.
Read also: 7 Ways to Make Your Old Home Feel Like New
How to Clean Oak Floors
Firstly, let’s have a quick discussion about how not to treat your floors. Avoid the below to help your floors last longer:
- Wood absorbs moisture which means your floors will swell if they are soaked. Never saturate your floors.
- Stay away from steam cleaning gadgets as they injure high temperatures and high pressure which can damage the finish on your floors.
Read also: Can You Really Make Your Home Easier to Clean?
Day to Day Cleaning
Market Timbers offer oak flooring in Melbourne that is made to last, provided you look after it properly. Just a little regular maintenance can do the trick and keep your floors looking beautiful. Dry sweeping the floors with a broom is perfect. A hoover will work well, too. If you want a particularly good clean, use a microfibre mop to pick up dust.
It’s a good idea to stay away from supermarket cleaners that are often too harsh for oak floor finishes and can degrade the surface of the flooring. It is a much better idea to invest in a PH balanced floor cleaner designed for oak floors. To use a floor cleaner:
- Vacuum or sweep the floors before you mop. This helps to remove loose gravel and dirt that could scratch the surface of the floor if the mop drags the dirt.
- Add the recommended amount of concentrated cleaner to a bucket of lukewarm water.
- Use the mop to stir the water well and ensure you wring the mop out so that it is not soaking wet. It should just be damp.
- Use even strokes to clean the floor, and remember to rinse the mop out regularly to keep everything dirt-free and fresh.
- Dry the floor and, if you want to, buff it with a clean towel or cloth to really get it shining.
A Little Troubleshooting
If your floor looks somewhat dull or streaky after you have cleaned it, it could be because you used too high a concentration of the cleaner. To sort it out, use a damp cloth to wipe the floor and then follow with a dry cloth to buff it.
It there are dirty patches or stubborn scuff marks on the floor, use a slightly higher concentration of cleaner to get rid of them. If the stubborn marks still won’t budge, or your floor looks work and patchy, cleaning alone may not be enough for it. You may need a restoration or repair.
What If You Don’t Have Time to Clean the Floors?
You don’t need to dedicate a great deal of time to oak floors, that’s part of the appeal. Simply wipe, hoover, and dust them down regularly to keep them clean, buff, and beautiful.
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