Tips For Cleaning Engineered Wood Flooring

Recently we had engineered wood flooring put in and I had no idea how to clean it and was thinking of different ways to clean it without spoiling the beauty of it.

I know from experience that some types of flooring require special attention or avoidance of particular chemicals or wetness to retain the beauty of the flooring.

I’m going to get into some tips and tricks to keep your engineered wood flooring looking beautiful!

Tips For Cleaning Engineered Wood Flooring

Quality

The first and most important aspect is to ensure that you have Engineered Wood Flooring from a reliable company to ensure you only have the best quality available.

You can have peace of mind you have more longevity with your flooring if you go to a specialised seller and ensure it is properly fitted.

Durability is as equally important as having the flooring correctly fitting so it is best to see the specialists!

Don’t Get Wet!

Most importantly, you don’t want your flooring to get wet. This can cause problems with the flooring like bubbling and if there are any spills, clean it up as soon as possible.

If you do decide to clean the floors, use a very wrung out, slightly damp mop or cloth and dry straight away with a cloth.

Use a flat bottomed mop rather than a traditional stringy mop head as it won’t dribble water, reducing the risk of surface water accumulating.

Always sweep or vacuum before you clean the floor with a mop or a cloth.

Avoid Chemicals/Abrasives

Chemicals can damage the floor so it is best to stay away from harsh chemicals especially bleached based products.

Avoid any chemicals that are abrasive, look into specialised engineered wood flooring products or natural cleansers that are not acidic. This goes for engineered wood decking and railings too. Although they’re made more durable than the ones used indoors, they can still get damaged by abrasives and harsh chemicals, just like many other materials.

Vacuum/Sweep

The best way to keep your floor clean is to vacuum with a vacuum cleaner dedicated for hard flooring, usually most vacuums will have attachments or the ability to turn the brush off to use on hard flooring.

You don’t want the brush to scrape across the flooring.

You can also use a soft, indoor brush to sweep your floors if your vacuum doesn’t have the appropriate attachments.

2 Bucket Method

You might have heard of this method from cleaning cars, but it is also important for floors too!

The 2 bucket method is where you have a bucket of warm soapy water and a bucket with clean water.

You clean the floor with the soapy water, then use the clean water to remove the soap thereafter. Not dipping the same cloth into the dirty water, into the clean water.

This way you are using the clean water to remove the suds/soap and leaving behind a clean floor.

Protect The Floor

It is imperative you ensure you are using adequate protection for your floor to avoid damage.

Such as buying pads to place under items such as chairs, tables etc.

Repairs

Purchase an emergency specialist repair kit for the little emergencies as they crop up.

It is important to remember engineered wood flooring has only a veneer of real wood, so it can only be sanded two or three times.

Do

• Vacuum regularly
• Clear up spills quickly
• Use a flat bottom mop
• Put doormats and rugs by doors
• Keep pets’ nails trimmed
• Use furniture pads under table legs and castors

Don’t

• Over wet the flooring if attempting to remove stains
• Use wax-based cleaners
• Use steel wool
• Use harsh detergents
• Wear high heels
• Place in direct sunlight

This will help retain that beautiful floor and ensure that it’s always looking it’s best and is in place for a very long time!