Wooden floors offer a beautiful aesthetic to homes, and more often than not are more clean than carpets–or at least they appear that way. But wooden floors require as much care as carpets do-perhaps even moreso, as wood is susceptible to things like rot and wood mites, which are not issues if you have carpeted floors, and if you don’t know how to clean them properly, you can end up doing more harm than good.
That’s why in this week’s blog post, we here at Gleem will discuss how to properly care for authentic wood and laminate flooring.
Cleaning Wooden Floors
The first and most obvious step of cleaning any surface is to of course clear away clutter, and large bits of rubbish such as labels, as this can lead to blockages in your vacuum cleaner. If its a furnished room, remember to move furniture around as necessary to reach places underneath and behind it. This should go without saying, but it is very easy to forget to get behind the sofa!
Next vacuum the floor to remove fluff, dust and other bits of small debris, clearing the surface more for mop-cleaning.
When you mop the floor, be sure to use warm but not boiling water, as this may cause the wood to warp, and to mop with the grain, not against it. However, it should be noted that if the wood your floor is made from is lacquered or shellacked, this step should be skipped as water can cause the wood to buckle.
Once the floor is cleaned to a satisfying degree, it’s time to make it shine! Buff it with soft cloth in circular motions to lift leftover residue from mopping. While a cloth alone should do the trick, there are specialized buffing products available for purchase.
Cleaning Laminate Floors
Much like wooden floors, laminate floors should be decluttered, including large objects such as furniture and rugs before moving on to hoovering. It is, however, suggested to remove the beater bar of the hoover first and to just use to suction hose to pick up the smaller bits of debris, and to follow up with a damp soft cloth to clean the floor rather than mop cleaning.
It is recommended to use acetone-based nail-polish remover to remove tough stains, or even ice first to harden spillages of things like chewing gum, as this will make the substances easier to remove, thus making it less likely you will damage the floor by scrubbing away at it.
Unlike with authentic wooden floors, wax should be avoided, as should cleaning with a mop and water.
Gleem offer floor cleaning as part of their many services on their bespoke checklist! If you would rather save yourself the headache and hassle of cleaning and treating floor, book a one-off or regular clean here. As a high-quality, dedicated cleaning company, you can rest assured your floors are in safe hands with Gleem.
