how to care for hardwood floors

[gta1216]

i need advise on care for hardwood floors. i dont know what type/quality of wood that was used or the finish that was applied. my house was not a pre-construction purchase, so everything was completed when purchased. we havent moved in yet, but the floors seems to be fairly dusty and there are lots of wood dust all over the floor since we had to open additional hole for locks.

i wanted to clean the floors before furnitures are delivered this week. just read some sites on hardwood floor care and seems like diff people are saying different things. a relative said do not use any floor cleaning agents bc it will damage the luster. he suggested using water with a little dish detergent and vinegar. since my kitchen and kitchen powder room is hardwood floor, he suggested placing some sort of plastic/rubber mat (i think he is referring to the type that store cashiers stand on) by the stove. he said it will help prevent hot oil to get on the floor which will cause black spots to form and is not removeable.

can anyone suggest what is best to use for cleaning the floors? i need the floors cleaned before tuesday for delivery of furnitures.

[eelfliw]

If you have quality wood floors, then first vacuum up the larger dust particles. Then, mop with a damp mop to remove stubborn stains. Grease spots can be cleaned with baking soda & water (baking soda is an alkaline which dissolves grease). Just don't use too much to seep into the wood.

That's all there is to it. Older wooden floors can be sanded and re-varnished.

[Dustbunny]

Wood floors are pretty easy to take care of with a few cautions. For instance those swifer sweepers that have a harder plastic pad to hold the duster are bad news because if a little grit/rock gets caught you can scratch the floor. Don't use those.

Best things to have are a vacuum cleaner (to get up that dust) with a hard floor attachment (most have that... do not use the beater bar), and a microfiber mop. Here's what they look like http://www.raglady.com/items_51.html and they are the best thing ever. You can get a couple of different brands, but get a good quality one. You can find them almost anywhere that sells cleaning products (like Walmart, Canadian Tire, grocery stores, etc.). I have the Magic Blue brand and it's super and have also found some that are 'white' something at Walmart that are good. You can get kits or buy parts separately. It pays to have 2 of the cloth heads so you can use one damp and one dry or have one in the wash and one to use. The only thing you need with microfiber is a bit of water. You can use the mop dry for basic dust mopping (which is better to do than vacuuming a lot because it's fast and wont' scratch if you do it daily) or have it slightly damp to clean up dirt and spills. They will not scratch your floors and they work better than anything (buy some of the cleaning cloths too because nothing cleans glass or mirrors or anything like those things and only with water too). I love those things because they work better than anything else and can be washed and reused forever so very good for you, the environment and wallet.

There are wood floor cleaners (BOMA is one I can think of) but they cost and I haven't found they work very well (they seem to leave a film which you can see on darker woods). If you run into grease or whatever, you can try some soap (like Murphy's soap) but the trick is not getting the wood too wet. As long as you make sure you dry it well after it's not big deal.

Do not use any rubber anything on a wood floor. Rubber backed mats etc. are known to ruin the finish. You can put a mat by the stove to catch grease (which is something a lot of people do with any floor to keep it from being tracked through the house) but only use non-rubber backed mats with a separate non-slip undermat (they will say on the package if they are to be used on wood or not). You can get those at stores like Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Rona, etc. where they sell the carpets. The real trick is it has to say 'suitable for wood floors' or don't touch it.

While you are at it, get some felt tip protectors to put on your furniture as it's moved in (same stores as above generally in the household dodad section). Don't risk moving stuff across the floor even once (been there done that and made a very bad scratch) without those felt protectors. Put them on anything that rests on that floor. Do not buy hard protectors because again, anything hard gets stuck between them and the floor and you have scratches.

Don't worry. Wood is really easy to take care of and can take quite a lot. You just have to remember it can be scratched and even at that, that is wood, it's character, so don't drive yourself nuts.

Oh yeah, no stileto heels allowed on wood. They leave dents.

[gta1216]

i know it was mentioned not to use swifter to clean wood floors. what if i swept the floors with a broom and the use the wet swifter to "mop?" i dont want to go the traditional way of a mop and a bucket of water mixed with anything. =) was at home depot and this assoc told me to use this spray bottle cleaner. but when i asked abt water+soap+vinegar, he said that would do. i wonder if its real or hes just agreeing to what i was told by a relative.

[Dustbunny]

Definitely no bucket of water! That is completely overkill and you don't want any large amounts of water where they can tip on the floor. You can try a swiffer and see how it works. No harm in that as long as the bottom is not too hard. If you are using a broom make sure it's a soft broom vs the traditional stiff straw variety.

[golden]

I simply wet (not dripping wet) the microfibre mop and use those hardwood floor cleaner. Then, it'll dry out in like 15 mins. My problem is that I found lots of foot prints on the floor (as mine is darker semi gloss color) after a while. How can I prevent foot prints as I have no time to mop it every week?

[toky]

All I can think of is to keep your feet clean.... :D

[Dustbunny]

I simply wet (not dripping wet) the microfibre mop and use those hardwood floor cleaner. Then, it'll dry out in like 15 mins. My problem is that I found lots of foot prints on the floor (as mine is darker semi gloss color) after a while. How can I prevent foot prints as I have no time to mop it every week?

Don't use that hardwood floor cleaner and see if the footprints vanish. If they are the type of print that goes away with a quick buff from a socked foot, you know it's the cleaner. I have yet to see any of those 'cleaners' that doesn't leave a film that is really noticeable on dark floors and when you have that film, you will see footprints.

Also, your mop really doesn't need to be wet enough to keep the floor wet for 15 minutes, it should basically be damp mop only and that should dry pretty quickly.

[gta1216]

just checked out the wet swifter package. it specifically says do not use on unfinished, oiled, or waxed wood boards. like i said previously, i dont know what type of wood it is nor the finish since the house was completed construction when we purchased it. im prolly gonna just use a soft broom to sweep and use a damp (with water) cloth or something and clean the floor since furnitures will be delivered tomorrow.

should i use felt pads on furnitures that will rest on the wood floors? that will be a lot of felt pads. =)

[Dustbunny]

should i use felt pads on furnitures that will rest on the wood floors? that will be a lot of felt pads. =)

Yes, use them on everything that rests on that floor that doesn't have soft wheels.

[gta1216]

i bought the rug undermat. the package said for use on hard floor, does not leave stain nor discolor floors. package does not mention hard wood floor nor wood floor, but picture shows wood floor. the package said it is polyester with vinyl coating. description on the store website does mention safe on hard wood floors. mine is wood floor, but i have no idea what type of wood since the house was completed construction when we purchased it. is this ok to be used on wood floors and tiles (bathrooms)?

http://www.target.com/Rug-Saver-Non-Slip-Cushion/dp/B0000A1ZGH/sr=1-1/qid=1217069402/ref=sr_1_1/601-2633443-8025763?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Arug%20cushion&page=1

[Dustbunny]

It will be fine if the package actually says it's safe for wood, but I'd call a flooring store and see what they say if unsure. It doesn't matter what type of wood you have, the two types of non-slip mat I've seen either say for wood or not. It's the 'not' part you want to avoid. Same thing for your tiles. The problem is if you use the rubber backed mats or something not safe you can end up with your floor being permanently discoloured after a while.

[gta1216]

It will be fine if the package actually says it's safe for wood, but I'd call a flooring store and see what they say if unsure. It doesn't matter what type of wood you have, the two types of non-slip mat I've seen either say for wood or not. It's the 'not' part you want to avoid. Same thing for your tiles. The problem is if you use the rubber backed mats or something not safe you can end up with your floor being permanently discoloured after a while.

well, the package does not say safe for wood. it only says for hard floor. it was the store (target) website that says this product is safe for hard wood floors. this is exactly what the package says "for use on hard floors, nonslip rug cushion, will not stain or discolor floor, indoor use only, fiber: polyester with vinyl coating, care: hand wash, air dry."

tiles are sensitive to rubber-backed mats? what can i use tho? will these undermats work on tiles? i have no idea what type of tiles in my bathrooms either. all i know is, the surface is kinda rough (not as in bumpy, but just not a smooth surface). either the un-smooth surface is how it is or the builder never mopped the floor as he said he did before the closing. we havent moved in yet, so i didnt bother to mop or anything yet since itll get dirty when there are so much traffic moving things in and all.

[Dustbunny]

I think better safe than sorry. You might want to call a local flooring store (maybe your builder can tell you where they got the flooring from) and ask them what to look for in the non-skid underlay (or if they can tell you about the one you have). Otherwise I know Home Depot here has a couple of types and yours probably does too. They are usually right in the carpet area and say on the label what type of flooring they are intended to be used with. Maybe comparing the content will help you know.

One thing is for sure, if it says it won't discolour on the label, keep that label because it will be the only protection you have if anything does happen.

You can use the underlay on tile etc. The reason (as I understand it) you don't want rubber backed mats on hard floors is they don't breath (and people tend to leave them down all the time) which can eventually discolour the floor. Some also stick to the floor and end up wrecking the finish.

I can assure you, those underlays won't slip. I have them under all my rugs and they don't move and save a lot of falls.