How to clean hardwood floors effectively

When coming to the subject of cleaning wood floors, there are a few pointers if followed would give your wood floorings longer life span.

It is recommended to set aside three schedules: day-to-day cleaning, 3-monthly care and preventive maintenance.

Daily cleaningr
Dirt will be brought into your house every day from outside. For bigger families more dirt will be accumulated. More often than not the dirt is deposited at the main entrance and in the kitchen.
It is best to sweep the floor with a broom to get rid of the dirt and sand. If the sand is not swept away it will finally scratch the floors and eventually dull the surface finish. Do this on a daily basis or on alternate days. For best results a vacuum floor cleaner should be used. Nevertheless be sure to follow the vendor’s instructions and use the manufacturer supplied bristles or accessories.
Water is the biggest enemy of hardwood floor. If water or liquids (coffee or other beverages) are present and not cleaned off immediately, they will seeps through the tiny openings on the floor and cause warping.

Quarterly cleaning
Daily cleaning would not completely remove all the accumulated grease. So once every three months a deep cleaning using the correct chemical cleaner solution is thus highly recommended. As always, be sure to read the labels of the chosen cleaner products and follow the prescribed instructions too. Cleaning with regular detergents or vinegar solution is NOT advisable because these solutions will strip and dull the surface finishing of the wood floors if used for a long time.
Nowadays many hardwood floors are coated with polyurethane finish which is shiny in nature. In such case you might need to wax the floors. Here the same rule still applies: follow the vendor’s recommendations.

Preventive maintenance
In order to protect the hardwood floorings from major damage, prevention is better than cure:
1. Never pull furniture or objects on the floorings
2. Use protective pads under the legs of table or chairs to prevent scratching
3. Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes or heavy shoes or spiked shoes on the hardwood floorings as it will damage the floor permanently
4. Place carpet runners, floor mats or rug on high traffic areas such as main entrance or in the kitchen
5. Make it a habit to wipe off spills the moment they occur

In conclusion your hardwood floorings will last a long time if you do day-to-day cleaning, quarterly deep cleaning and apply some common sense preventive measures.