Cleaning Your Hardwood Flooring - Bona VS. Water & Vinegar
How to Clean your Hardwood Flooring
Prefinished hardwood floors are very durable and easy to maintain, however they are not indestructible. As the homeowner, it is your responsibility to care for and maintain your hardwood flooring. If you follow our guidelines, your hardwood floor will look beautiful for a lifetime.
Before Move-In
- Relative humidity must be maintained between 30-50%
- Ensure floor is clean before moving in, so small pebbles and debris don’t scratch the floor
- Install felt pads on all furniture. Sharp edges on furniture can scratch and damage flooring. We recommend Flexi-Felt (www.flexifelt.com)
- Use extreme caution when moving appliances. The wheels on the bottom of stoves and refridgerators will dent your hardwood flooring. We recommend a product called “Glide Guard” to protect your flooring when moving appliances.
- Office chairs can be very damaging to your hardwood flooring. Grit and dirt that build up on the caster wheels is very abrasive and will wear off the finish on your hardwood flooring. A plastic mat on your hardwood floor can be equally damaging. They can trap dirt and moisture on the surface causing damage to the flooring and the finish.
Regular Maintenance of Hardwood Flooring
- Dust or vacuum your hardwood flooring regularly and do not use any household dust treatments
- If something is spilled on the floor, be sure to wipe it up immediately.
- Clean floor only when necessary and/or only in soiled areas. Do not “over clean” your hardwood floor
Cleaning Hardwood Flooring
The only cleaning product we recommend is Bona. Cleaning products with a large amount of soap will leave a residue on your hardwood floor, and will eventually make it appear cloudy and not clean. Using water on your hardwood flooring will also leave a film because the water will settle and dry on the surface of the hardwood floor. The water can also cause damage to the finish on the hardwood flooring because the water is absorbed by the wood flooring which causes the finish to check and crack. Never use Murphy’s Oil Soap, water, or a steam mop on your hardwood flooring.
Step 1
Vacuum or sweep your hardwood flooring to remove debris and other solid particles from the floor’s surface. If necessary, dry mop hardwood flooring to remove any excess dust not picked up by the sweeping.
Step 2
Spray floor with Bona spray cleaner and spread on the hardwood floor with the mop.
Step 3
Before Bona solution is dry, place two layers of paper towel between the mop and the hardwood flooring. Buff the flooring until dry, this will remove excess film from the hardwood flooring