Tile Wizards has the tips to keep your timber flooring clean
Timber flooring is a beautiful and versatile floor covering. Here at Tile Wizards we know how important it is to maintain your timber flooring so it looks lovely and new for many years. We’ve compiled a list of tips to keep each different type of timber flooring looking clean and beautiful.
Laminate flooring
- Sweep floor regularly with an electrostatic broom, soft-bristled broom or wood floor mop. Make sure to sweep in the direction in which the boards were installed, doing so allows you to pick up any debris that may be in between the grooves of the laminated flooring boards.
- Alternatively, you could use a non-abrasive soft bristled vacuum head. Regular sweeping helps prevent scratches from forming.
- Make sure you clean spills and dirt quickly, as liquids can damage your floors and cause stains. Soak up excess liquids with a dry cloth. Dampen a cloth or sponge before spot-cleaning the location of the spill to remove any remaining residue. Dry the spot with a soft dry cloth.
- Only if necessary, clean with a well wrung out mop with warm water and a PH neutral floor cleaner. Laminate floor cleaning solutions are available from reputable flooring retailers. Consult instructions before use. Never use conventional household cleaning solutions as these may damage the laminate coating.
- Place mats at exterior and interior doors to trap sand and grit from incoming traffic.
- Use a rug or mat in high traffic areas.
- Stick soft pads to the base of furnishings in contact with the floor.
- Keep pets claws properly trimmed to avoid excess scratches.
Engineered timber flooring
- At least once a week clean with either an anti-static or micro-fibre mop to remove any dust and dirt that has gathered.
- Make sure you wipe up any spills that happen as quickly as you can to avoid moisture soaking into your floorboards and prevent stains from forming.
- When mopping your floors make sure you use a mop that allows you to wring most of the water out of it. When mopping use as minimal water as you can and ensure you are using a floor cleaning product that is specifically designed for timber flooring. If you mop with hot water it will evaporate quicker than cold water, giving your flooring less time to absorb any moisture.
- Keeping dirt and grit out of your home is very important as both have the ability to scratch and mark engineered timber flooring. Use rugs within your home and doormats at all entrances to minimise how much dirt is tracked inside.
- Make sure all your furniture has floor protectors such as felt pads on their bases to stop them scratching or denting your floor.
- Office chairs or any swivel chairs need to have a mat or a plastic pad underneath the wheels to prevent the wheels from doing any damage to your floorboards.
Bamboo Flooring
- Use a soft-bristled broom to remove any dirt and dust from your flooring.
- When mopping your bamboo flooring do not use a wet mop, use a damp mop that you’ve rung dry as much as possible. Bamboo flooring is more susceptible to water damage than other types of timber flooring.
- Make sure you are using a non-alkaline timber flooring cleaner.
- Use a towel to remove any moisture on your floor to ensure it dries clean and shiny.
- Keeping dirt and grit out of your home is very important as both have the ability to scratch and mark bamboo flooring. Use rugs within your home and doormats at all entrances to minimise how much dirt is tracked inside.
- Make sure all your furniture has floor protectors such as felt pads on their bases to stop them scratching or denting your floor.
- Office chairs or any swivel chairs need to have a mat or a plastic pad underneath the wheels to prevent the wheels from doing any damage to your floorboards.
Loose Lay Vinyl Planks
- Use a soft broom to sweep your loose lay vinyl flooring regularly.
- Use a cleaning product that is specifically designed for vinyl flooring. If you have older vinyl flooring you may need to wax your floor after you have cleaned it. You can ask the friendly team at Tile Wizards if you are unsure whether or not your vinyl floor needs to be waxed.
- When mopping use as little water as possible, over saturating your vinyl will lead to water seeping into the cracks of your flooring and destroying the glue that is holding it down.
- Use a fresh mop to wipe your vinyl over with clean water, this will remove any soap residue which can leave your flooring looking cloudy.
- Make sure all your furniture has floor protectors such as felt pads on their bases to stop them scratching or denting your floor.
- Office chairs or any swivel chairs need to have a mat or a plastic pad underneath the wheels to prevent the wheels from doing any damage to your floorboards.
For more tips and tricks for cleaning and maintaining your timber flooring, and to see a wide range of timber flooring products, visit any Tile Wizards store at Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Coffs Harbour and Adelaide.
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