Never mop wood floors with a wet mop.
Taking care of dark hardwood floors.
Sweep or dust.
Before mopping squeeze out maximum moisture from the mop and then clean the floor.
Take your shoes off.
Wipe it up immediately with a clean paper.
It s so important to use a high grade polyurethane.
While some scratches are.
Wear socks to reduce foot prints.
This will ultimately determine how your floors look and how long they last.
Never use general floor cleaners on engineered hardwood flooring.
Understand that dark hardwood floors are inherently more challenging to clean.
Waxed floors should be cleaned with a cleaning waxing compound that lifts out dirt and adds a coat of fresh wax.
Yes shoes can do a number on your floors primarily due to the dirt and small pebbles that get.
In general caring for waxed wood floors is the same as caring for those coated in polyurethane but there are some differences.
Don t leave excess liquid cleaner on the floor after you ve cleaned a stain.
I do this until the whole floor is cleaned.
When dusting with a microfiber mop lift it off the floor as little as possible so that the dirt stays securely trapped.
The oils on bare feet can leave marks and it s just more noticeable on dark.
For example they show more dirt than light wood floors so footprints dog hair dust and the like will show up more easily.
Step 3 use recommended cleaners.
Daily dusting is your best line of defensive against scratches and surface damage.
To clean small spaces that a mop cannot reach or to wipe up hard to reach stains you may need to scrub by hand.
There are some things about dark wood floors that tend to make them more challenging to clean and care for.
Use the right type and brand of polyurethane.
Polyurethane coated floors should be cleaned with vinegar and water.
If it takes time to dry the floor will absorb the moisture and swell over time.
Use a dry or slightly damp cloth to immediately wipe up anything you spill avoiding wet or.
You will have to re wet wring it out not soaking wet your mop every few minutes so save the area by the kitchen sink for last to avoid making footprints now i take my lids and switch them again.
The labor for sanding and refinishing will be the same but make sure you the poly is durable even if that means spending a bit more.
Scratches are some of the toughest problems to solve in wood floors.
How do you take care of dark hardwood floors.