Timber flooring is timeless. It’ll bring an added warmth and natural style to your interior. There’s no denying that timber floors can be quite the investment, so it’s important that they are cared for appropriately to avoid causing unnecessary damage. Whilst they are relatively low-maintenance, there are a few easy tips to follow to make sure they are kept looking and performing at their best.
Begin with a vacuum or soft bristle broom
Before doing anything else, we want to remove any grit, dirt or dust that has been walked in from the outside environment.
If using a vacuum, be sure to fit it with a soft bristle head to prevent scratching your timber floors.
Use a specialised cleaner for timber flooring
The use of methylated spirits, bleach or vinegar as cleaning agents are often used as they are cheap and often on-hand. Whilst effective for other surfaces, we recommend you steer clear of these chemicals when cleaning your timber floor. These chemicals are detrimental to your timber floor as, over time with constant use, they dissolve and strip away the protective coating on your timber floor, meaning that it is now exposed to increased wear and damage, reducing its lifespan.
We always recommend to only use cleaners that are specially formulated for timber floors, such as those from Loba or Bona. Used with their respective spray mop, and you have a quick and simple method for mopping your floors. Do make sure to check that the cleaning pad is clean and free of grit before using, and wash or replace as required.
other tips & tricks to keep your floor looking its best
place a mat at the entrance to remove as much dirt and grit from shoes before entering. Removing shoes at the door is even better!
make sure to place felt pads under furniture and chairs to prevent scratches.
floors can be damp mopped with timber cleaner up to once a week (or fortnightly/monthly depending on your floor use) to keep them looking clean.
wipe up spills as soon as the occur. Spills left unattended will make their way between the joints and be absorbed by the timber flooring causing them to warp.
steam mops are great for cleaning and disinfecting hard surfaces such as tiles, however resist the urge to use them on timber floors because they are bad news (this goes for vinyl, laminate, engineered, parquetry and solid timber flooring). The combination of heat and moisture can cause warping and also strip away and damage the coating system on your timber floor, limiting the life span of your timber floor.
avoid the use of traditional mop and buckets as these leave excess water on the surface of the timber floor, leading to absorption and subsequent warping.
Visit our online Timber Floor Care Online Shop for a range of products and their accessories that we highly recommend for maintaining and caring for your timber floor!
