Mopping Wood Floors With Water

While surface sealed wood floors are more water resistant than unsealed or wax sealed floors they still require a different mopping technique.

Mopping wood floors with water. Mopping a wood or laminate floor will not only remove stains but it will also decrease the amount of harmful bacteria that will harm your pets and children. Make sure to wring most of the water out of the mop so it s damp. Along with being durable hardwood floors bring warmth into a home and with the proper care and maintenance they can last for decades. Unfortunately the same hot water and soap you use to clean the floors may leave behind unsightly water stains especially on hardwood floors.

But wood and water don t play well together. One way how to clean hardwood floors is to use a mop and hardwood floor cleaner according to the manufacturer s instructions. Rinse the mop with clean water wring out excess and damp mop the floor to remove the cleaner. Water and wood are not a happy couple.

The premise is that despite mop manufacturer claims the steam from the mop moves through cracks in the floor more easily than water which penetrates below the sealer and the moisture. Hardwood floor does soak water to a saturation level very quickly than it releases it to the environment. Donna smallin kuper author of cleaning plain simple offered a word of caution some hardwood floor manufacturers recommend using a mop dampened with water only and may even void a warranty. Water causes wood to expand warp and sometimes even rot.

Steam mops seem like a perfect deep cleaning tool you don t have to wring out dirty water like with a mop and the heat can loosen up sticky spots that might otherwise require hard scrubbing. Wood floors can be mopped just like vinyl or tile. With vinyl you can get away with more water and a varied pattern of mop strokes. Be sure to wipe up any excess liquid to prevent your floor from becoming damaged.

You can also use boiling water and two teabags to clean hardwood floors. Wet mopping a wood floor is as serious as loosing your warranty. You need to consider that water can penetrate to your floor though many infiltration points whether you have finished or unfished the wood floor. Avoid leaving any standing water on the floor for this can damage the wood.

Damp mop the floor being careful to avoid standing water on the floor. Learn the negative effects of cleaning your wood floors with dish soap and water. Many consumers are skeptical about the different cleaning products on the. This is especially true for prefinished hardwood floors.

Wipe up excess water with a clean dry towel because standing water will damage the floor.