Hardwood floors look classy and they lend warmth to the ambience of a house. The best thing about them is that they make for a practical flooring choice, as they are easy to maintain. The cleaning procedure for these floors is very easy and saves budget, time and efforts. Since, you should not use strong chemicals to clean hardwood floors, you can pick an eco-friendly method of cleaning your floors.
Resources Required:
1. Broom/vacuum cleaner
2. Cider vinegar
3. Warm water
4. Mop and a bucket
5. Soft towel
Instructions:
1. It is important to sweep or vacuum clean the floors. Dust and other dirt particles can scratch your glossy hardwood floor. Hence, it is necessary to keep the hardwood floors dust-free. This forms the first step of the cleaning process for hardwood floors, so be sure never to skip this step. For this, you can use a soft broom to sweep up the dust off the floor. Or you can even use a vacuum cleaner with a soft bristle. Once this step is done, your floor is all set for mopping.
2. For mopping the floors, use a diluted vinegar solution. The ratio for this solution should be half a cup of cider vinegar to one gallon of warm water. See to it that the water is not hot, as hot water will turn your dream of shiny hardwood floors into a nightmare. Dip the mop in this solution of warm water and cider vinegar and start mopping the floor. Mop the entire hardwood surface, especially areas that get dirty sooner.
3. Do not soak the floor with water directly. Use water only as much is needed to slightly dampen the mop. Remember, even your mop should not be soaking wet. Wring your mop every time you dip into the solution, so the excess water is drained out. Rinse the head of the mop and change the solution as and when needed during the cleaning.
4. If your hardwood floor has streaks of water left back, dry it with a dry, soft towel. It is a bad idea to leave water on wooden surfaces to air-dry.
5. Do this once every week. Hardwood floors need not be mopped every day.
You may keep a solution of warm water and cider vinegar always handy so that you can clean away stains quickly with just one squirt and then wipe the surface with a dry, soft towel.
Things To Watch Out For:
1. Though vinegar is generally used to clean hardwood floors, you may check for any unwanted effects by simply using the solution on a little patch of the floor before using it over the entire surface.
2. Do not use a lot of water on hardwood floors for mopping.
