Hardwood floors are an investment that you want to keep healthy for a long time. There’s a lot of misleading information out there about the best and worst way to take care of your floors. FloorQuest can not only help you find the perfect flooring for your home, but we can also help you separate fact from fiction when it comes to caring for your floors.
Myth: Mopping with vinegar and water is a great way to keep your floors clean.
You may remember your mom or grandmother cleaning her hardwood floors with white distilled vinegar and warm water. While vinegar can get the job done in a lot of cleaning situations, it’s not always the best solution to use on hardwood floors. The first reason is that vinegar, as an acid, can wear away your floors and make once-shiny floors seem dull. The second reason is that vinegar and water won’t pull up dirt and grime as efficiently as a neutral pH soap that’s specially formulated for wood.
Myth: It’s totally fine to steam clean your hardwood floors on a regular basis.
Everyone’s seen those commercial touting the steam mop as the end all, be all way to get your floors clean. However, a steam mop on hardwood floors is the trifecta of things that don’t go well together: water, wood, and heat. You can use a steam mop every once in a while, to get the dirt off your floors, but we recommend using it sparingly as it can discolor and crack hardwood flooring.
Myth: You want your floor to be nice and shiny.
Whatever flooring you pick comes with the right amount of shine. No household cleaner or wax is going to keep your floors perfectly shiny without some repercussions, namely creating a bond that can keep dirt and debris attached to your floor. If you want to keep your floors from looking greasy, we recommend cleaning your floors with a mild cleaner and leaving the natural shine alone.
Myth: Vacuuming doesn’t hurt your floors.
This is a half myth. You might be surprised to learn that you can vacuum your floors, but you have to be careful about it. You want to use a soft bristle attachment and NEVER use a beater bar – that rotating brush within the vacuum that gets the really powerful clean on carpets. You may also want to consider investing in a Roomba to regularly keep dirt off your hardwood floors.
Myth: Hardwood floors are difficult to keep clean.
Finally: the world’s most popular myth. Hardwood floors are easier to keep clean than carpet because you don’t run the risk of all that dust and dirt getting trapped in the fibers. If you are looking for flooring that is worth your investment, hardwood floors are right up your alley!
FloorQuest proudly provides outstanding customer service paired with the best flooring and cabinetry products available. Contact Us today or visit any of our FloorQuest locations.
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