Hardwood Floor Secrets – Light Cleaning vs. Heavy Duty Cleaning

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Hardwood floor secrets can make cleaning your hardwood floors a breeze. First of the hardwood floor secrets is using a dry mop or microfiber mop to sweep the floor. 

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Open Concept Kitchen With Wood FloorNext in the hardwood floor secrets is recognizing light cleaning vs. heavy duty cleaning. A damp flip mop can tidy up the lesser used areas and steam mops for hardwood floors can remove dog slobber. A steamer is also great for high traffic areas on hardwood floors that collect water drips, dirt, and mud. 

Angela Brown says steamers for hardwood floors are excellent for spilled food and coffee dips on hardwood floors.

Today’s sponsors are Savvy Cleaner Training (Creator of the Ask a House Cleaner show.) HouseCleaning360 (a referral hub connecting house cleaners with homeowners.) and My Cleaning Connection (a resource hub where you can find mops, steam mops, and steamers for hardwood floors.)

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Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.

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Hardwood Floor Secrets – Light Cleaning vs. Heavy Duty Cleaning

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Water Spots on Wood FloorHardwood floor secrets without water logging your hardwood floors. We’re going to talk about that today.

“Hi, Angela. I was curious, how do you clean hardwood floors without damaging or making it waterlogged or too wet? I’d like to know that. Thanks.”

Hardwood floors are either something that you love or hate. Once you’ve mastered the art of cleaning hardwood floors, they’re not that bad. Now, for the most part, there are general lived-in areas on hardwood floors. Ask a House Cleaner Answer Spacer Savvy Cleaner

Hardwood Floor Secrets Light Use vs. Heavy Traffic Areas

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Woman With Dustmop Cleaning Wood FloorThe general lived-in areas are going to need some special attention and special care that the rest of the rooms do not need. And so, I don’t want you to do a full coverage of all the hardwood floors when only the main areas need the bulk of the extra care. We have light care, and we have heavy duty care. Let me explain how this works.

The light care is going to be for areas that are under tables. Nobody walks underneath sofas, around end tables and over in the corners of the room.

 What we’re seeing in the light care areas is dust, not traffic. And so, we’re going to treat those areas for dust, and we’re going to mop those areas. 

But we’re not going to do heavy duty cleaning there because it doesn’t get any traffic. Nobody uses those outer areas.

Hardwood Floor Secrets Focus on Main Living Areas

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Dog Walking on Wood FloorNow, there is a lot of traffic at the entrance of a home. You track in dirt and mud and rain. And the dog comes in from outside, and the tracks in muddy paws, those are high traffic areas. 

If you have hardwood that goes around your kitchen table, there are going to be food splatters and things that have dripped on the floor. Those are going to be heavy duty areas because of moving chairs, food and high traffic.

Another high traffic area is right at the kitchen sink. 

People wash their hands and dishes in the sink and drops of water leak on the floor and stick to dust, fallen food etc. Some people keep hand towels at the sink, but it’s a high traffic area.

Hardwood Floor Secrets – Clean in Front of the Fridge

The refrigerator is another high trafficHardwood Floor Secrets, Refrigerator Drink Dispenser area.

Lots of modern fridges have waterspouts. And when you get a drink of water and pull your cup away before the water completely stops it spills.

Down the front of your fridge and onto the floor. 

People also get milk and cream out of their fridge for morning coffee, spilling bits of it on the floor when they’re not quite awake.

Kids making sandwiches or finding snacks leave crumbs and bits of food on the counters that often gets brushed onto the floor and then ground in.

Your Coffee Bar or Butler’s Pantry is A High Traffic Area

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Coffee MachineThat is also a high traffic area. Now, if you have a different space where they have a coffee maker, for example, look for coffee drippings on the sides of the counter. Drips run down the edges of the cabinets, and also on the hardwood floor. That’s going to be another high traffic area.

For the high traffic areas, we want to treat those with a steamer or a steam mop. 

Hardwood Floor Secrets – Treat with Dry Mop First

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Microfiber Dust MopDry mops come in two varieties, microfiber and cotton. Both are great choices and both work well. It’s your choice which you use to clean hardwood floors.

They come with a flat head and have replaceable pads that you can toss in the washing machine when they get dirty.

And they have swivel action so you can reach under sofas, end tables and around rugs. The dusting action will remove debris as well as dust. You will use this in place of a broom. 

You can also use a vacuum if it’s easier for you. 

But the first step is to remove the dust and debris from the hardwood floor.

Hardwood Floor Secrets – Sweep in an S Shape

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Dry Microfiber MopWhen you use a dry mop, sweep in an S shape so you are not retracing any steps. And you’re not pushing debris over the floor you’ve already cleaned. The key is to work be quick and effective.

When you get to the edge of the room and you’ve pushed all the dust and debris to one spot, shake the dry mop. This you can sweep up with a dustpan or vacuum up.

Hardwood Floor Secrets – Vacuums with Hardwood Floor Attachments

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Vacuuming Wood FloorNow, there are lots of vacuums come with hardwood floor attachments. Or they are safe on hardwood floors. 

 If you have one with a hardwood floor attachment, vacuuming the floor is super easy. 

It’s quicker with a dust mop, but you still have to pick up the pile of debris at the end. So, it’s your choice. Whichever is easier for you. 

Hardwood Floor Secrets for Mopping the No Traffic Areas

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Woman With DustmopNow as far as the mop goes, you just cleaned the floor with a dry mop. So, there’s not a lot that you need unless you want to go back over it with a damp microfiber mop. This you will do on a bi-weekly basis as maintenance.

Now, in the last few years, the market is booming with these amazing flip mops. They’re cool, and they’re easy to use. You just take the head off at the end of your cleaning, throw them in the washing machine. And you reuse them for your next clean.

This way you’re not dipping a mop inside a mop bucket. When you reuse mop water, you’re spreading dirty water around.  

Hardwood Floor Secrets Include a Wet Microfiber Mop

The wet microfiber mop is an awesome choice for cleaning hardwood flooring where there’s not a lot of use. And because those flat mops are so skinny, they can slide underneath the couches and underneath the easy chairs. Ah, they’re beautiful things. They can get in the corners and they can get underneath bookshelves. I mean, I love these mops.

Clean as much of the floor as possible with a wet microfiber cloth. And then finish the high traffic areas with a steamer or a steam mop.

Hardwood Floor Secrets Include a Steamer or a Steam Mop

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Steam MopAll that’s left now is the high traffic areas that you’ve already swept with a dry mop or a dust mop. These areas are the entrance of the home, any dog slobber, food, kitchen areas, laundry and bathrooms. 

NOTE: We’ve cleaned all the low traffic areas with a dust mop and a wet microfiber mop. The rest of the flooring, hardwoods and ceramic tile or vinyl flooring can be cleaned with a steam mop to clean the high traffic areas.

In the last few years, there are steam mops they’ve designed to help you care for hardwood floors. 

The steam lifts the ground in dirt and your floor and dries in an instant. This way you won’t have standing water on your floor because that will warp the floor, even engineered wood. 

Hardwood Floor Secrets – No Standing Water on the Floor

Hardwood Floor Secrets, Wood Floor Being Cleaned With WaterYou don’t want standing water on your floor, but these steam mops are for hardwood floors, and they are awesome.

Note: The mops I’ve noted below are for consumer use, not commercial use. These are for homes. 

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Resources For This Episode

Shark Genius Steam Pocket Mop System (S5003D) – https://amzn.to/2zmJG7j

Bissell Power Fresh Steam Mop, Floor Steamer, Tile Cleaner, and Hard Wood Floor Cleaner, 1940 – https://amzn.to/2unvsh5

Bissell Symphony Pet Steam Mop and Steam Vacuum Cleaner for Hardwood and Tile Floors, with Microfiber Mop Pads, 1543A – https://amzn.to/2u3jYQk

Professional Microfiber mop for hardwood tile laminate & stone floors DREDGE Best all in 1 kit Dry & wet cleaning +3 advanced drag resistant pads revolutionize your mopping experience – https://amzn.to/2KFUpz3

Zflow 18″ Professional Microfiber Mop – Commercial Stainless-Steel Handle with Microfiber Dust Pad + 3 Microfiber Wet Pads – https://amzn.to/2Ny1eQW

Nine Forty Industrial | Commercial Strength Ultimate Cotton Dust Mop Head with Aluminum Quick Change Extension Handle and Frame | Hardwood Floor Mop (24″ Wide X 5″) – https://amzn.to/2NAPuNJ

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Savvy Perks – Employee benefits for your employees.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][product_category per_page=”7″ columns=”1″ orderby=”ID” order=”ASC” category=”cotton-mops-for-hardwood-floors”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][product_category per_page=”7″ columns=”1″ orderby=”ID” order=”DESC” category=”microfiber-mops-for-hardwood-floors”][product_category per_page=”7″ columns=”1″ orderby=”ID” order=”DESC” category=”steam-mops-for-hardwood-floors-steamers”][product_category per_page=”5″ columns=”1″ orderby=”ID” order=”ASC” category=”organic-cleaning-supplies”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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