To keep your hardwood floors looking shiny and presentable, you should polish them every 2-4 months. Floor polish fills scratches and protects the finish against future damage and over-cleaning. Before polishing, as well as every week, you should give your floors a thorough cleaning.
Polishing helps to extend the life of your hardwood floors and adds shine. Before polishing, dust or sweep the floor to remove loose debris. You may also want to follow up with vacuuming to make sure you pick up all the dirt and dust. Use water-based polishes to restore luster and shine every two to three months.
Polishing is an important part of wood floor maintenance. Learning how to polish wood floors yourself adds extra beauty, shine and longer life. Applying polish helps to restore a floor's protective layer of finish, and it's a simple project that can be done by most people.
All hardwood floors, whether made from new or recycled wood, or even vintage floors that have been in place a century or more, need periodic waxing. Floor wax helps seal the porous wood surface, protects it from stains, hides scratches and dents and increases shine.
An easy way to fill in microscratches and shine wood floors is to polish your floors after mopping. After dusting and spray mopping, use a designated microfiber mop pad to apply polish to wood floors to add shine. Bona floor polish is easy to use and adds a protection and shine with every application.
Vinegar and Ammonia: Cleaning products that have a base of vinegar or ammonia eat away at the dirt on your floor - and also the floor's finish itself. Overtime, the acid will wear down your hardwood, leaving you with splotchy patches that are difficult to revive.
Combine 1/4 cup olive oil with 1/3 cup white vinegar and five cups of hot water. Add a few teaspoons of lemon juice (or lemon essential oil) to add a fresh citrus scent. Dip a mop or rag in the solution and use it to polish your floors just like you would if you were using a store-bought solution.
Use water-based (urethane) polish on floors with a polyurethane finish. For other finishes, use a wax-based polish. Squirt the solution onto the floor and wipe the floors with a microfiber cloth. You can do this by hand or attach the cloth to your mop.”
Generally speaking, wood floors can be restored without sanding by recoating, using either mechanical or chemical methods. These can be used across wood flooring ideas for a living room, wood floors for a bedroom, kitchen flooring and splash-safe wooden bathroom flooring.
Sweep or vacuum, then mop with a commercial wood floor cleaner or solution of a quarter-cup of dish soap and a gallon of warm water to lift any lingering grime. Give the floors a final pass with a clean, water-dampened mop to remove any cleaner residue. Dry completely with a soft, clean towel.
Excess water will lead to damage of the floor, and even the subfloor. Do mop a wood floor with a damp mop or cloth. String mops are less common these days, and that's not a bad thing for cleaning wood floors. They can be tough to evenly wring out and use.
Cost to Buff Hardwood Floors and to Polish Flooring
Buffing or screening a 225 squarefoot room will cost you $1-$2.50 per squarefoot. Expect to pay between $100 and $300 for polishing.
Work in small sections on the floor, making sure you don't trap yourself in a corner! Only Polish floors every 2-4 months, or longer depending on the traffic in your home.
Buffing a hardwood floor with a buffer is an easy and efficient way to restore its shine without sanding. Make sure that all areas are dry before you begin buffing. Put on the appropriate protective gear and attach the buffing pad to the buffer. It's important to give each area equal attention for a uniform shine.
Don't use vinegar or baking soda.
Many DIY home cleaning solutions involve the use of vinegar or baking soda, but these are, in fact, the worst things you can apply to your wood floors. They actually damage and dull the polyurethane, which can irreparably ruin them.
Shoes, pets, and moving or sliding your furniture around are all things that can scratch up your hardwood floors, making them look extra dull. Even if you start with a well-applied finish and take care of your floors over time with regular maintenance, still your best-cared-for floor will start to show its age.
Since vinegar is an acid, it will actually break down the finish on the surface of your floor, and over time it will reduce the shine, and leave a dull appearance. Using vinegar and water to clean floors can also lead to an excessive amount of water on the floor, which can cause swelling and discoloration.
Olive oil naturally hydrates and polishes wood floors without leaving behind the dirt-attracting film common with store-bought products. It can clean and polish your floor at the same time or allow you to quickly buff dull areas back to a stunning sheen.
How to clean wood floors. Remember: Water is wood's worst enemy (even on sealed floors!), so use a damp mop rather than a soaking wet one. "You don't want to let any water sit as you're cleaning your hardwood floors, so be sure to work in one small area at a time," Wise said.
The best way to clean hardwood floors and keep them in shape is to stick to a regular schedule of maintenance. Sweep, dust or dry mop daily. Vacuum weekly. Clean heavy-traffic areas with a damp mop twice a month.
Although it may be tempting to deep clean your hardwood floors with a steam mop, don't. “Drastic temperature changes and moisture may warp the wood,” says Steve Stocki, manager of marketing and merchandising at Lumber Liquidators. That's true whether you have solid or engineered wood floors, and for bamboo, too.
For best results, mop your high-traffic areas no more than once a week. Other areas that see less foot traffic can be cleaned once a month, or (prepare to put your feet up) even once a quarter. Too much mopping can wear down the seal on your floors or oversaturate them with water.
The most effective way to keep your hardwood floors in top condition and protect your investment in them is to have them professionally cleaned. This will not only deep clean them to make them and your home healthier, but it will restore the natural beauty and add a shine that will help prevent future build up.