Engineered hardwood can provide beautiful yet economical flooring for modern homes. While maintaining this flooring is relatively easy, it’s important to understand the qualities of engineered hardwood flooring and it’s unique cleaning needs. Properly caring for and maintaining your engineered hardwood floor ensures that it offers resilience, durability and an attractive appearance for years to come. Here we look at how to properly clean your engineered hardwood flooring for performance and longevity.
Start With Light Surface Cleaning
It’s important to remove loose dust dirt and debris from the surface of your engineered wood floor. A soft broom can be used to collect art and dust on the surface of the floor, or if you prefer you may use a vacuum. It’s important to use a vacuum without a rotating bristle bar or a ‘hard floor mode’ in order to protect your engineered wood floors. You can also use a slightly damp mop to collect and remove any remaining dust.
Be sure to towel dry your engineered wood floor to ensure no moisture remains after cleaning. It’s important that moisture is not left on the surface of an engineered wood floor. As moisture can get through the surface and into the cracks of an engineered wood floor and cause damage, it’s important to never use a steam cleaner or wet mop. Avoid using ammonia and vinegar when cleaning as these can damage the surface of the engineered wood floor.
Cleaning Up Spills
Because engineered wood floors are not designed for prolonged exposure to moisture, it is important to clean up spills as quickly as possible. Of course, spills can also cause staining on an engineered wood floor, and cleaning up spills as soon as possible helps to prevent staining. Quickly removing a spill and lightly mopping the area can help to ensure stains don’t take hold.
Protecting Engineered Wood Floors
Protecting engineered wood floors helps them to last longer with a flawless finish. Using area rugs and other protective coverings can help to preserve your engineered wood floors. If your engineered wood floors are looking a little worse for wear you can get them refinished or replaced. The options you have for repairing your engineered wood floors depends on the material that your floors are made of.
Thicker flooring can usually be refinished more than once however thinner engineered wood flooring cannot be refinished and will need to be replaced within 10 to 15 years of wear. It can be helpful to check with your engineered wood flooring provider about what repair and refinishing options are best for your floor. Refinishing and repair of an engineered wood floor should only be done by a flooring professional in order to ensure the best results.
Deep Cleaning For Engineered Wood Floors
You may wish to give your engineered wood floors a deeper cleaning on occasion. A professional hardwood floor cleaner can provide your engineered floors with a deeper clean that preserves their condition and beauty. It’s important to assess whether your local carpet cleaner or hardwood floor cleaner knows how to properly treat engineered and laminate wood floor surfaces. Incorrect cleaning can permanently damage the floors. However, an expert touch can make your floors shine like new.
Engineered wood floors are not only an economical, attractive and environmentally friendly solution to floor covering, they are also easy to maintain. Taking good care of your engineered wood floors helps to ensure they last in excellent condition for years to come.