Why Do Hardwood Floors Imprint Foot Marks So Easily

How to keep hardwood floors clean think of all the things you bring into your home on your shoes.

Why do hardwood floors imprint foot marks so easily.

You re talking scratches scuff marks and chips in the polyurethane coating. Fortunately you can usually fix. Start by wetting your mop slightly wringing it out to almost dry and then going over your floor twice. Method squirt and mop and bona hardwood floor cleaner are two good ones.

While water can be used as part of the cleaning process too much water on a hardwood floor can damage floors and alter its look. The good news is that if you have hardwood coated in polyurethane you can toss those fancy cleaners and bring back a beautiful shine for mere pennies. Keep in mind steam. Dirt pebbles pine straw gravel the list goes on.

Excessive water or moisture warps hardwood floors. Afterward mop using a micro cloth and concentrated cleaner specially made for hardwood floors. If you want scratches and marks on your beautiful hardwood floors don t use furniture pads. If you are finding footprints on your sealed hardwood the likely culprit is an oily film on the surface.

Hazy floors can occur when too much cleaner is used. Always abide by your hardwood floor manufacturer or installer s maintenance instructions to. Household broom dustpan vacuum without beater bar bleach free dishwashing liquid 2 mop pails stirring utensil soft clean mop clean microfiber towels rubber free floor mats take your shoes off before walking on the hardwood to prevent footprints. Now think about what these things can do to the shiny surface of your hardwood floor.

We recently put down strand woven bamboo floors in our whole house. If the smudges and smears are not deep into the surface a damp mop can get rid of the spots in as little as two cleanings. The stain is walnut and the finish is a 7 layer aluminum oxide. Surprisingly most hardwood floor cleaners and waxes will add to this dulling layer making footprints and other marks more visible.

Next use a vacuum to remove hard to reach dirt in room corners and between floorboards. The installer was using old english to polish the floors and coated them in a heavy layer after installation. Water and hardwood floors don t mix. Generally hardwood floors are durable and easy to maintain not to mention better for allergies but they do get the occasional gouge scratch or area of wear.

Avoid using a string or sponge mop to clean since they don t do a good job of absorbing water once they. If you ve tried to remove footprints in the past by using traditional hardwood floor cleaners and waxes you are possibly making the situation worse by adding a dulling layer to your floors making footprints and other marks more noticeable. So that you know stiff bristles can scratch the wood s surface. When it s done over and over again the marks will get worse and worse.

A much simpler way to clean your hardwood floors the effectiveness of a damp mop should not be underestimated.