Although they are notorious for their demanding maintenance schedule, what if we told you that there was a way to clean hardwood floors without using chemicals?
For many homeowners, authentic hardwood timber floors are regarded as a flooring material synonymous with luxury. As this premium product can easily amount to over $200 per square metre for a quality timber with minimal defects, people who choose to invest in hardwood timber floors do so with the knowledge that they also require a decent amount of upkeep in order to keep the timber looking its best.
While many people smartly deploy preventative measures like rugs to avoid things like sun damage, hardwood floors still require regular scrub downs to eliminate dust and grime build up. However, abrasive tools and harsh chemical based cleaning products can do more hard than good, so what’s the alternative?
Learn How To Clean Hardwood Floors Without Chemicals
When getting familiar with the basics of how to clean hardwood floors, a few of the recommended tactics include good old fashioned common sense. Like all surfaces, hardwood floors require vacuuming or sweeping, but this is particularly important for timber to stop dust and dirt building up on the surface. While some households can get away with doing this once a week, homes that include lots of foot traffic, pets or kids will usually require a more intensive cleaning schedule.
If you prefer vacuuming over sweeping, it’s important not to use a vacuum setting with a carpet beater bar. These nozzles are designed to spin and agitate carpet to loosen dust particles, but the bristles have the potential to significantly scratch timber floors. For the best of both worlds, robot style vacuums are a great alternative to combat this.
In addition, a well thought out mopping strategy is also a must. Overly wet mops or steam mops can damage the hardwood finish on a timber floor, if you have to ring out the mop, you’re working with too much water. Instead, your mop should only be slightly damp, and consider using ceiling fans to speed up the drying process as well.
To clean hardwood floors properly, water will only get you so far, and most people unwittingly use chemical based cleaners that feature ammonia as the primary ingredient. While this can eat away at the dirt on your floor, it can also inflict damage to both the floor’s finish – and members of your household.
Overtime, the acid will eventually wear down your hardwood, leaving you with splotchy patches that are difficult to revive. It’s also worth noting that exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in air causes immediate burning of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract and can result in skin irritation, lung damage or even blindness.
As a chemical free alternative when cleaning hardwood floors, some individuals prefer to use vinegar as a natural cleaning agent. To try this approach, simply add half a cup of white vinegar to four litres of lukewarm water, and use a mop to deep clean hardwood floors.
Although vinegar is an excellent natural cleaner, it can dull certain hardwood flooring finishes. Before using this method, consider checking with your flooring’s manufacturer and testing the solution in an inconspicuous spot to ensure it does not damage your flooring.
In addition, essential oils are a great natural alternative to regular cleaning products. Many essential oils also have great natural antibacterial properties, and popular options to clean hardwood floors include solutions derived from lemon, pine, tea tree, and even eucalyptus. As these are often used in commercial cleaning products, why not go straight to the source?
Ultimately, busy mums and dads still need to find the balance between making the most of their time, and having a clean house. To get the best of both worlds, investing in a reliable house cleaner to take care of the bigger tasks or regular day to day stuff can be worth their weight in gold – but where do you find one?
Ditch The Chemicals And Stay Clean With Goodwings
We all know that good help can be hard to find, particularly when it comes to finding a reliable housekeeper that you can trust. Offering four to six hour cleaning packages, just a handful of the services on offer with the Cleaning Angels at Goodwings include bed linen changes, washing, and topping up everyday household goods like washing powder, shampoos, toilet paper and much more.
Given the fact that eco-friendly cleaning agents have been demonstrated to be just as effective at tackling various chores as traditional cleaning products, the weekly or fortnightly packages on offer through Goodwings enable Queenslanders to continue on with a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing the cleanliness of their homes.
To find out more about the services on offer with us at Goodwings, get in touch to discuss how we can provide your household with world class cleaning solutions.
