How to Clean Prefinished Hardwood Floors

Prefinished hardwood is a beautiful, classically appealing, and aesthetically superior choice for flooring in today’s homes. Choosing to have prefinished hardwood installed in your home is a better choice than wall-to-wall carpet or even many of the other modern flooring choices that are available today for a variety of reasons. 

You can choose this type of flooring for spaces nearly anywhere in your home as we have beautiful hardwood floors in living room, hardwood floors in kitchen and hardwood floors in bedroom floor choices. However, protecting your floors by knowing how to clean prefinished hardwood floors as well as knowing how to properly maintain them will make the difference in getting the desired longevity out of your investment.

How to Clean Prefinished Hardwood Flooring

Prefinished hardwood flooring is the type of flooring that if cared for properly can last a lifetime. Therefore, when considering this flooring option, you need to know how to clean this flooring without causing damage. Ideally, you want to reduce the likelihood that they become damaged, stained, or scratched. 

Thankfully, our team at Southern Luxe is well-versed in how to maintain these beautiful floors without causing any damage. We are happy to walk you through the process of cleaning prefinished hardwood floors, making you an expert in how to maintain your floors and get the most return on your investment. 

Best Ways to Clean Prefinished Hardwood Floors

The following are some practical tips for keeping your floors in good shape and getting the longevity you desire out of your beautiful prefinished hardwoods. 

As always, we recommend considering the manufacturer's cleaning recommendations above all as the makers of the floor will be the best resource for what will and won’t harm them and what actions can help you improve the life of your floors: 

• Vacuuming the Floor: You can vacuum your prefinished hardwood floors, but keep this one caveat in mind, it’s never a good idea to use a vacuum that has a beater bar. This is because such a tool can actually scratch the surface of your floors, which can cause damage. However, when using the right vacuum type— one that has a natural-bristle and soft rubber wheels— it is safe for your flooring and can be an easy way to daily maintain your floors by removing dust and dirt build-up. 

• Mopping the Floor: Avoid overly wet mopping as water should be avoided on prefinished hardwood flooring. However, you can mop your floors using a wet mop that has been thoroughly wrung out or cleaning solutions that are approved by the manufacturer around once a month. For regular cleaning, it's a good idea to invest in a good microfiber dust mop. We encourage you to use a microfiber or cotton duster floor mop at least once weekly if not daily to remove dust and dirt. 

• Cleaning Solutions: Not all cleaning solutions or products are applicable for all prefinished hardwood floors. You want to ensure that any solution you use doesn’t stain your floors or make the issue worse that you are trying to remedy. Make sure anything you use on your floors has been approved by the floor manufacturer. 

• Spills/Stains: If you ever notice a spill, wipe it up as quickly as possible to hopefully avoid staining. Make sure you blot spills and not rub them in when cleaning and use a soft cloth. If you are dealing with a large spill or significant build-up of dirt, you might want to add in a cleaning solution that is safe for your flooring to help.  

How to Deep Clean Floors Without Damaging Them

Now that you have seen how to maintain your floors on a daily basis, you want to move on to how to handle really tough issues, or set-in dirt and stains. The following will help you deep clean your floors, without damaging them:

• Minimizing Small Damage: Prefinished hardwood floors are tough; however, that doesn’t mean damage won’t occur over time. In fact, the vacuum beaters as mentioned above can really scruff up floors, and you can actually scratch or stuff floors when trying to clean them if you aren’t careful. The general rule of thumb to remember when deep cleaning your floors is to be as gentle as possible while still getting the job done. This means using liquid cleaners only for serious stains and opting for soft broom heads or dust mops for simple, every day clean-up. 

• Using Liquid Cleaners: The most important aspect to remember about liquid cleaners is that you want to avoid overloading your floors with liquids. This can create stains at best and actually strip away your floor’s beautiful finish at worst. When using liquid cleaners, make sure the mop is wrung out thoroughly to create a damp, not wet, mop. 

• Cleaning Products: While we encourage you to seek out the manufacturer’s recommendations for the right cleaning solutions or products, we do recommend Squeaky Cleaner from Basic Coatings and the hardwood cleaning products from BONA for most flooring.
  
  

How to Maintain Your Hardwood Floors So That They Last a Lifetime

Prefinished hardwood floors are a worthwhile investment that deserves a purposeful approach to maintenance and cleaning. The following are some general dos and don’ts to keep in mind to avoid making problems worse or causing damage when cleaning:

• Better to be safe than sorry: It’s always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to products or solutions. You also don’t want to use something like a vacuum that will do more damage than good. So, make sure that you spot-test anything you want to try before using it in an obvious area.

• Keep manufacturer guides in mind: They created the flooring, so they know what will and won’t work best. This is also key in ensuring that your warranty stays intact. 

• Clean and maintain consistently: In other words, don’t wait for your floors to get filthy or stained. Instead, create a cleaning schedule that will ensure the dirt and grime aren't allowed to build up, so you never have that big of a mess to clean. As a general rule, we recommend you vacuum, sweep or dust mop on a weekly basis to keep dirt from settling into cracks within the wood. We also advise you to clean up spills carefully and gently, not harshly scrubbing them, as soon as they happen. 

Contact Southern Luxe to Learn About Your Flooring Options 

Now that you have seen how easy it can be to maintain lovely prefinished hardwood floors, you are likely wanting to know more about the new flooring options we offer. At Southern Luxe, we feature a wide variety of options ensuring that your vision for your home is fulfilled and your dream of warm, homey, earth-toned flooring is made a reality. 

You can request a sample of our individual flooring options or work with our team of experts to choose the best floor finish for your home. Start your project today by clicking here and filling out the contact form. Contact us today and begin living your dream tomorrow!