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submitted: 2008-04-07 12:33:29 | by: AdamLJackson
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If you have hardwood floors in your home then you want them to stay looking as good as the day when they were installed. Although you could use expensive specialist-cleaning products these often contain chemicals, which in fact can prove to be harmful for your wooden floors. Below we look at some ways in which you can clean hardwood floors so that they retain the look and remain in a good condition.

Yet even before you actually start deciding what is the best way to clean your hardwood floors you need to find out what kind of finish it has. The finish that your floor has will in the end determine the way in fact you clean it. If yours is a new wooden floor then all you need to do is sweep it and then use a damp mop. But for those floors which have been sealed or treated with oils these need to be cleaned using a liquid or paste wax. Also, those that have not been treated or have a lacquered, varnished or shellacked finished should also be cared for in the same way as mentioned previously.

One of the most effective and cheapest ways of cleaning any hardwood floor is by diluting some vinegar into warm water. It is best if you use white vinegar as this works at helping to remove any build up of grease on the floors surface and helps to remove odors. Plus this type of cleaning solution also removes mildew, various different kinds of stains and any buildup of wax on the floors surface as well.

Although vinegar is proving to be effective for cleaning many types of hardwood floors some people who have oak floors or bamboo floors prefer to use other cleaning methods in order to care for theirs. Of all the kinds of wooden floors that one can get for the home today, oak ones are not only beautiful looking, but also very easy to maintain.

However, if you want your oak floor to retain the same look that it had when first installed you need to clean it regularly. Ideally, one should be vacuuming and then the surface wiped over with a damp mop to remove all other dust particles on a weekly basis. If however, your oak floors have been waxed then you should arrange to buff them occasionally as this will help to bring the shine back up, plus it will help to remove any scuff marks on the surface.

If you have had bamboo floors in your home these actually need to be cared for in a different way from other wooden floors. Although you can vacuum them and then wipe over the surface with a damp mop as you would with an oak floor. But it is important that the cleaning solution you use does not contain any kinds of ingredients which have acid or are caustic or which are made using oils. So although you can use vinegar on oak and other kinds of hardwood floors it should not be used on a bamboo one.

As we have mentioned there are plenty of products that wooden floor manufacturers will recommend which you can use to care for them. One such product is called Murphy's oil soap and this is not only great for helping to remove all the dirt and dust which accumulates on such floors, but will also help the floor to retain its shine as well.

Above we have looked at a number of different ways in which one can clean hardwood floors. But which method you use will depend on not just the type of hardwood floor but the way in which the floor has also been finished. Therefore, it is important that you take your time and carry out some research if you want your floor to retain the look it had when first installed.

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Are you interested in finding out about other ways to clean hardwood floors in order to protect and preserve them? Then please go to Clean Hardwood Floors by clicking on the link here.

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