So, What Type of Finish do your Floors Have?

First things first, you need to figure out if your engineered or solid hardwood was sealed with a polyacrylic urethane, a polyurethane finish, or had a paste wax applied to it. 

If you’re not informed about all this and lack the knowledge on the type of finish your floor possesses, we have a little test that you can perform at home! 

Here’s a simple test to help you discern the best cleaning habits to adapt for your wood floor:

• To test if paste wax finish was applied to your wood floors, get some fine wool and rub it gently over the wood floor. If your floor has a wax finish, the spot where you cleaned will turn gray with a waxy film seen on the steel wool. TIP: do this in a corner.
• In any section of your flooring with usual foot traffic, place a drop of water on the wood floor. If the water forms beads and stays for a couple of hours, the wood floor was sealed. If the liquid creates spotting on the wood finish or is absorbed, then the wood is not sealed, and water should never be used on it when cleaning it.

Tip: If your floors were sealed with wax, use a cleaner that is specifically made for wax-sealed hardwood. If your floors were sealed with a polyacrylic urethane or polyurethane finish, keep reading!

If you are not sure that you performed the test correctly, feel free to ask a specialist in your Washington, DC neighborhood at District Floor Depot. Now let’s get to the sparkle and shine!

Why Are My Hardwood Floors Looking Dull?

Listed below are six reasons why your hardwood floors might be looking dull. And if they are, don’t worry you can get them up to par with a few simple DYI steps.

1. You’re just redistributing dirt by forgetting to sweep or using a dirty mop stick, vacuum, or dust mop.
2. You’re using too many cleaning products.
3. You have a waxy buildup.
4. You’re fond of leaving a cleaning task half-done.
5. With pets and kids around, scratches are inevitable.
6. Your wood floor needs remodeling.

Simple Hacks that make Your Wood Floor Sparkle

So you want to keep the original sparkle on your hardwood floor, we promise, it is not so difficult. Simply follow these steps:

1. Clean up any spill on your floor as soon as it occurs to prevent watermarks and spots.
2. Ensure you spot clean the floor daily with a broom. Eliminate any dirt that can cause scratches and probably wear down the finish.
3. There’s little to no need to damp your mop more than four times in a year; unless you have ignored your wood floors for many weeks and there are sticky messes everywhere. Then lightly damp the mop and use it for the cleanup. The key is never to use a sopping-wet mop to clean a wood floor.
4. Using a dry microfiber mop to clean your wood floor will help prevent streaking on your hardwood floors.

Now that you know how to prevent watermarks, spots, and scratches, you can begin to make your own DIY cleaning products and make those living room floors shine.

The DIY Homemade Cleaner Guide for Your Hardwood Floors

Aside from making cakes and pies at home, do you know what else is fun and economical? 

Making your own all-natural, essential oil cleaners– ahh calming and clean.

A recommended way of washing hardwood floors is using warm water, essential oils, and vinegar. Water and vinegar are the actual cleaning agents here, but we include essential oils to help keep the house smelling nice.

Another factor to think about is the acidity of the vinegar. It is essential to balance the ratio of water to vinegar because if the vinegar is too much, the finish on your wood floor can turn dull.

Also, using a lightly damp cloth to clean your hardwood floor is recommended because applying too much water on your wood floor can cause damage.

The Simple Ingredients:

• 1 gallon of warm water
• ½ cup of white vinegar
• 2 to 3 drops of essential oils (we recommend lemon and clove for your hardwood floors).

Ratio Mix-up:

• 16 ounces of warm water
• 3 teaspoons of white vinegar
• 2 drops of essential oil.

Hardwood Floors that Shine

There are many ways to make your hardwood floors shine, and we hope this short guide helps your floors gain their sparkle back! 

If you have any questions or are ready to have hardwood floors installed in your home, contact District Floor Depot today! Our professionals work around the clock to ensure new floors are timely and thoroughly installed in your beautiful home!