Very few people become excited about cleaning hardwood floors. However, most people can appreciate a well-done job when it’s finished. Sometimes all it takes is a handful of clever hacks to reduce the amount of effort required to produce eye-catching results. For some top hardwood flooring cleaning hacks, check out this post.
Superpower Your Sweeping
Sweeping your hardwood floor regularly is as basic as it gets when it comes to keeping it clean. However, you can increase the efficiency of your sweeping by giving your broom a quick spray with a dusting agent. This will help the broom attract and hold onto dust while you sweep. Just make sure the spray is compatible with hardwood floors. Microfibre brooms are also recommended for hardwood floors. Not only do they pick up dust and dirt more easily, they make the job less labour intensive.
Fix Shallow Scratches Naturally
Scratches can drive hardwood floor owners crazy. And rightly so. It can be upsetting to be faced with a damaged investment everyday. However, scratches become far less annoying when they can no longer be seen. If the scratch is shallow you can use a piece of walnut to cover them up. Simply rub a shelled piece of walnut into the scratch to allow the oils to seep into the wood. Rub the scratch with your finger to work the walnut oil into the wood and remove any excess walnut flesh. Buff it out with a soft cloth and the scratch should be significantly less visible. If you don’t have any walnuts you could also use an almond, pecan or a brazil nut.
Give Your Hardwood A Natural Shine
Hardwood flooring will start to look dull after a while even with regular sweeping and mopping. It’s often recommended to use a hardwood flooring polish to restore the shine. However, polishes can be expensive and full of questionable chemicals. To bring back the shine without using floor polish, try using regular black tea. Make a strong tea solution by allowing four tea bags to steep in boiling water. After it’s cooled enough to touch, dampen a cloth in the tea and wipe down the floors to restore the shine.
