How to Clean Engineered Hardwood Floors

Engineered hardwood floors are a pretty reliable and popular type of flooring. Such flooring seems easier to install and quicker to clean. But it’s also sensitive to maintenance. You must clean the hardwood engineered floor regularly. For that, learn how to clean engineered hardwood floors efficiently here.

If you don’t follow the correct procedure, it might create major scratches and dents. And such scratches can’t always be recovered. That doesn’t mean you’ve to hire anything professionally for regular cleaning of your flooring. The engineered hardwood floor cleaning requires some basic tips and suggestions only. You can’t skip any of these to keep up the reliability.

How to Clean Engineered Hardwood Floors

Do you need to clean the hardwood engineered floor daily?

Yes, you must maintain your hardwood engineered floor regular and weekly cleansing procedure. You won’t have to do deep cleansing all the time. Consider following the proper procedure and lightly mop the flooring.

Try to use a vacuum cleaner at a mild power level. Don’t use any harsh type of chemical here. This daily cleansing is necessary to avoid any stain. Suppose you don’t clean these stains immediately. Later they won’t get removable.

If you want to avoid major damages, consider mild cleansing of your hardwood engineered flooring daily. For better and long-term reliability, don’t skip the weekly deep cleansing as well.  

NB: The cleaning procedure can vary depending on the hardwood engineered floor type. You better consult with the professional manufacturer for the exact and adequate information. There are some special vacuum cleaners that can be used to clean over hardwood floors. Different hardwood floors have different types of finishing. Sometimes the entire procedure and cleaning frequency will vary according to the process. 

How to clean engineered hardwood floors : ( Step By Step)

Cleaning a hardwood engineered floor is a matter of minutes with the correct product procedure. If you want to avoid any mess, consider following the process step by step:

Tools you need

You can’t use any random products/ tools to clean the engineered hardwood flooring. It requires both extra care and maintenance. Maybe that’s the secret of its luxurious appearance and durability. 

Make sure you’ve gathered all these tools and materials to clean engineered hardwood flooring: 

  • Soft bristle broom
  • Microfiber mop
  • Lightweight vacuum cleaner
  • Mild liquid floor cleaner
  • Bucket

Once you’ve gathered these ingredients, cleaning your engineered hardwood floor is a fact of no time. 

Step 1: Sweep the flooring:

First of all, start sweeping the floor with a soft-bristle broom. Don’t use any harsh type of broom here. This can make stains/ scratches easily. Pay attention to all the corners and challenging areas of your flooring. Make sure all the dust, debris and chunks are cleaned out thoroughly. You must sweep the floor daily and frequently. That process is essential to get rid of all bug chunks. It increases the engineered hardwood lifespan and keeps it shiny as well. 

Step 2: Vacuum the floor:

It’s vacuuming time. Take a unique vacuum cleaner and use it at a very mild power. Such vacuum cleaners have the particular option of “hard floor” mode. Don’t use any regular vacuum cleaner here. This step is essential to remove all the tiny s and unnoticeable pecks of dirt. 

Step :3: Mop the floor:

Now, you can grab a microfiber mop to remove all extra debris. In this step, you’ve to make sure the mop is absolutely dry and soft. It will remove all the debris that your vacuum cleaner has missed. The microfiber mopping step is especially recommended by professionals.

Step 4: Damp mop the floor:

Now, you should slightly damp your mop and again start cleaning the floor thoroughly. It helps to fight slight stains that can’t be removed with dry mop/ vacuum cleaners. If you notice any visible spots over the floor, this step will be helpful here. If you notice any excess water over the surface, clean that out instantly. Leaving any extra water over the floor will never be a good idea.

Step 5: Liquid Cleaner: 

If you want to clean the floor deep, consider picking up a professional liquid cleaner. The special hardwood floor cleaners are usually mild and don’t carry harsh chemicals. You need to use a very tiny amount of cleaner and just scrub all the stains properly. Don’t forget to wipe the cleansers with water.

Cleaning Engineered Hardwood Floors with Vinegar and Water

Though it might sound strange, cleaning engineered hardwood floors with vinegar and water is the best way. Vinegar is not a product that is full of chemicals. It is natural and biodegradable. So it is not going to be harsh on the floor. It keeps the luster and finish of the floor intact. When you use vinegar to clean the floor, you will notice just with one wipe; the floors get a shiny vibe.

Vinegar: A Mild Disinfectant

Harsh chemicals can ruin the glossy finish of the floors. So, even if you are going to keep it clean, the engineered hardwood floors will look dull and dirty. So, keeping that shine intact is essential. It might not be as effective as chemical cleaners or disinfectants to kill germs and bacteria to a high percentage, but it is not too bad too. It can be a great alternative to safer bleach as well.

Vinegar And Water Ratio

Vinegar is an acidic liquid. It is going to react. So do not clean your engineered hardwood floors with vinegar directly. It needs to be diluted with water. The quantity of the water has to be almost a gallon for diluting a half cup of vinegar.

The Type

Apple cider, red wine, rice wine, these are all the sources of vinegar. These products are fermented, and from that, you get vinegar. Now, if you have noticed, these have colors in them. So, they might stain the engineered hardwood floors.

Even if they don’t stain, using these to clean your floor is going to be a matter of high cost. So, to be on the safe side in both cases, you can use white vinegar. White vinegar is not going to stain the floor, and it is low in price as well but does the same job to clean the floor as the expensive ones.

Process

The process of cleaning the engineered floors with vinegar is simple.

The first step is always dry mopping and dusting. The dirt and debris free floor is a must for wet mopping. Otherwise, it is going to be messy.

When you are done with the dry mopping, you can start wet mopping. You need a gallon of water for that. Mix half a cup of vinegar to that. Take the best mop possible. And you are ready to clean the floor.

Make sure to wring the mop to get rid of the excess water. Avoid super wet mop water dripping from it as it is going to result in a super damp floor.

Always mop following the direction of the floorboards. This is how it is going to be Streak-free, and following a pattern will make the floor ultra clean.

There are many products you can use to clean your engineered hardwood floors. But if you want a natural, less harsh, and low price product, then the white vinegar with sufficient water is the best choice for you.

How to clean engineered wood floors with bona?

Bona Hardwood cleaner is a pretty popular and safe liquid cleaner. It cleans out all debris and stains instantly. This cleanser is absolutely budget-friendly. Even if you grab more reasonable prices over offers and discounts. This cleanser will be worthy of every penny you’re spending. This cleanser doesn’t carry any harsh or strong chemicals. So, consider bona as a safe and effective cleaner. Spray the bona hardwood cleaner over the engineered hardwood floor. Wait for 10 to 20 minutes and clean out all the debris. It will give a proper and glossy finishing.

What’s the best way to clean engineered wood floors?

Try to follow all the professional procedures for cleaning the engineered wood floor thoroughly. You must sweep, mop and wipe the floor daily. For deep cleansing, try to apply liquid cleaner weekly.

Common mistakes people make while cleaning hardwood engineered floors:

  • Hardwood engineered floors require good quality rugs over the entrance. Many people don’t use it and consider it as a luxury. 
  • Many people consider steam cleaning for hardwood floors. Well, it won’t be effective and harmful for your engineered hardwood. Steam cleaning is only effective over carpeted areas.
  • You better not use any ammonia-based cleaner/ vinegar. You better not use any harsh chemicals/ DIY projects.

Final words

Hardwood engineered flooring is definitely a luxurious and expensive pick. It takes little effort and energy to maintain it well. And good maintenance will keep up the flooring properly. For that, you must learn how to clean engineered hardwood floors daily and weekly. Also, make sure you’re not following any wrong procedure.

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