Here at Metro Atl. Floors, we absolutely love our hardwood floors and want to keep them looking their best. Wood floors are classy, aesthetically pleasing and easy to clean when you catch a spill early. Regular cleaning and addressing spills promptly is the key to keeping your hardwood floor looking newer longer.
Regular sweeping or dust mopping to keep dirt from building up is a must, but spills and messes are still a probably occurrence. The is the case especially if you have children or pets. If its just water, the obvious thing would be to just grab a clean rag or paper towels, soak up the spill and wipe down the remaining residue. Make sure to get all the moisture quickly so that it doesn’t soak into the wood.
Some spills on hardwood require a bit more than a quick mop up. These spills, say oils, tars or if your pet decided to make your day and leave you a present, require special cleaning techniques on hardwoods.
With oils, soak up the excess with paper towels. Saturate a cloth with a dry cleaning fluid and place on spill area for 5 minutes. After the first two steps, wipe until dry and clean with a mild floor detergent.
For tars or bubblegum, place an ice pack or resealable plastic bag with ice cubes on tar until it hardens and becomes brittle. Then, with a butter knife or plastic spatula, gently scrape the tar/bubblegum away. Saturate a rag with some cleaning solvent and rub on spot if a stain persists.
Pet urine is something that has disastrous consequences for hardwood floors. It’s the one thing you are not likely to clean up quickly because you are out when it happens most. It’s also one of few substances that can do some serious damage if it seeps into the wood.
First, don’t panic. Soak up any excess quickly with paper towels. Don’t let them sit over it for long period of time. Next, make a scouring powder paste made from mixing warm water with powder until it is toothpaste like in substance. Gently rub the spot with the mixture and carefully wipe away.
If any of these turn to stains, you can call Metro Atl. Floors and we will answer any questions about repair options. Additionally, if you experience a spill or mess that is not included in the post, please leave us a comment and we will do our best to give you advice on cleaning it.