Thursday, March 1, 2012

Cleaning Wood Floors the Easy Way

My wood floors terrify me. I feel like any damage I do to them is damaging my property value. So cleaning them, was very intimidating. Keep them clean, because they are always getting dirty/ dusty/ I have dogs.... lets, just leave it at that... but don't get them wet. WHAT?!? Cleanliness in my mind usually involves warm water, lots of disinfectants, and scrubbing... none of which I can do to my wood floors. So, what to do when they take up 90% of the real-estate around here and the Swiffer dust just isn't cutting it any more?
Thank you inventor of Microfiber! 

You will need:
  • Broom & dustpan / handheld vacuum
  • Microfiber mop (or a microfiber cloth and a regular old swiffer dust mop- attach the microfiber cloth, just like you would the deposable dust cloth.)
  • Concentrated, wood floor safe, floor cleaner
  • An empty spray bottle- preferably one with a great mister

Okay so my solution is similar to one of those spray mops, but without the cost. Always sweep first and remove as much dog hair, dust bunnies, twist ties, bobby pins... and what ever other kinds of treasures you may find. 
Then I just mixed up the concentrated, wood safe, floor cleaner in a spray bottle with warm water (probably doesn't have to be warm, but it felt cleaner). The instructions for the cleaner were for mixing in 1 gallon of water, since my bottle holds 1 quart, I just divided the concentrated solution recommendations by 4 (bc there are 4 quarts in 1 gallon- see your math teacher was right, you will use this stuff- even with an art degree!)
The holding the spray bottle up high mist the floor and mop over with the dry microfiber cloth. It may be harder at first because it will take a while for the microfiber cloth to get damp enough to glide easily- but just consider it a mini workout for your arms. 
Remember to always mop your way out of a room, just like you are painting  the floor because you don't want to get your dirty feet all over the clean floor. And wear socks, that way you can ditch the filth in the washer with your dirty cloth when you are finished!