Cleaning Wood Floors, Wet, Damp Or Dry?

Posted on February 23, 2008 - Filed Under Home Improvement |

There’s a lot of controversy brewing on the Internet in regards to cleaning wood floors. Many writers and bloggers seem to think that any amount of liquid is wrong, and will damage your floor, and others disagree. Which camp is right? Why, both of course!

It all comes down to the floors finish. If your floor is treated with a protecting finish, cleaning it will actually be a matter of cleaning the finish, not the untreated wood. If the finish is undamaged, a little bit of liquid won’t hurt it. After all, that’s why the finish is there; to protect the wood from liquids!

Don’t let the liquid linger though, as it might penetrate the finish after some time. This is especially true if the finish is in the form of a penetrating seal as opposed to a surface finish. Even surface finishes can leak through though, in particular near the walls and plank ends.

So, the first thing you need to check is if your floors finish is ok.

IS THE FINISH ON YOUR FLOOR DAMAGED?

If there are areas of your floor where you suspect that the finish has been damaged, or has come off completely, you should test it first. Areas of interest are those where the floor looks discolored or grey, or where it is dull, chipped, gouged or scraped.

Start the testing in areas where traffic is high, near doorways and popular sitting furniture for example. Then repeat the test in low- and medium-traffic areas too to be on the safe side.

Pour about two tablespoons of water on the suspect area and watch what happens. If the water soaks into the floor almost immediately, and leaves a darkened spot, the finish is severely damaged. You should repair the finish before you try to clean using any liquid. Dry mopping or vacuuming only at this stage.

If the water stays on the surface longer, a few minutes or so, and only slightly darkens the wood, the finish is partially damaged and needs maintenance. Dry mopping or vacuuming are the only methods to be recommended until the damage has been seen to.

If the finish is damaged, you need to look closer to assess if the wood itself is intact. Are there stains, gouges, cuts, burns, holes, warped or cracked boards? Repair or replace the damaged parts before you attempt any cleaning or maintenance treatment.

If the wood is ok, and the finish not too damaged, a maintenance treatment might be all that is necessary to restore its appearance. Be careful though if the finish is a surface finish. A wax or polish may make it more difficult to refinish or recoat the floor later. Don’t do it if you plan to refinish soon.

If the water beads on top of the floor, the finish is intact, and you can go ahead and clean it normally. What “normally” means depends on the type of finish your floor has.

WHAT TYPE OF FINISH DO YOU HAVE?

There are two main types of finish for wood floors; surface finishes and penetrating seals. Surface finishes protect the floor by forming a protective layer on top. Penetrating seals penetrate the surface of the floor to protect it from within.

If the floor is relatively new, say less than ten years, it probably has a surface finish.

There are a few tests you can do to establish the type of finish:

Is it glossy or matte? Glossy indicates a surface finish, a satin or matte finish is a sign of a penetrating seal.

Can you feel the grain when you run your hand over it? If you can’t, it’s probably a surface finish, if you can, it’s most likely a penetrating seal. Some surface finishes can be so thin that you can feel the grain through it though, so this test isn’t definitive, although the feeling you get from a penetrating seal is much more detailed in the way you feel the grain. If you are inexperienced, you might not get it right the first time, so go ahead with the following tests too.

The third test is to use a bit of paint remover, and you need a hidden spot to test. You’ll want to find a spot that is “unnoticeable”, that is, if you damage the finish, it won’t be seen. Deep in a corner, or a spot that is normally under a bookshelf or some other piece of furniture that won’t get moved in a hurry are prime candidates. Use a tiny, tiny amount, just a drop or two. It shouldn’t cover more than a fifth of an inch in either direction. If it starts to bubble, you have a polyurethane surface finish. If it doesn’t, you may have a water-based urethane, or some other type of surface finish. The odds are still on the side of a surface finish though, since they are the most common kind.

The final test involves wax stripper or ammonia. Use that small inconspicuous spot again, and put a small drop on the floor. If the spot becomes white or whitish, and the surface becomes softer, you have a penetrating seal. If not, you can now be pretty sure that your floor has a surface finish, probably a water-based urethane.

SHOULD YOU USE WATER OR NOT?

If the finish is intact, you can clean the floor with a damp mop. The finish is there to protect your floor against liquids, and it will handle the moisture. It can’t handle a large amount for extended time periods though, so you want to be careful.

Use a pH neutral wood cleaner and water. Wet the mop, and then wring it half dry. Use the damp mop on the floor. Then dip it in clean water, and wring it as dry as you can. Mop the same area again, and try to remove as much of the liquid as you can.

CLEANING AGENTS

If you know the manufacturer of the floor, ask them for advice (visit their web sites for instance). If not, use a neutral pH wood cleaner and water. You can do a search for “wood cleaner” on Amazon, pick a couple of products and check if your local store carries any of them.

WHAT ABOUT VINEGAR?

Vinegar has no cleaning effect, but it can help a cleaning agent work better if your water is hard.

In many areas of the US, especially the Midwest, we are cursed with “hard” water. Often, this means that the water contains minerals, such as chloride and magnesium. The mineral content in the water can drive the pH up to 8.5 and sometimes over.

Adding a little vinegar (pH 2) can help to bring the waters pH down to neutral (7). This may help increase the effect of some cleaning agents, but it does so at a cost. It makes it more difficult to remove residual cleaning agents.

If your water isn’t hard, adding vinegar can make it acidic, and that can damage the finish on your floor, at least if you use a lot of it.

So, as vinegar may not help much, can lead to difficulties, and isn’t free, I don’t recommend it.

It smells nice though, and it’s cheap, so if you want a fresh scent in your home, add a splash or two. Pick the one with the best smell, but be careful not adding too much – you don’t want to clean your floors with acid.

If you want to be on the safe side, test that the water is pH neutral before you start cleaning your wood floor with it. You can use a litmus paper or pH test strip for testing. You can find them in most hardware stores, or at Amazon for a couple of dollars. Well worth it, if you care about your floor!

Max Elander is an expert on wood and cleaning in general, and cleaning wood floors in particular. You can find more of his writing on Cleaning Wood Floors.

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