How to Care for Commercial Wood Flooring

Clean, lustrous wood flooring is a great way to impress visitors. It adds charm to your commercial building and provides a remarkable, lasting first impression.

Whether it’s laminate wood, engineered hardwood, or solid wood flooring, regular maintenance is key to making them look their best. Wood flooring is an investment that requires proper care and maintenance.

Your professional cleaning company can provide you with solutions to maintain your investment while keeping it looking its finest.

Routine Maintenance and Care

Here are the basics of wood floor care:

• Protect the surface finish from heavy wear

• Clean daily to remove contaminants

• Protect the finish from water and moisture damage

Wood floors are particularly vulnerable to dirt, sand, and grit. In addition to dulling the floor’s finish, these substances will act like sandpaper creating scratches and dents. Installing walk-off mats at all building entrances is essential to protect the floor and finish. The mats prevent debris from being tracked onto the floor. Additionally, walk-off matting absorbs moisture helping to keep your floors dry.

PROFESSIONAL TIP

If you are using rubber-backed entrance matting, avoid placing it directly on the wood floor. The rubber backing can cause discoloration of the wood flooring.

It is important to sweep, vacuum, or dust mop frequently to remove debris and avoid damage to the floors. If you have a lot of wood flooring in your commercial building, you may want to consider day porter services. During high traffic hours, these individuals are there to keep your floors debris- and damage-free.

Several tools can be used to keep your wood floors looking their best. A backpack vacuum with a hard floor attachment removes contaminants from a hardwood floor. Soft-bristled brooms with fine ends trap and lift dirt and contaminants. High-quality microfiber flat mops trap and lift debris, plus they are convenient and lightweight to use throughout the day.

PROFESSIONAL TIP

Make sure to remove the contaminants that have found their way underneath any mats. Leaving debris can result in scratched floors. Your professional cleaning company will help get this done.

Another preventative measure against heavy wear is to place protector pads on the bottom of furniture legs. These should be made of soft felt or a similar type of material. Additionally, if you ever need to move the furniture, it is good to lift and carry it or use furniture slides. Even though you have placed the pads on the furniture legs, try not to drag the furniture across the floor.

One more adversary of wood flooring is water and moisture. A floor’s finish can be permanently damaged or warped by water and spills. Immediately clean up spills to prevent staining or warping of the flooring. To clean spills, wipe them up with a soft, damp cloth or microfiber cloth. If necessary, use a cleaning solution and a dry, soft cloth.

A less obvious factor to remember is that direct sun can play a role in damaging wood flooring. Direct sunlight can cause wood flooring to become discolored in certain areas. Recommendations include closing blinds or adding sheer drapes to protect areas exposed to the sun’s harsh UV rays.

The best way to keep wood floors looking their best is to use a professional wood floor cleaning product on them periodically. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations if you know what type of flooring you have. If you’re not sure what type of hardwood floor you have, use a wood cleaner that leaves no residue. It is generally not advised to dampen your hardwood floors. It is important to follow directions carefully when using a wood floor cleaner that requires mixing with water.

Avoid the following when caring for wood floors:

• Use of saturated mops

• Use of ammonia on a floor

• Dusting with household type cleaners

• Utilizing products that are not recommended for wood floors

Even with regular maintenance and upkeep, your wood floors will need to be deep cleaned from time to time. This will remove damage caused by unavoidable wear and tear.

These routine tasks and maintenance strategies will help prevent damage to wood floors and keep them looking fantastic. A professional cleaning company will provide this level of care and maintain your wood floor investment for years to come.

Cleantec Cares About Your Wood Flooring

Let us help you be proud of your flooring. Give us a call at (877) 469-0543, and our Special Projects team will assess your flooring needs. For information on others types of flooring, see our other blogs: How to Care for LVT and LVP Flooring and Fight Dull and Dirty VCT Flooring.

Cleantec aims to offer helpful information to our clients and friends. We currently serve all of New York, including the Syracuse, Ithaca, Manhattan, Rochester, Utica, and Buffalo regions. We also have operations in Palo Alto, CA; Denver, CO; Muscle Shoals, AL; Tampa, FL; and Sanford, NC. Give our sales professionals a call at (877) 469-0543 for a free consultation and quote regarding janitorial services. Learn how we can help your business achieve your cleaning needs.

Cleantec ensures all staff members are thoroughly vetted, conducting background checks and drug testing. In addition to providing professional cleaning services, we are also a supplier of specialized cleaning products and green chemicals. Please call (877) 469-0543 to place an order.