Knowing how to clean unsealed hardwood floors is important for anyone who wants to keep their floors looking good. Hardwood floors are popular among homeowners because they are cozy and have a rustic appearance.
In addition to being a pain, dirty floors can damage the wood. Repairing, upgrading, or replacing the floor is very expensive.
Cleaning hardwood floors is a labor-intensive process. All hardwood floors should be regularly cleaned and maintained to preserve the natural beauty and prevent damage.
Unsealed woods lack the protective coating that is present in sealed woods. This implies that anything you bring from outside, such as dust, grime, or dirt, may stick to this kind of hardwood.
Cleaning sealed wood floors is simple with water. Water can easily destroy unsealed hardwood floors by entering through the joists. Let’s examine the best ways to clean unfinished wood floors.
Unsealed hardwood floors are more difficult to clean and require more effort to maintain because water cannot be used on them. Let’s examine some secure cleaning techniques for a hardwood floor that hasn’t been sealed.
Vacuum And Sweep
It needs to be swept and vacuumed regularly. How often you vacuum or sweep your unfinished hardwood floor will tell you where you are. Every day, you need to clean places where many people go.
If your floor is made of wood, use a good vacuum to clean it often. So that the wood doesn’t get damaged, it should be a bare floor tool or a crevice tool.
If you like to sweep, a mop that sweeps is a good choice. So that the wood doesn’t look bad, the sweeping mop shouldn’t scratch or leave marks on the surface.
Lubricate Your Unsealed Hardwood Floors
Even if you sweep and vacuum your floors often, residue can build up on an unsealed hardwood floor. Oils like linseed or jojoba can be used once a month to treat your floor.
This can help get the dirt off the floor and keep it in good condition. Do not use water or liquid floor cleaners.
Allow the oil to lie on the unfinished hardwood floor for a few minutes after applying it with a soft cloth. Then, use a dry mop to polish the wood with the oil and remove any dirt and leftover oil.
Waxing Unsealed wood Floor
You can only do this step if you don’t want to seal your floors. Wax is hard to get off, so it needs to be removed before sealing the floor. You don’t have to seal the floor. You can treat it with oil instead.
If you don’t use the right wax, your floor could get hurt. To stop twisting, buy waterless wax made from petroleum.
Spread a thin coat of wax on your floor with a clean rag. Let it dry for half an hour.
When the wax is dry, rub it off with a clean cloth. This could take a while, depending on how big your floor is. You could rent a polishing machine to make the job easier and faster.
Natural cleaning
Not every day should be spent doing this. Since the floors haven’t been sealed yet, it’s best not to get them wet every day.
If you don’t seal your hardwood floors, any water that gets in will soak in and damage the wood.
Types of natural solution
If your floors haven’t been sealed, you can clean them with a natural mixture. You can use any of the following to make a natural mix:
- Two tablespoons of white vinegar in a gallon of water.
- Half a lemon and a gallon of water mixed.
- One tablespoon of baking soda should be in one gallon of water.
- Mineral spirit can also be used.
- You can use paraffin or cyclopropane, but you should choose mineral spirits that don’t smell. They will not only clean wood that has been sealed, but they will also get rid of scuff marks.
Dip a mop into the mixture you chose. Before putting the mop on the floor, it’s very important to dry it well. If you put unfinished wood into water, it will lose the look you want.
Wipe the floor with a clean cloth and let it dry in the air to remove any moisture. Using a good mop and cleaning solution will get the best results.
Protecting Unsealed Wood Floors
If you vacuum your unfinished hardwood floors often, dirt, rocks, and other things that could scratch or damage them won’t get on them.
Mats, rugs, or carpets should be used to protect hardwood floors that haven’t been sealed. They help keep scratches from happening when furniture is moved. Furniture legs can damage unsealed hardwood floors. Because of this, you should be careful when moving furniture.
Your floor can get dirty from a pair of muddy shoes, a spill, or a dirty pet that gets in. You can tell people not to wear shoes in your house to stop this from happening. If you don’t like this, you should get a doormat. Be sure to wipe your feet when you come into the house, and ask your guests to do the same.
Cleaning Products for sealed hardwood floor
Within the products for wooden floors, you might consider using market products such as Pine-sol, Fabuloso, or Murphy oil to clean your sealed wooden floor.
Let’s see other products and liquids to clean wooden floors that are effective and within your reach.
Hydrogen Peroxide to Remove Stains on Wood Floors
If your wooden or parquet floor smells bad or has pet stains, hydrogen peroxide can help (for the “first” or “second” time).
If the stain is small, cover it with a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide and check it every 10 minutes (just in case). As soon as the stain is gone, take off the extra cleaner.
If the smell or stains on the wooden floor are getting worse, you will need to put hydrogen peroxide on them, cover them with a cloth that has been soaked in this solution, and let them soak up overnight. The next day, you’ll have to remove any leftover cleaner and buff or sand the floor until it looks brand new again.
If the problem is more than just a little bit bad, it’s likely already reached the hardwood floor’s base. We will have no choice but to lift the parquet boards and see how bad the damage is.
what product should not use to clean a hardwood floor
DO NOT clean with bleach or chlorine that hasn’t been diluted to 5%. (For “How to Clean Hardwood Floors,” see the section above).
You shouldn’t use ammonia, harsh cleaners, or anything else that can leave a residue (e.g., oil, furniture spray, wax). They can hurt the wood and also make new stains.
Thinner to Remove Stains on Wood
Water is always the best way to thin out a cleaning product.
Of course, if you want to avoid water stains that won’t come out, you should buy distilled water, which you can find in supermarkets and doesn’t cost much.
Mop the floor with a cleaning solution diluted in distilled water and a rag or floor mop. If the solution gets dirty, don’t be afraid to start over.
Once the stains are gone, use a clean cloth to rinse the floor and remove any remaining cleaning product.
Mineral Spirit to Remove Stains on Wood Floors
Mineral spirits and a cloth can be used to clean some stains that are hard to get to. Mineral spirits are too strong to use very often, but they can be used to get rid of things like water spots. Don’t forget to test mineral spirits where no one will see.
Final Tips on How to Clean unsealed Hardwood Floor
You’ll see that the advice is about sensibly using this kind of floor. All of the suggestions are things that can be made at home or bought at stores that we can all afford.
The next time you clean, unsealed hardwood floors should be simple, given your newfound knowledge. You are lucky to have a lot of choices.
If you take care of, maintain, and keep water away from your unfinished hardwood floor, it will last longer and look better.
If the plan is to seal or refinish the floors in the future, avoid any commercial cleaning products that leave a residue on the surface.