How to clean dirt from a wooden floor

A brilliant result will be ensured by professional products “For wooden floors” and proven folk methods.
Wooden floors are more susceptible to contamination than floorings with modern protective and decorative coatings. However, there are several ways to properly clean floors, depending on the type of board and its treatment. I'll tell you about this.

How to clean an unpainted wooden floor

Before mopping wood floors, remove debris and dust. It tends to get caught in joints and accumulate in the form of unsightly black stripes that are difficult to remove. Use a broom or vacuum cleaner with a floor cleaning attachment attached.

Unpainted wood instantly absorbs moisture, so it is not recommended to wet the boards excessively. Due to dampness, they become deformed and begin to creak when a person steps on the floor.

The method of cleaning a wooden covering depends on the type of contamination:

If there are black shoe stains on the boards, use baking soda. Dissolve a spoonful of soda powder in a liter of water. Take a brush, clean the dirt, wash the floor with clean water and dry.
Try removing old blots with table vinegar. Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar and ammonia in 4 liters of heated water. Put on latex gloves and wash the boards, paying special attention to dirty areas.
Marks from spilled juice are washed off in several stages. Soak cotton wool in ammonia and soak the stain. If it is firmly stuck in, add a pinch of baking soda and rub with a dry sponge. Remove any remaining crystals with a damp cloth and wash the floor.

For routine cleaning, fill a bucket with hot water, soak a soft cotton cloth in it, wring it out, and mop or hand wash the floor. Uneaten dirt will quickly be cleaned, and the tree will shine with cleanliness. Finally, wipe the coating with a dry cloth made of natural material.

How to wash the floor in a bathhouse

In the sauna, along with water, microbes, soot and dirt are absorbed into the wood. To keep your bathhouse shiny, it needs to be washed regularly. First of all, sweep away the plaque from the ceiling and walls with a broom. Go over the wooden surface with a vacuum cleaner. Then use these methods:

To remove soot stains, purchase a melamine sponge. It quickly absorbs blackness, dirt and deteriorates, so you will need 2-3 pieces.
Soak it in cool water, squeeze it lightly and remove any soot marks. Whenever the sponge gets dirty, rinse it in water. When it loses its shape, replace it.
If soot is deeply embedded in the wood, apply a teaspoon of liquid non-chlorine detergent to the unpainted floor and scrub the stain with a sponge.
After removing the soot, fill a bucket of water, add 50 g of grated laundry soap, 100 ml of vinegar into it and wash the floors with a stiff brush. Rinse off the foam with clean water and dry the surface with a dry old bath towel.

Thick layers of carbon deposits on the floor spoil the appearance of the bathhouse. It's difficult to get rid of them. If you have time and energy, use an iron spatula. Slowly clean dry boards, scraping away any grime.

To simplify the work, the use of a grinding machine is allowed. Place a 12.5 cm diameter petal-shaped circle with 35 grit on it. and remove the top darkened layer of wood. Sand any rough spots with sandpaper. Remove dust collected during work with soapy water and a cloth.

Cleaning an unpainted wooden floor in a bathhouse will be easier if you care for it properly. Do general cleaning once a month. Remove the rugs in the dressing room, shake them outside, wash and dry in the sun. To clean cans and ladles, use the cleaning agent Pemoxol. Apply the powder to a damp sponge and scrub the surface, removing soap scum.

Pemoxol can also be used to remove dirt from the floor. Add 1 tbsp to a bucket of water. l. products and stir. Use a brush with hard natural bristles to scrub the floor in the wash compartment. Rinse it with running water, blot the moisture with a dry cloth and ventilate the room.

Products for wooden floors

Special products for cleaning wooden floors quickly remove dirt, disinfect, and freshen the air in the room. They are produced in liquid form, including:

active components that remove stubborn dirt;
alkali;
dyes, fragrances;
antibacterial ingredients;
baking soda, which dissolves old stains and destroys germs.

Pronto floor cleaner has proven itself well . The inorganic liquid is produced in the Netherlands. Contains cleaning components that do not have a negative effect on wood. To wash the floor, dilute 2 caps of Pronto in 5 liters of water and clean the floor from plaque and dirt with a rag. There is no need to rinse off the liquid. To remove deep blots, black stains from shoes, greasy stains, pour a spoonful of undiluted product onto the boards and rub with a hard sponge.

Effective cleaning is ensured by:

HELP concentrate . Produced in Moscow by Alfatekhprom LLC. Be sure to dilute it with water at the rate of 2 caps per bucket of water.
Universal product P&G Professional Mr. Proper . Suitable for painted and unpainted wooden surfaces.
Russian liquid Cinderella . Allows you to wash away greasy stains. Does not leave streaks.
Emsal . Country of origin: Germany. Eliminates minor scratches on parquet, removes stains, and protects seams from swelling.

When purchasing household chemicals, carefully read the instructions and follow the manufacturer's recommendations. For parquet, purchase detergents with a special mark on the label that allows use on this surface.

Folk remedies

Traditional methods cope well with stains and provide unpainted wooden floors with freshness and cleanliness. They are useful to use when professional products are not at hand.

There is a proven old method for washing wood. Pour 50 g of quicklime and 100 g of river sand into a plastic bucket, add 4 liters of cool water and mix well. Dip a soft brush into the liquid and thoroughly clean the flooring with it. Rinse off the remaining mixture with water or wait until the floor is dry and vacuum it.

Preventing contamination of unpainted wooden floors

Wooden floors look presentable and beautiful, but require careful maintenance. To maintain its cleanliness and smoothness, proper prevention is needed.

To clean parquet and plank floors, use gentle products. It is not recommended to use:

preparations with chlorine;
abrasives;
steam cleaners;
metal brushes.

The surface of unpainted boards does not tolerate dust. Vacuum the floors twice a week, carefully working through the joints and removing dirt from them.

Place a rug near the front door and wipe your shoes when entering the house. Sand and small pebbles accidentally brought into the room can scratch the boards.

Do not spill water on the floor or allow dampness in the apartment, even if the wood is varnished. This will help prevent the boards from swelling and warping.

Wipe off any types of dirt on the floor immediately. Wood quickly absorbs grease and moisture, so old stains are more difficult to deal with.

Plank floors made of natural wood are the most ancient and reliable type of flooring, which, unfortunately, today is widely replaced by synthetic materials. After all, caring for linoleum is much easier than cleaning wooden floors, especially if they are unpainted. But wood flooring allows air to pass through well, retains heat, has a beautiful appearance, and has a calming effect on the nervous system. The main thing is to know the ways and means that will help keep your wooden floor clean.

Choosing a rag

Choosing the right cloth for cleaning your floor is equally important. Several options are especially popular:

Viscose. This material absorbs moisture well, but when in contact with water, the fabric becomes less durable. Twisting during spinning also significantly reduces the life of the material.
Fabric containing cellulose is more reliable. In addition, it has excellent absorbent properties.
Synthetic material is one of the best options. These rags dry quickly and remain in good condition for a long time.
Microfiber fibers penetrate into the most inaccessible places and small crevices. They attract dirt, leaving surfaces perfectly clean.

How to clean a painted floor

In a residential area, it is customary to paint a wooden floor with paint or enamel specially designed for this purpose. This coating reliably protects the wood from the formation of greasy and dirty stains. Dust does not penetrate through the protective film, but remains on the surface, which greatly simplifies the work of cleaning the floor.

Before you start wet cleaning, you need to clear the floors, as much as possible, of objects standing on them. Then you should thoroughly vacuum or sweep the boardwalk with a broom. Otherwise, all the dust will move into the joints between the floorboards, and it will be very difficult to wash it.

To clean painted floors, use a soft flannel cloth and a mop. If ordinary daily cleaning is planned, you can do without detergents. You just need to pour clean warm water into a bucket, wet and wring out the cloth thoroughly and walk along the floorboards.

It's another matter if it's time to do some spring cleaning. In this case, the following products will help clean wooden floors:

acetic acid (9%) - a five-liter bucket of water will require 50 g of vinegar;
ammonia - 1 tbsp. l. for 5 liters of water;
baking soda - 4 tbsp. l. for 2 liters of water.

When cleaning painted wood, you should not choose products containing chlorine. The dirty spots will disappear, but the wood will permanently take on a whitish tint.

At the end of general cleaning, you can wipe the floors with a special solution that gives painted wood a special shine. To prepare the product, add 2 tbsp to 2 liters of water. l. table vinegar and 1 tbsp. l. furniture polishes.

Rules

Regular full cleaning includes washing the floors.

First of all, you should prepare. Clear the area of small-sized furniture standing on the floor (chairs, ottomans) and things lying on it (toys, etc.). If there is visible debris, you should remove it with a vacuum cleaner or a broom slightly moistened with water. This will make wet cleaning easier.

Start washing from the corner of the room farthest from you. This way you won't have to step on the freshly washed surface until it's completely dry. Pay attention to the corners and joints between the flooring and the baseboard.

Change contaminated water to clean water as often as possible. If the cloth is too wet and the floor remains wet, divide the flooring into zones, treating each of them first with a damp cloth and then with a dry cloth.

If you use a mop for cleaning, make sure the handle is at armpit level.

This size of the device reduces the load on the back and makes it easy to reach hard-to-reach places.

Try to thoroughly wring out the rag each time you put it in the bucket.

How to wash floors for the first time after painting

A freshly painted wood floor is shiny and sparkling clean. But a few days pass and dust, various prints and other contaminants appear on the new coating.

To remove stains and stubborn dirt from recently painted floors, you need to remember a few rules:

The first time the floor is washed two weeks after painting. During this time, the paint will dry thoroughly and be absorbed into the wood.
Do not use detergents, just warm water and a soft cloth. You just need to change the water more often (a bucket of 2–3 m2).
If the floorboards are painted with pentaphthalic-based alkyd enamel, you can wipe the floors with a solution containing vinegar essence. To do this, pour 1 tbsp into a 10 liter container of water. l. 70% vinegar, wash the floor, and then be sure to wipe it with a clean damp cloth. Be careful: vinegar essence should not get on the skin or mucous membranes!
If nitro enamels or polyurethane enamels were used to paint the floor, it is better not to use an acid solution, but simply wipe with a damp cloth.

For all paint and varnish coatings, you can use a weak solution of ammonia (add 1 tablespoon of ammonia to 10 liters of water).

Let's start small

First of all, we’ll focus on how to wash parquet without streaks.
For many novice housewives, even this seemingly simple task is impossible. Indeed, wooden floors require special care. You can keep your house clean without expensive detergents, just be patient and the most affordable “ingredients”: acetic acid, starch, ammonia, soda, etc. When you start cleaning, you need to collect large debris. A vacuum cleaner does this most quickly and efficiently. Without one, you can use a broom. If you neglect this advice and quickly wash the wooden floor without collecting the dirt, the dust will remain in the gaps between the floorboards. Divorces are guaranteed for you.

How to clean old wooden floors in the kitchen? To prevent the cleaning process from dragging on for hours, it doesn’t hurt to remove all unnecessary items. If possible, they should be collected in one place or gradually raised during washing. Painted floors are the easiest to deal with. Just wipe them with a damp cloth and after a few minutes they are clean. In this case, you don’t even need to use any detergents. It is enough to collect clean water and “arm yourself” with a soft cloth.

If this is general cleaning of the parquet with your own hands, you can add:

9% table acetic acid in a proportion of 20 g per 2 liters of water;
ammonia in the same proportions;
special detergents (see instructions for concentration);
no more than 2 tablespoons of soda per liter of water;
powder, but you need to determine the amount yourself, taking into account the level of foaming.

It should be remembered that you need to clean the parquet with a brush with dense bristles, and not just wash it with a damp cloth. However, the bristles should not be too coarse so as not to damage. If you need to clean a wooden floor in a bathhouse, the easiest way is to use a car wash. A strong stream of water will not only remove all dirt, but also lighten the wood.

How to properly clean an unpainted floor

Unpainted wooden floors are most often found in bathhouses, cottages, verandas and summer kitchens. Such a coating requires careful cleaning, otherwise the wood will darken, become covered with numerous stains of grease, and the room will look sloppy.

When starting to clean unpainted flooring, you need to prepare:

a brush with short, stiff bristles;
a piece of cotton cloth;
bucket with water;
laundry soap or soda.

To obtain a cleaning product, baking soda in the amount of 3 tbsp. l. dissolve in 1 liter of water. If you decide to use laundry soap, then grind one bar on a coarse grater and dilute it in 5 liters of warm water.

Moisten the floorboards one by one with the prepared mixture, while rubbing them with a brush. Do not leave puddles on wooden floors for long periods of time. To prevent moisture from being absorbed into the surface of unpainted wood and the boards from swelling, each area to be treated must be wiped with a slightly damp cloth.

Types of wooden floors

The most common types of wood for flooring are coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. Alder and fir are less common. And a very expensive pleasure - oak.

Important! For homes where people do not wear shoes, coniferous flooring options are most often chosen; they do not have the same strength as oak, but with proper care they will last a long time.

So, we decided on the tree. Floors made from this material have their own names based on the size and type of boards. Namely:

Important! Parquet is a flooring made of small boards of equal size, tightly nailed to each other. A plank floor consists of larger boards, which are not always the same in size and therefore caring for such a floor has its own nuances.

That is, if you know how to clean parquet from dirt and how to properly care for it, this does not mean at all that caring for a floor made from a larger board should be the same.

How to care for plank floors?

Care for a wooden floor depends on how it is processed and what it looks like.

Cleaning unpainted floors

How to clean old wooden floors? Before washing a wooden floor from dirt, it is necessary to carry out preliminary work, namely, to remove debris and dust.

Important! Dust must be removed very carefully, preferably with a broom or vacuum cleaner. If you do not do this right away, then later you will never remove what is clogged at the joints of the boards. It may come to the point that you will have to change the sex prematurely, and this is not a cheap pleasure.

After you have removed the garbage, you need to inspect for stains. Let us pay special attention to them, because different types of contaminants are removed from wooden floors in different ways.

Black stains from shoes

Baking soda will help you. Apply dry baking soda to the stain and scrub with a dishwashing sponge. Wipe off any remaining stains with ammonia.

Sticky stains

When choosing how to clean a wooden floor from dirt that sticks to the surface, first remove the stickiness with ammonia. Then, carefully remove the remaining sticky substance with a spatula. After this, work with soda and a sponge in the same way as in the first case with the black spots. Remove any remaining baking soda with a vacuum cleaner.

Urine stains

You are not immune from this phenomenon if you have a small child or pets in your home. Urine tends to penetrate deeply and destroy the structure of the coating.

Important! Remove such stains immediately, do not wait for them to dry!

To solve the problem, how to clean a wooden floor from dirt if there is urine on it:

First, remove the liquid itself with a dry cloth.
Then, gently scrub the stained area with dish soap.
Finally, wipe with ammonia.

Once you've dealt with the stains on your flooring, move on to cleaning the entire floor. There are several most common options for how and with what to clean a wooden floor from dirt when it is not painted.

Removing stains

Tiled kitchen floors can be cleaned of grease in several ways. If you have a steam generator, use it. Then wipe the surface with a damp and clean cloth.

You can also remove greasy stains using laundry soap. First, treat the stains with a soapy sponge, and then rinse off the soap with water. Mustard powder also copes with such contaminants. Diluted with water to form a paste, it is applied to the stain for 10 minutes. Then the composition is cleaned with a damp sponge.

Vegetable oil and baking soda is another unusual option for removing stains. For this, regular sunflower or other oil available in the house is suitable.

Much has been said about how cleanliness is the basis of health. However, the number of questions does not decrease and the following remains popular: “How to clean old parquet floors from dirt.” Due to various circumstances, you have to not just periodically brush off fluff from surfaces, but thoroughly begin cleaning, removing construction dust, brilliant green, iodine, grease stains, cat urine, glue, and simply making the old parquet look nice. It is extremely difficult to do this without specialized help at home, but it is possible. Let's try to figure out how to act.

How to clean dirt from a wooden floor after renovation?

Let's talk about the broom again. After repairs, a lot of debris of various origins remains. You will never discover stubborn dirt and stains on your decking until you sweep and vacuum the floor.

After completing the procedures with a broom and vacuum cleaner, you will probably find stains from paint, plaster, wallpaper glue and other repair paraphernalia. How to clean wooden floors from such dirt? There is an answer.

You need to use special chemical compounds that are sold in “Everything for Repair” stores; there is no other way out. They will once and for all remove all traces of repair from the coating and you will never return to this issue again. Until the next renovation.

Methods from the people

If you still don’t want to use chemicals, try several traditional methods, which are outlined below. They do not guarantee a 100% result, but they can help if the pollution is not very intense.

Take sandpaper and very carefully rub the floors where the paint has stuck, being careful not to touch the coating.
Brush off any remaining lime or plaster.
Dilute 200 ml of gasoline or kerosene in a bucket of warm water and wash your flooring with this solution.

Important! Don't be afraid of the smell, you can wash the floor afterwards with water and vinegar and all the smell will go away.

Recognize and remove stains

The task becomes significantly more difficult if there are stains on the parquet. Depending on the nature of their origin, the methods for eliminating them are also different. Let's look at the most common ones:

dirt from the street. This is the simplest of the list of options. You can most often eliminate it with a regular brush and warm water. The use of special detergents is allowed. In addition, you can use sulfur and white clay. These substances are natural activators, so they quickly and effectively remove dirt. It is necessary to apply a small amount to the stain and leave for several hours, then remove with a damp sponge;
fat. Most often, stains of this kind appear in the kitchen. The cause may be not only fallen food, but also the constant cooking process. To get rid of accumulated grease, you must use gasoline or thinner. Apply it to a paper towel and wipe the stained area. Then sprinkle with starch, which will collect the remaining mixture;
animal urine. The danger of this pollutant lies not only in the appearance of stains, but also in the preservation of the odor. That is why urine must be removed as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the tree will absorb the “fragrant” liquid and will emit an unpleasant odor for a long time. To get rid of old stains, you need to use special compounds. The most suitable option can be found in an industrial store;
construction dust. If your coating is in an unsightly condition, try washing it several times with warm water. Unable to clean the parquet after renovation? You will have to use a small amount of detergent;
brilliant green. Stains from this contaminant usually do not last long. If you are unable to remove the green stain from the parquet the first time, try using substances containing alcohol, for example, ammonia or wet wipes for household appliances.

Of course, most stains can be removed at home, but it is better to prevent them from appearing.
If household cleaning does not help you, contact the specialists of Special Parquet Group and order

Parquet care

How to wash parquet flooring from dirt while maintaining its exquisite appearance is not an easy task, but the coating is not simple, but very expensive. First, let's talk about protecting parquet flooring from damage.

Prevention

As soon as you have such a floor in your home, be prepared to cherish it like a jewel:

Often parquet floors are not covered with a protective layer, but only rubbed, so you just need to rub them regularly and don’t forget about it;
When entering the room, there must be a mat for wiping your feet - parquet does not tolerate dust and sand;
try to remove stains from the flooring as soon as they appear, using the same methods intended for caring for unpainted floors;
if your parquet is varnished, do not use dry cleaning agents under any circumstances: wipe off stains only with acetone or solvent - methods for caring for unpainted floors are not suitable here;
the varnish coating must be periodically rubbed with polish;
vacuum the flooring every day;
Monitor the air humidity - your home should not be too dry and too humid, maintain the right balance.

Wet cleaning

Wet cleaning will take more or less time, depending on how long you have ignored the need for cleaning and how neglected your floor is now. Based on this, the means by which you can wash the parquet from dirt will also vary.

Stains

First, it is recommended to deal with stains, if any:

Stains on unvarnished parquet can be removed using the methods described above to remove dirt from unpainted floors.
If you have stains on the varnish, then solvent-based products will help you. Or just solvents.
Chemical agents that can dissolve grease and dirt can carefully remove stains on a laminate flooring.

How to clean dirt from parquet if you have difficult stains? Traditional methods, unfortunately, do not give good results in this matter, but the chemical industry has all the means to ensure that your parquet sparkles with cleanliness. Choose the right products from a brand you trust. Please note that the packaging is marked “for parquet”.

Wet cleaning

Let's start cleaning the floor. You need to remove debris and dust with a vacuum cleaner, then wash the flooring with a soft, well-wrung out mop. Add a special parquet cleaner to the water, which can be purchased at any household chemical store.

Important! After wet cleaning, the coating must be wiped dry. Any parquet cannot withstand excessive moisture and quickly deteriorates if you leave water on it after washing.

Final stage

After you have brought your parquet into proper shape, all that remains is to do a very important final step, thanks to which your flooring will say “thank you” to you for a long time. Namely, apply a protective coating.

Important! Wax, oil, and special polishes may be suitable here. Decide which is better based on your own concept of ease of use.

Cleaning with a mop

You can clean the floors with a mop. The use of such a cleaning item has its own characteristics. First of all, it should be comfortable, so its height is selected correctly. The handle of the mop should reach the armpits, which allows the woman to strain her back less while cleaning. In addition, thanks to this height, the tool can be washed even in the most difficult to reach places in the house.

Cleaning your washing machine from scale at home

The quality of cleaning largely depends on how the mop is used. So, while cleaning, you need to draw a “figure eight” on the floor surface. This allows you to quickly collect all the garbage in the center without taking it all over the apartment. Do not wet the mop too much, as excessive moisture will greatly damage any surface.

Once you understand how to use a mop correctly, you need to learn how to clean various floor coverings.

You can easily and quickly wash a wooden surface.

If the boards are not painted, use cool water and detergent.
You should not wring out the rag, but rather walk across the floor and wet it thoroughly. Then take a mop with stiff bristles and clean the surface with it. Walk on the foam floor with a damp cloth soaked in clean water. After this, you can wipe it with a dry cloth
.

Varnished or painted wooden surfaces can also be washed with a soft cloth and detergents. In this case, do not use a brush to clean the coating. It is recommended to wash floors with a damp cloth and wring it out well. You need to move from the outer wall of the room to the exit along the baseboards, washing the center of the room at the end.

To add shine to the surface, mix methyl alcohol and vegetable oil in equal proportions, apply the composition to a rag and wipe the dry surface. When painted wood floors are dry, they must be wiped with a solution of table vinegar diluted in plenty of water. Thanks to this, the paint gains strength and additional shine.

. You should not carry out general cleaning of wooden flooring too often.

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Parquet cleaning

Parquet flooring is also considered wood

, only it is made of small planks. A varnish must be applied to such a coating. Thanks to this, excess moisture does not penetrate into the wood structure and the surface can serve for many years. It is not recommended to wash parquet too often, and for cleaning you need to use a well-wrung out damp cloth. To add shine to the coating, it is recommended to add glycerin to the water. As soon as the surface is dry, it must be rubbed with a special mastic and polished to a shine with a specially designed brush or suede cloth. You can wash parquet once a week.

How to clean laminate flooring

After washing the laminate surface

There may be streaks and stains on it. To prevent this from happening, there are several effective ways. You need to add a tablespoon of shampoo, dishwashing detergent or liquid soap to the water for wet cleaning, but it is best if it is gel washing powder. When washing, you need to change the water more often and rinse the surface thoroughly after using detergents.

For the next method you will need hot water, 9% vinegar and a mop with a soft attachment. Vinegar is poured into the water, thanks to which the moisture quickly evaporates from the floor surface and prevents streaks from occurring. Having dampened the rag, they begin to wash the floors, moving back towards the door.

To eliminate more serious contaminants in the water, you need to dissolve more detergent

and lather it up. The foam is applied to the surface and washed off after 10 minutes with a clean cloth. You can wash laminate flooring no more than three times a week, and carry out general cleaning once a month.

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Linoleum and porcelain tiles

The basic rule when washing linoleum floors is that you should not use hot water or abrasive cleaners. Linoleum should be washed when it gets dirty. Once a month it is recommended to wipe it with vegetable oil or drying oil. This allows the coating to return to its plasticity and prevents premature brittleness.

If the porcelain stoneware floor is very dirty

, then to wash it use acid-based products added to water. Soak a soft cloth in the liquid, wring it out and wash the floor. After this, go over again with a cloth soaked in clean water and wipe with a dry cloth.