Steam Cleaning Hardwood Floors

Hardwood flooring undoubtedly looks most elegant of all flooring options. Although, it involves very high initial investment, the results are often worth your money. Besides, it is also very light on maintenance. A daily care routine of sweeping and damp mopping is sufficient to keep your hardwood flooring gleaming for years. However, at times you may need a little more than this daily care. Growth of allergy causing microorganisms or staining due to heavy foot traffic can only be cleaned with the help of specialized cleaning mechanisms. Steam cleaning is one such way to clean hardwood floors thoroughly.

Steam Cleaning Hardwood Floors

Steam kills bacteria and any other allergy causing microbes. This is not possible with the usual damp mopping. Steam cleaning also takes care of foul odors that might come from the flooring. In addition, steam cleaning also inhibits any mold growth and kills dust mites. This reduces many health problems in the household. Besides, cleaning hardwood floors with steam is an environment friendly way of cleaning. This method does not make use of any cleaning agent or solution, let alone harsh chemicals. It only uses water to convert it into steam for floor cleaning purpose. However, while cleaning hardwood floors with steam, always make sure that the steam cleaner uses dry steam only. Moisture from steam can be detrimental to your hardwood floor and make the problem of allergies worse.

How to Steam Clean Hardwood Floors

Steam cleaner for hardwood floors can be bought off any appliance store for about $100. There are various brands available in steam cleaners, all offering different capacities and temperature controls. WhiteWing Steamer, Bissell Steam Mop Bare Floor Steam Cleaner, Sargent Steam are some good quality steam cleaners that are safe for homes. You can buy any of these steam cleaners for your home. While using a steam cleaner it is important to follow manufacturer's instructions to the word, since different steam cleaners may have different mode of operation.

Usually, you will be required to sweep your hardwood flooring prior to steam cleaning it. Fill the water in the steamer's water canister up to the recommended level. Plug in the steamer. It will take about 5 to 10 minutes for the steamer to heat up and convert water into steam. After you are done with all the settings and attachments, start the steamer. Begin working from one corner of the room towards the other. Work only two square feet area at a time. After you are done with the entire room, detach the steamer and put it away. Take a dry towel and start wiping the area which you just cleaned with a steamer. This process ensures that you do not have any moisture left on the hardwood floor. Thus, steam cleaning is the best way to clean hardwood floors.

Steam cleaning is only recommended for sealed and finished hardwood flooring. It should not be used to clean unfinished wood flooring that has not been treated with polyurethane or varnish. If you do, the steam or rather water will get inside the grains and make them swell. Needless to say, this can deteriorate your wooden flooring rapidly. Similarly, one should also not use them on laminate flooring for the same reason. Besides, it is also not recommended if your finished hardwood has too many scratches or is worn out at places. The water can easily seep through the scratches on hardwood floor and will never come back.

Thus, steam cleaning hardwood flooring is a great way of restoring the shine of your hardwood flooring. However, if you are thorough with your daily cleaning routine you will rarely need a steam cleaner for cleaning your precious hardwood flooring.