If you have hardwood floors in your home then you want them to stay looking as good as the day when they were installed. Although you could use expensive specialist-cleaning products these often contain chemicals, which in fact can prove to be harmful for your wooden floors. Below we look at some ways in which you can clean hardwood floors so that they retain the look and remain in a good condition.

However even before you decide which is the best way for you to care and clean your hardwood floors you need to find out what finish they have to them. In fact what finish is on your wooden floors will be what will determine the way in which they are cleaned. Most new wooden floors including bamboo and oak ones will have been sealed so just sweeping with a broom and wiping with a damp mop is sufficient. However, floors that have been penetrated sealed or treated using oils will need to be cleaned using either a liquid or a paste wax. The same also goes for floors, which have not been treated or have been varnished, shellacked or lacquered.

One of the most effective and cheapest ways of cleaning any hardwood floor is by diluting some vinegar into warm water. It is best if you use white vinegar as this works at helping to remove any build up of grease on the floors surface and helps to remove odors. Plus this type of cleaning solution also removes mildew, various different kinds of stains and any buildup of wax on the floors surface as well.

Although vinegar is extremely effective for cleaning all kinds of hardwood floors sometimes people who have oak floors or bamboo floors prefer to use other cleaning methods. Of all the kinds of hardwood floors that one can have installed in your home oak ones when properly finished are the easiest of all to care for.

If you do have an oak floor and would like it to retain the same look as when it was first installed then it should be cleaned on a regular basis. Each week you should vacuum and then wipe over the surface of the floor with a damp mop using a very mild soap solution. But if your floor has been waxed then in order to help bring back the shine and remove scuff marks from the surface you will need to have it either buffed, by hand or arranging to hire a machine to do it.

But should you have a bamboo floor in your home then the way that this is cared for is somewhat different from other kinds of hardwood floors. Again, like with oak floors you should regularly run a vacuum over the surface before you then mop the bamboo floors down with a mop. It is important however that the cleaning fluid you use on the surface of this kind of floor does not contain any kinds of oil, acids or caustic ingredients in them so you should avoid using vinegar on this.

Another kind of cleaning product which many people use and which a lot of hardwood manufacturers will recommend is Murphy's oil soap. Of all the products now available, which can help you to maintain and care for your hardwood floors this, is one of the most effective and will help your floor to retain its shine.

Above we have looked at a number of different ways in which one can clean hardwood floors. But which method you use will depend on not just the type of hardwood floor but the way in which the floor has also been finished. Therefore, it is important that you take your time and carry out some research if you want your floor to retain the look it had when first installed.