I knew as soon as the group of us decided to make one of the challenges a cleaning challenge that it was high time for me to share my tips for cleaning and caring for dark wood floors.
Writing about cleaning isn't exactly in my realm of fun things to write about - even if I am the "Queen of Cleaning OCD" (according to my hub and my bff - Holly stop snickering). At any rate, the majority of questions that I get asked via e-mail since I started my blogging career (if you can even call it that) all revolve around our super dark, almost black bamboo floors.
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| the hubs office |
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| the breakfast room |
So here's the deal. Everyone was right. I'm going to tell you the absolute truth. These floors are super high maintenance. Every crumb and bit of dust shows up like a giant pimple on picture day. Dirt on these floors basically punches you in the face. You can't not notice when they're dirty. That being said - I still love them!!!!!! Even after caring for them for the past 2 years, I would still put this same flooring down if I had to do it all over again! I love them that much!
For this house in particular, this flooring was a great update. The wide, dark planks pair nicely with all the white moulding........
and this modern looking flooring is a nice contrast to the more traditional construction of our home.
I've learned a few things over the past couple years about how to care for them, keep them clean and not go crazy.
1. Relax!
It's okay if they aren't spotless every day. Honestly, this is hard for me - again because I'm a little OCD about cleanliness, but I have learned to relax. I love how they look when they're clean; but it's just not possible with 2 kids and a dog to keep them perfectly clean every day and still be sane. A lived-in home is a happy home, and I'd rather have a happy home than a clean home.
2. Make Some Rules
Besides dirt and dust, footprints also show up big time on these dark floors. I've made a family rule that we all need to wear shoes, socks or slippers in the house at all times. Basically "no bare feet" allowed. This way I don't have to deal with footprints which bother me more than dust and dirt. This isn't a rule that applies to guests - I'm not that person - just the 4 of us that live here. Some of you might think that this rule sounds a little crazy. I feel that since I'm the one cleaning them, my hub and kids can at least do their part to help keep them clean. If one of them would like to volunteer to vacuum, dust and mop than they can make up their own rules. ;)
3. Get Yourself A Really Good Vacuum
I've had this Miele Red Star vacuum for almost 6 years now. It. is. the. best. vacuum. ever! Seriously. I know everyone thinks that the Big D (you know what I'm referring to right?) is the best one on the market, but I beg to differ. Irregardless of brand, the most important thing is to have a vacuum with good suction that has a hardwood floor attachment that won't scratch your floors.
4. Use The Essentials
In my opinion, these are the 4 things you need to keep your floors clean.
1. A vacuum with a hardwood floor attachment
2. A swiffer duster mop. I would like to literally kiss the inventor of this little dust mop. Life changing - for realz! It's so easy to use - even my kids can swiffer!
3. Bellawood hardwood floor cleaner! Okay, this is where you need to pay attention. If your eyes have been glazing over - I get it - but now is the time to pay attention. Bellawood is the best hardwood floor cleaner ever- no matter what kind of hardwood floors you have. The best thing about it for those with dark wood floors is that is leaves zero residue and no streaks! I've literally tried every floor cleaner on the market and this is the absolute best cleaner! (And no one is paying me to say that!)
4. A microfiber mopping pad. No ringing - no water - just spray and mop - then throw the pad in the washing machine - boom - done - easy.
(I know that steam mops have become widely popular, but I would recommend checking with your flooring manufacturer before using steam on your wood floors. For the brand of bamboo floors we have in our home steam is not recommended.)
5. Find A Cleaning Routine That Works For You
I've never been big on cleaning schedules, but sticking to a loose routine has helped me to stay on top of cleaning our floors without it feeling like too much of a chore. I vacuum once or twice a week, swiffer 2 to 3 times a week, and mop once a week. Because I love the look of these dark floors so much, I really don't mind the maintenance. And after 2 years I have it down to a science.
Do any of you have dark wood floors? What are your best tips for cleaning them? Who now thinks I'm over the top crazy after reading this post? It's cool if you do - I admit it - I'm a clean freak - is there a support group I can join?
The Clean It Link Party starts tomorrow morning! My cleaning-obsessed self can't wait to check out all of your cleaning tips and tricks!
Perfect timing!
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me say that you have a very beautiful home. Lovely!
Second, thank you for this post. Mu hubby bought the D vacuum and I do not like it. He wishes he bought something else, as well. For now we will use it, but I am on the look out for a vacuum with great suction as well as a great hardwood floor attachment. I will most definitely try the cleaner you recommend. I have tried others and got annoyed with the residue and streaking.
You floors are beautiful. I love our floors. I wish I had gone with a different kind. The quality is poor. It scratches easily and small pieces of wood have started breaking off. Yep! Splinters have stuck to my socks. Not happy about that.
Anyway, thank you so much for your post. :)
Carmel- we have the same floors! I didn't know that! You're right, they are SO high maintenance (and hard), I would definitely choose something different if I got a do-over but they are gorgeous when they are clean! I'm going to get that cleaner!
ReplyDeleteThey are super hard aren't they? I swear that cleaner is the best!
DeleteI've always wondered how other people cleaned these high-maintence floors!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I also have dark floors thru out our entire house (except for tile in the bathrooms). We too have had many, many people tell us we would be sorry. Sure enough, the ones who advised against it wish they had our floors! It is true, it's a pain to keep clean but very well worth it!
I totally agree...the swiffer is the best thing invented! It's amazing how it traps the dust immediately. I use this first and then take a damp twist mop (microfiber type mop head) and spray Bona floor cleaner and then mop. A little water will not hurt the floor.
Thanks for the post!!
I'll back you up on the Miele vacuum, it is the best ever! I love the hardwood attachment (I use it on the tile in the bathrooms, too), it cleans carpet like crazy, and the upholstry attachment cleans long cat hair off the sofa so that you wouldn't know we have cats. I even vacuum the cat hair off the quilt on our bed instead of washing it :)
ReplyDeleteCindy
Thanks for this post, my hubby and I built a house last year and put in very dark wood floors. I never realized how difficult they would be to upkeep with three little boys and a dog. Our grass hasn't filled in yet either so a lot of dirt gets tracked in. They look so amazing when clean but like you said show everything! I'm going to try that floor cleaner you recommended!
ReplyDeleteI'll give you one other tip that revolutionized my hardwood floor cleaning: I bought a Rubbermaid mop that has a plastic canister that you fill with your own favorite cleaner. It has a micro fibre mop head and a trigger on the handle. Now I don't have to hold the floor cleaner in one hand, spray, set the bottle down and mop. You just pull the trigger and mop. No more bending over to set the cleaner down. It is the best! Then you just throw the mop head in the washer. You gotta try it. I promise you will thank me. And no, I don't work for Rubbermaid :-) but I think I will check out the Bella floor cleaner. Beth C.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip - I'll check it out!
DeleteYour hardwood floors are gorgeous! Thanks for the tips and for hosting the link up!
ReplyDeleteI also have super dark bamboo floors. Love them!!!! We have central vac so no worries there, but we just use vinegar on ours. They look amazing. I would do the dark floors over and over again.
ReplyDeleteoh how I would just love to have central vac - I've heard so many wonderful things about it. I tried vinegar in the beginning and felt like it made them look a little dull - what kind of vinegar do you use and do you mix it with anything?
DeleteHi Carmel! I love your dark wood floors. They are beautiful. I have a mop that dispenses whatever cleaning fluid I want to use. I found this "recipe" on Pinterest. It's
ReplyDelete1 C. Water, 1 C. White vinegar, 1 C Rubbing alcohol and a few drops of Dawn dish soap. It works great and leaves my floors really shiny!
Hi Carmen, great post! We are currently trying to decide if we want to go with a lighter wood or something really dark in our home. I've never actually heard about the maintenance of dark wood so this is really informative. I've heard a lot of rave reviews about the Bona cleaner. Do you have any input or experience with it?
ReplyDeleteSorry. darned autocorrect. I meant CARMEL , not Carmen:)
DeleteI too have dark floors through out our home except the bedrooms and baths. I love love the look. So rich. With three kids and two dogs I need to stay on top of cleaning it. But once I accepted the fact that my home is not perfect, life became easier.
ReplyDeleteCarmel, I am one of your readers who has always wondered about your spotless floors, so I am very satisfied to read this post. Thank you for being honest, and for your hints. I have medium dark laminate flooring that also shows every little dust bunny...I think because of the high shine. My floors also have the little horizontal and vertical groove that is showing on close-ups of your flooring. I find if I just use a Swiffer cloth in between more thorough cleanings, the dust actually accumulates in the little grooves. From that point on, a vacuum is the only way to remove it. I have not heard of your brand of vacuum, but I am now going to check into it. Thanks again for all your tips.
ReplyDeleteI have the same floors also. Love them. Buuuut we have a white short hair dog that sheds. Ugh. Thanks for the advice.
ReplyDeleteI dont think I realized until I saw this post how absolutely gorgeous your floors are! They are so dark and beautiful. I love them!
ReplyDeleteYour floors are beautiful just like the rest of your home! And I have to totally agree with you, Miele vacuums are the best. I know that they cost more than the Dyson but they clean better and last much longer!
ReplyDeletelove this post. we have floors the same color as yours, although not bamboo. I spent the first 2 years with them crying, because I couldn't handle how I could never get them clean! Every cleaner left a layer of smear, so frustrating! Plus my babies drag their milk around with them everywhere, so there's always milk smears... and the men in our house seem to have sweaty feet - socks or no socks!! Until I found the Norwex system, have you heard of it? awesome. I still can't keep on top of keeping them clean, but at least it's not so tragic getting them clean!! :)
ReplyDeleteLeanne @ Because (I Think) I Can
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post, the above mentioned tips can be very useful to clean dark wood floors which is not an easy task in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWe just had our dark wood (walnut) floors installed last week, and I love the look! Very similar to your home. Since we haven't set up our furniture yet, I've not been too concerned yet with keeping the floors clean. We have all the tools except for a vacuem. I looked up this post to see your recommendations. Thanks for all the tips!
ReplyDeleteJust ordered this off Amazon...let's see if it works as well for me! I have dark wood floors (not quite black) but I have become a nag ever since we moved in. I hate that I am OCD about my floors; so hopefully this will make them look shiny and nice. See, unlike you, I don't like shoes, but I prefer socks! Barefeet leave horrible foot prints, but shoes leave dust marks. I wish I could say I would put in the same floors (if I were to do it all over again). Love how they look when they are clean, but hate how quickly they become dirty and smudgy. Thanks for your suggestions; your house is darling! I will let you know how this goes for me.
ReplyDeleteCombing the internet looking for blogs just like yours as I'm in the decision process about dark birch engineered floors or a lighter or medium color. The dark pops with the furniture in my old (1978) Florida home, but since I'm not the cleaning queen, I'm concerned about the upkeep. It is just me (67 year young widow) and my 6 lb. yorkie. He doesn't clean either.
ReplyDeleteWould you do it again?
I would because I really really love the look. I wouldn't think with just you and little pup you would have any issues keeping them clean. But if you're not up for high maintenance than maybe go with a something not as dark - mine are almost black but I think dark walnut would give a similar look. It's a tough decision - hope this helps!
DeleteThanks Carmel,
ReplyDeleteIt does help. I've decided if I'm going to change my life I need to change my mindset. Meaning maybe have a couple of swiffer's handy and just dance around the house periodically. Good exercise and clean floors at the same time. ;-)
Your floors are beautiful but so is everything in your home, I have dark wood floors too but I find what makes them even worse is that it has a very high gloss to it so it looks like the dirt is magnified even more. I love the look of dark wood but I'm anxious to the day I can go a bit lighter with the floor and for sure have a satin finish over it instead of the glossy sheen the house came with when I we bought it. I'm for sure going to try the wood cleaner you recommended, the vinegar didn't work for my floors either, mine came out dull too.
ReplyDelete