While natural bamboo flooring is well-known for its durability, these floors do require special maintenance. In order to keep your floors looking good as new, here are the things you need to o regularly.
- Sweep up dirt and dust. Natural bamboo flooring has a distinct shine that can be easily masked by dirt and debris. Use a fiber broom or dust rag to clear the floor regularly. Additionally, it’s best to keep the floors as dry as possible as not to attract more dirt and dust. It’s especially important to sweep high-traffic areas of the flooring, by doors or areas of seating, because dirt in this area will become abrasive, wearing down the bamboo as time goes on.
- Mop regularly. You can either use any hardwood floor cleaning solution or a 1:4 ratio of vinegar to water. This natural agent gets rid of germs without harming the wood. After mopping, it’s important to dry the floors thoroughly as not to allow the floors to become waterlogged and shift from damage.
- Polish away streaks using a dry microfiber towel. Buffing out these streaks will remove any marks left from mopping or cleaning with a solution and cloth. Whatever you do, do not use oil-based cleaner to buff out streaks. These cleaners will only worsen the problem.
- Avoid scratches by picking up any furniture when you move it and place coasters under the legs of chairs and sofas. If you have pets, keep their nails clean and trimmed up in order to prevent scratches from dragging their paws.
- Watch out for footwear. Heeled shoes are especially suspect for scratching bamboo wood flooring. If you want to play it safe, ask all of your guests to remove their shoes before stepping on your floors. Lay down an area rug or door mat at your entry to encourage taking off shoes, but make sure to shake it out or vacuum it regularly.
- Prevent your natural bamboo flooring from becoming discolored by installing curtains or blinds. The sun’s UV rays can easily alter the color of the floors just like they do with any other furniture piece. If the sun is shining directly into a room in your home with bamboo floors, then you should close the curtains or blinds immediately.
- If the floors lose their luster, buff them out with a buff sander. Under no circumstances should you wax them or oil them. While this may work well with other floor types, bamboo will not absorb the oils, it will simply become slick and streaky.
Bamboo flooring is a great investment and looks great, but if you don’t take care of them, there’s no use in having them. Be sure to care for your bamboo floors on the regular.