In this tutorial, we are going to teach you how to clean and maintain a filthy wooden floor using a microfibre flat mop system.
We demonstrate this on an oak wooden floor (in our video at the bottom of the article) that is both tacky and has visible lines ingrained with dirt and grease. These lines are caused by detergent build-up and grime. A thick layer of residue has accumulated over the years and turned into a tacky emulsification of detergent, dirt, and oil.
Before you clean your wooden floor, it is important that we first remove the detergent residue from previously, incorrect cleaning methods.
Step Two:
Next, use the microfibre flat mop system to mop up the emulsion.
Step Three:
The floor at this stage should be clean. The aim is to remove the layer of sticky residue and implement a protocol to clean the floor using just water and a flat mop.
To maintain a clean wooden floor, we recommend using the flat mop system. If done regularly, you will only need to use water to clean it.
Step Two:
Start at the furthest point and mop the floor in a sweeping motion from side to side.
Step Three:
Mop about 10 sq. feet (3 sq. m.), remove the mop head, and replace it with a clean one.
Step Four:
You can use your clean head to dry the floor. Ordinarily, it will take 2 to 3 minutes to dry. Alternatively, spray the next section of the floor with water and repeat mopping. Continue, until you have completed the entire area.
This is basically how you clean and maintain a wooden floor after a full detergent removal and floor reset.
Although microfiber mop heads are more effective at removing dirt from floors, you must keep in mind that they must be properly washed after each use to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.