How To Maintain and Clean Your Hardwood Floors

Hardwood is one the best flooring material for a house because of its beauty, durability, long lifespan, and low cost. Those are probably the reasons why you choose it for your lovely home. But once you’re finished installing it? What then? What should you do afterwards? How can you maintain its beauty and quality? How can you achieve its long lasting elegance with your everyday life activities?

Use floor mats or rugs – Place them near wet/moisture prone and scratch prone areas such as near the sink, wash room, refrigerator and near entrance doors to prevent damage. Make sure you choose mats that are specifically made for hardwood floors. Never use rubber or non-ventilated mat as it might also cause damage and scratch to your hardwood floor.

Use Floor Wax – It is crucial to regularly apply floor wax lightly and evenly right after dusting to reseal, protect and polish your hardwood floor. Follow the directions carefully to get desired outcome.

Screening and Recoating – If you noticed your floor becoming dull and lifeless, it’s time to screen or recoat it to revive its natural appearance. In this process, urethane coats will be applied on the floor and the polyurethane finish will be grinded down.

Sanding and Refinishing – This procedure can only be done if your floor is severely damaged to cover any uneven surfaces and eliminate visible scratches.
Cleanliness

Use High Quality Broom – Regularly sweep your floor to remove any tiny particles of dirt. A vacuum cleaner is also a good alternative but use the one that do not have beater bar so you can reach even the hard to get areas in a room.

Use Terry Mop - It must be at least 8 by 14 inches with a rotating head so you can easily clean under cabinets and the corners of your house deeply and accurately.

Use cleaning products that are made for wood floors – It’s better to check the label on the cleaning product before buying to make sure it won’t harm your wooden floor. Do not use oil based soaps. Consult a floor specialist or ask the manufacturer about the best product to use if you are not convinced.

Examples of Natural House Cleaning Products

If you want to maintain the cleanliness of your home without spending too much on cleaning products, you can use products made from natural sources as an alternative. Although it may take a little longer to see the desired effects, they are not just environment friendly; they are also effective cleansers in a gentle way without any harsh chemical which are proven safe for your entire family.

VINEGAR – Not just a general cooking ingredient to improve taste, but because of its acidity, a single cup can be used to clean the toilet, vinyl materials, glass, floor, and other smooth surfaces effectively. It has a wide variety which is produced from different natural sources such as coconut, palm, rice, cane, honey and many other fruits.

LEMON – Mixed with water, a lemon juice can be an effective bleaching agent as it dissolves tarnish, stains and rust. Because of its high concentration of citric acid and low PH, it is also an effective antibacterial and deodorizer.

COLD TEA – Not only a relaxing drink during snack time, when used with a sponge mop, it is effective in picking up dusts and dirt on your sealed timber floor.

BAKING SODA – (or sodium bicarbonate) is not only for baking but can also be used to clean different household materials such as sinks, tiles, oven and stoves or any area in your house by scrubbing them with a sponge. It is also an odour neutralizer used to absorb unpleasant smell of urine and pet’s waste.

BORAX - (or sodium borate) has many functions as it is widely used in household laundry or detergents, and can also be an insecticide, water softener and a disinfectant or anti-fungal. Borax is not acutely toxic unlike other chemicals used in some common cleaning agents. But it is still advised to keep it out of reach of children as a significant dose can cause gastrointestinal problems while sufficient exposure can result to skin and respiratory irritation.

CLOUDY AMONIA – Can be used in laundry for a softer rinsing of greasy clothes. It is also widely used to clean glassware, jewellery, and ceramic tiles when mixed with water.

Why Use Natural Cleaning Products

Going green is one of the newest trends in our generation today. It has gone a long way that it already reached our common households, even when it comes to cleaning products. Basic component of these environment friendly products are baking soda, vinegar, and lemons. Most of them are do-it-yourself yet as effective as other products but costs less. Long before, these products have already been used by our grandparents but they were forgotten by the society because of huge number commercialized products dominating our market.

It’s time to go green and change your lifestyle. Start it by using these environmentally friendly cleaning products and live safely with your family in your neat and clean home.

Here are some reasons why we must use natural cleaning products instead of their commercialized counterpart:

• You can almost easily clean anything without the need for costly and toxic filled cleaning products
• Green products are made with safe solvents such as water while commercial products are usually made from flammable bases such as alcohol making them extremely risky to use in washing devices with contact flames such as stoves
• They are manufactured from products that are less likely to cause allergies as many leading commercial brands can cause rashes and itchiness to children. If your current cleaning products resulted to skin and other irritations, going green is the best solution
• Some commercial cleaning products ruin the appearance of the furniture after use because of their toxic substances as they can peel off and stain your valuable decors. If you don't want to lose the appeal of your home decorations in attempts to clean them, it’s time to use green products
• Most environmentally friendly cleaning products are effective deodorizers as they breaks down molecules that causes unpleasant odors and prevents them from coming back
• Different varieties of natural cleaning products have natural scents which help in keeping a long lasting and pleasant smell that remains even after cleaning

Due to fast advancement of technology in our modern world, the natural beauty of our environment is starting to deteriorate. That’s why more people are looking for possible solutions on how to take care of our nature despite of the unstoppable changes. Help the nature and go green!

Reasons Why You Should Choose Hardwood Floor Among Other Flooring Materials

Choosing the right material for the floor in your house can be quite difficult and argumentative as there is an increasingly wide variety of products these days to choose from, everywhere in the market. It can be vinyl, linoleum, ceramic tile, porcelain tile, concrete, stone, laminate or man-made, wood, and many more. Each of them has their own pros and cons. You also have to consider different factors such as the style, durability, longevity, and cost. Which of them has it all? Which of them will fit your home? Which one is the easiest to maintain? These questions may bother your mind in the process but one thing will surely stand out – HARDWOOD.

• There is a diverse range of colors and designs to choose from that will easily match your house
• They provide a naturally warm and comfortable atmosphere in your home
• They add charm and beauty to your home providing an aesthetic rejuvenation and will look much more valuable and appealing
• They are fashionable and contemporary which perfectly complements your household furnishings
• They are one of the easiest floor types for which to care because caring for them costs lower
• They have a longer lifespan which can last for many decades as they don’t have to be replaced in just five years unlike other tiles
• They are far more durable even if you have small children and pets. A simple spill will easily make the other floors appear to be dull ruining their original colour while hardwood floor will still maintain its style after wiping it
• They are healthier as there is a lesser chance of dust mites, dirt, and soil accumulation unlike other materials causing allergies to your household members
• They will give you back double the money you spend on them because your home's resale value will increase

Most commonly used types of hardwood are oak, maple, and cherry but hickory, walnut, acacia, and birch are all equally good but regardless of which one you will choose, its benefits will never change with proper maintenance and care.

Steps on How To Declutter Your Home

Try to look around your house and ponder for a while. Is it full of unnecessary stuffs scattered everywhere which were loaded up throughout the years? Are those stuffs taking most of the space in your house not giving enough area for your new items? Simply seeing them can be stressful, isn’t it?

Start organizing your room particularly your closet. Get rid of clothes your do not wear anymore. It is ideal to use wire shelving making it easier for you to arrange your clothes and saves space at the same time. Try finding customized wire shelves that will exactly fit your needs. Having a shoe organizer is also an advantage.

Organize your kitchen. Regularly replace old items in your kitchen. It is beneficial to use a standing kitchen organizer near the stove for your cooking utensils. Also get an organizer for your dishes and pans and then clean your storage places. It will improve the functionality of the workplace in your kitchen.
 

For your office, scan all your documents and save it to your computer to allocate space. Throw away too much paper files unless an original copy is necessary.
 

Separate all trashes from treasures by placing them in different bins and label them accordingly. (Recycle, keep, donate, etc.)
 

After organizing all your items, start dusting and cleaning your entire house. Use natural cleaning agents that are environment friendly such as soda, vinegar, and lemons.

So start decluttering your home. Most people tend to procrastinate when it comes to cluttered items in their house. Laziness may strike anytime but don’t be a victim of it. Decluttering is a bit difficult to start but its benefits are surely long-lasting. You might worry at first because you may need some of those stuffs later on but you’ll soon get over it. Looking at your junk-free home is totally relieving.

You wouldn’t be ashamed of your house anymore when an unexpected visitor arrives. A clean and organized house will reflect who you are and it will definitely create a good impression to you and your family.

Benefits of A Decluttered Home

Decluttering is getting rid of unwanted cluttered items in your house. Most of those items were accumulated over the years but people simply ignore them due to tight and busy schedule and worse, procrastination. Some of us only clean our house when we know a visitor is coming while some hesitate to do so fearing that they might dispose items they may need in the future. But why is it important and substantial to declutter regularly?

Advantages of Decluttering Your Home

• It is therapeutic and a great stress reliever releasing negative and heavy thoughts
• It provides a more relaxing and calm environment allowing you to rest peacefully anytime

• It eliminates dirt and dusts creating better health for your entire family
• It will give you enough space to place your new stuffs
• Cleanliness will allow more productivity and creativity right inside your house
• A more organized home will save your time in searching for things you might need soon
• You will know if you are spending your money wisely because you’ll realize you’re constantly buying things you do not need at all
• You can earn a little if you choose to sell your old yet slightly used items
• You can also help the less fortunate ones by donating things you don’t use anymore
• People will perceive you as a neat person by seeing your neat house
• Visitors will easily notice it and will be impressed at how you maintain the beauty of your house
• You might influence other people to declutter their own homes

Looking at all those scattered things can be very stressful producing a negative ambiance. Never allow yourself to be in a state of disarray anymore. Open a new life by decluttering your house. Separate unneeded stuffs from necessary ones by organizing and arranging each of them properly and then clean your whole house room by room. Give way for new and positive ideas on how to maintain the cleanliness of your house. Then one by one, you’ll soon feel its benefits giving you a sense of ease and tranquility not just temporarily but for a lifetime if you’ll regularly do it.