How to Steam Clean Hardwood Floors

You may already steam clean your carpet, but your hardwood floors deserve special treatment as well. Hardwood flooring is easier to clean with the help of a machine.

Benefits of Steam Cleaning

By cleaning your hardwood floors, you can reduce the presence of mold, mildew, bacteria, and viruses, keeping yourself and your family healthy. The spaces between the slats in some hardwood floors are breeding grounds for germs, but the heat of steam cleaning helps to kill these organisms.

Check with the Manufacturer

Not all hardwood floors are able to be steam cleaned. Check with the manufacturer to see what their recommendations might be. Hardwood floors need to be sealed in order to prevent water from getting into the wood and causing rotting. If the floor is not sealed or you are unsure, do not steam clean your wood floors. Even when the floor is sealed, you should only steam clean your hardwood floors every other week at the most. You do not want to clean too often or you risk harming the surface.

Tools You Will Need to Clean

You will need a few basic tools to steam clean your hardwood floors: steam cleaner, broom, dustpan, mop, and low pH steam cleaning fluid. The steam cleaner should be designed to clean floors and not just carpets. Look for steam cleaners recommended by the flooring manufacturer.

Step 1 – Prepare the Hardwood Floors

Start by cleaning your hardwood floors to remove any dirt and debris which could cause scratches. Sweep the area first with a broom, then mop with an approved hardwood floor solution to ensure the surface is free of particles which could cause damage. If there are any nicks or cuts in the surface of the floor, have these sealed up before steam cleaning.

Step 2 – Prepare the Steam Cleaner

Take some water and rinse out the water storage reservoir in the cleaner first. This will remove any dirt which may be stored there. The steam cleaner should be filled with hot tap water and the recommended dosage of a low pH steam cleaning solution. The filter of the cleaner should be new the first time you clean your hardwood floors, then changed on a regular basis as recommended by the manufacturer. Turn the steamer on and allow the steam to build up.

Step 3 – Clean the Hardwood Floors

Take the steamer over to a corner of the floor and begin steam cleaning there. Place the canister of the steam cleaner in the corner so it follows you as you move. Work your way out from this corner, slowly and evenly. Go over each surface just twice, any more and you might cause damage. Continue cleaning the floor until the entire surface is cleaned. You will find the steamer’s cleaning pad becomes dirty as the steam helps to release even more dirt and debris from the surface.

Steam cleaning your hardwood floors will help you preserve the appearance of your flooring, while also helping you keep your floors healthy for all who walk or play on them.