In this post, you will find the top 5 tips to keep wood floors clean for the summer! Yes, most of our home has wood flooring. And with wood flooring comes many, noticeable messes!
I like to keep things super simple though and use my Pledge Floor Care products. With summer in full swing, lots of messes have come and gone in this household!
There have certainly been some doozies that are for sure! I tend to grab a mop and Pledge FloorCare Squirt & Mop. Why? Because the Pledge FloorCare Squirt & Mop is convenient to use and makes me having to clean up messy wood floors, EASY. It has a very subtle citrus scent and it is very nice!
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5 tips to keep wood floors clean for the summer
I like how I can just squirt it straight from the bottle onto the floor and mop it up. My floor gets clean and shiny, quickly. It also dries fairly fast, so little feet can run on it again. It is a great product.
Another product I reviewed is the Pledge FloorCare Wood Trigger Spray. Since checking out this product, this is another one of my go-to products to quickly and efficiently clean my floors.
It is perfect for cleaning wood and laminate flooring. It also works awesome on my cupboards and other wood surfaces that are sticky. I love the stuff! So easy to spray and wipe!
It also safely removes dirt and grime to reveal wood’s natural beauty and helps maintain its natural finish. There is no dulling, oily residue left behind. Did I mention it has a citrusy scent to it? It makes my kitchen smell nice when I am done using it. Good stuff!
Now for some tips from Erika!
About: Erika is an Atlanta-based interior designer, writer, and philanthropist. Named by Atlanta Tribune as having one of the top design firms of 2012, Erika’s work has appeared in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Atlanta Home Improvement Magazine, and on HGTV.com.
In addition to providing decorating advice and inspiration on her internationally recognized blog, she is a writer for Huffington Post, houzz.com, Williams-Sonoma’s Designer Marketplace blog, and Atlanta Tastemaker Magazine. Her other contributions on the topic of interior design can be found on SheKnows.com, Heart and Soul Magazine, and Jet Magazine.
Erika’s top five tips for how to keep wood floors clean for the summer:
1. PUT EVERYONE ON PAW PATROL
After walking the dog, the responsible walker wipes his four paws clean before entering the home – especially during mud-inducing weather conditions.
2. PAMPER YOUR PET
Keeping your pup’s nails trimmed is always a good idea. You can only imagine how ours can scratch up the floor when he hears the welcoming sound of the doorbell. A little manicure goes a long way for a piece of mind and the longevity of a wood floor.
3. PLACE RUGS IN HIGH-TRAFFIC AREAS
Just as much as pets can wreak havoc on our floors, so can children’s toys. In gathering areas such as family rooms, sitting rooms, or keeping rooms, use comfortable area rugs on the floor where the children can play with their favorite toys without restriction.
4. PUT KIDS IN CHARGE OF CLEAN UP
As early as preschool, kids learn to clean up small messes, especially liquids. Remove water, juices, or any liquid immediately from wood surfaces to prevent unnecessary water damage. Have a mini mop that is just their size and accessible to them. Little ones are happy to help in the cleanup efforts especially when you make it a game. Listening to music while you work helps time to pass.
5. POLISH AND PROTECT YOUR FLOORS
Be proactive. I always advise my clients to polish and protect their wood floors with FloorCare Wood Finish, and I do it too. Before our first usage, we thoroughly cleaned the floor with a solution of 1 cup ammonia and 1/4 cup Pledge® FloorCare Multi Surface Concentrated Cleaner in 1/2 gallon cool water, then rinsed the floor with clean water. We next laid down the finish to give our floors a beautiful shine. This maintenance product can protect hardwood floors and help prevent dirt from getting trapped in floor grooves and indentations, which makes cleaning much easier.
I hope you learned a thing or two from my post about 5 tips to keep wood floors clean for the summer! Do you have anything to add? Please leave me a comment below if you do! Thanks!
Kiwi says
Erik gave some great tips! She seems like she has accomplished a lot and she is in Atlanta I hope I can link up with her in the future!
Barbie's Beauty Bits says
I have wood floors and have been using a product that came with the wood. But this one seems better. Thanks for sharing, as I am going to check this product out.
Mary O'Malley says
These are wonderful tips. I have a hard time keeping my phony wood floors clean so I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for real genuine wood.
Kendra says
I just received a pledge sample. I’ll have to try these out on my floor.
Cyndi @ MrsWrightWrites says
Really good tips. I hope to have hardwood when we own our own home.
Marina @ Mommy Snippets says
Great tips. Hardwood floors are a lot of work, but they’re worth it.
Jessica (Savory Experiments) says
We do have wood floors and they don’t stay clean! I’d love to say I mop and vacuum every week…. but I don’t. Eek .
Amber Conaway says
I personally don’t have any wood floors in my house but my mom does! This looks like it really works I will have to tell her about it! Thanks for posting!
Theresa says
I have all hard floors too, and it’s a good thing that this product has a trigger because those Rubbermaid mops are pure junk! I’ve been through 3 of them in the past year, and the trigger always breaks. So, this Pledge spray would work very well for us!
Tiffany (Fabulous Mom Blog) says
I wish I still had wood floors to keep clean. Our new house has carpet and we haven’t had the time or money to pull the carpets out. I would need this product eventually.
krystalskitsch says
I have two dogs and a toddler. I kind of need this in my life!
Rosey says
You’re right the little ones do love to help. Too bad that enthusiasm doesn’t stick when they’re teens. 😉
Carly Anderson says
Luckily I do not have wood floors to worry about. But my mother-in-law does, so I will pass these tips on to her! I love the one about making sure to clean off the dog’s paws before entering the house – I could definitely use tat one!
Everyday Living with Chrys says
We have hardwood floors and our kitchen floor is white ceramic. Such a pain to clean! I am great about cleaning pet paws, I wish everyone else followed my lead!
Tracey says
These are awesome tips. I hate how easily our floors get dirty in the summer. It drives me nuts!
Brett says
These are really great ideas! We may use these tips to help keep our floors clean.
Christie says
Great tips! I’m always getting beach sand on my floor thanks to the family!
Mommy2jam says
I will have to pass this along to my mom who has wood floors. This great and I really like the five tips.
kristin says
WE have hardwood floors and find it tough to kepe them clean. Love this pledge!
Renee says
Our house is almost all wood floors, and I didn’t know about that handy Pledge mop. I will have to search for it when I go shopping, since it looks super easy to use.
Dawn says
These are great tips. Keeping wood floors clean can be very difficult if you aren’t vigilant.
Debbie Denny says
I do like Pledge products. These are great ideas.
Rachael says
The house I rent doesn’t have wood floors. But when I build my own tiny house, I will have wood floors.
Pam says
My dad has some antique wood floors. We have such a hard time keeping them clean. I need to get these products!
Debra says
We keep small area rugs and shoe trays at all the entrances to our house. When you’re inside, shoes come off!
Stefany says
These are such great products. I use them all the time on my hardwoods and love the shine I get.
Shell says
No wood floors here. Someday, though!
Betsy Mitchell says
Great tips! I’m all about keeping rugs out to keep the floors from getting scratched up!
Susanna @Zealous Mom says
Rugs, rugs, rugs! I’ve learned that rugs are so important when we have wood floors. These are some great tips.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
I love all of your ideas. I have hardwood floors on my entire first floor, so these are helpful.
Jaime says
We have laminate floors, and they need serious help. A kid and a cat do not make clean floors.
Tess says
Our floors Need a lot of pledge help LOL. I love their products and I need to work on my wooden floor.
Liz Mays says
I have laminates and I really, really need to give them a thorough once-over. I do use rugs in the high-traffic areas though so at least I have that going for me.
Lindsey @ Redhead Baby Mama says
I have wood in our kitchen and foyer. I love products that make it easy to care for.