No Steamers On Wooden Floors
When dirt has accumulated on the wooden floor and classic cleaning products are failing to provide results any longer, most people will consider the use of a good quality floor steamer. The hot water heated at over 135 degree celsius will definitely remove the dirt and it will leave the surface spotless. But that is not the end of the story unfortunately. The hot steam will also cause a lot of water damage and it will soak the base of the wood. All that water deep inside the wood will 100% create permanent water marks and it will result in floor movement.
Water And Wood : Not a good combination
We all know that water and wood are not compatible. In direct contact with water, the wood tends to expand, crack and change colour from the natural colour of the wood to pure black. This is the main reason all types of hardwood floors are usually sealed with some kind of sealer that prevents water absorption and all the issues associated with high water absorption. There is not a lot of thought needed to add 1 plus 1 and realise that if you are over washing or somehow soaking your wooden floors, you are causing serious and permanent damage.
Imagine What The Steam Will Do To Your Wooden Floors!
A steamer basically operates by heating water up to boiling point and releasing the hot steam through a nozzle or pipe. The steam will heat whatever surface that has to be cleaned and from the pressure of the steam and the extreme heat, the dirt will break in small particles. Some professional steamers are fitted with extraction systems as well that nearly instantly extract the waste and the water.
When the steam heats an oiled floor or a lacquered floors at high temperatures, it can do the following damage:
- If the wood is unsealed or the sealer is patchy, it will soak the wood and it will increase the size of the wood. As the floor dries out, the floor will retract back but a bit less every time until large gaps appear.
- If the wood floor is sealed, then the 100C to 135C hot steam is very likely to crack the sealer or wash it off. A hardwood with cracked or no sealer will start absorbing humidity fast and it will change colour.
- All the hot steam in contact with a cold floor will condense and become water. If the floor has space to increase and then retract, it might not be too bad, but in some places, the floor is fitted from wall to wall without any space to expand under the skirting. In those instances the floor will become very wavey.
- Semi solid wooden floors tend to exfoliate from the plank when exposed to such extreme temperatures. A semi solid wooden floor is a plank base with an overcoat top of real wood. Those two parts are glued together. The heat of the steamer will soften up the glue that join it together and the floor will start exfoliating.
- The hot steam in contact with wood floor polishes or wood floor refreshers is likely to emulsify those protectors and leave the wood unprotected.
***Steamers are not designed for wooden floors. The steamers are made for artificial tiles and unsealed tiles only. Even the natural stone porosity will increase in contact with the hot steam while all protectors or impregnators can be negatively affected***
What Can You Do After The Wood Floor Was Water Damaged?
The level of refinishing will vary from floor to floor and the level of cleaning that the floor was exposed to. The hardwood floors that are entirely made from real wood, are likely to be much easier to repair. The semi solid or engineered wooden floors are much more problematic because they tend to exfoliate from the plank and it requires a lot of re-gluing and fixing. In some cases, after the floor was damaged badly, it might be cheaper to actually replace the floor than to fix it. The real wood floors can easily be sanded and refinished but it is a costly and time consuming operation. If the floor was steamed and while there are some black dots visible on it, there is still hope. If the floor is oiled, it should be refreshed fast with a few coats of oiled floor refresher and hopefully the problem is contained. If the floor is sealed with a floor lacquer, then a water based floor polish or a refresher could save the day. Only if there is minimal damage.
How Do You Spot Water Damage On Wooden Floors?
Our company is asked to assess all types of wooden floors in various conditions. In 90% of the cases, there is water damage. The water damage created by the steam is gradual. While the floors will definitely look spotless, after every single wash there will be some damage done to the floor finish. After a long or short period of time, small dull patches will appear that gradually will transform into small black spots. The steamer is not the only culprit that can damage the floor. Many people use too much water, dirty mops, poor quality cleaning products and so on. But a high pressure steamer is one of the most effective tools if you are looking for a water mark on your beautiful wooden floor.
What Other Wood Floor Cleaning System Is Safe?
A flat mopping system is by far the most effective way of cleaning varnished and oiled floors. Most quality flat mop heads will lightly scrub the surface and will fully remove the excess water. By quickly removing the excess water, the floor does not get a chance to get water damaged and the water also doesn`t get a chance to leak between the floor gaps and create all those terrible issues. There are a number of flat mopping systems from a number of brands available online. The Bona Wood Floor Spray Mop and the Bona Oiled Floor Spray Mop are two of the most popular types of flat mops. All you need in one system. The Concept Microfiber flat mops are also great for scrubbing hardwood and semi solid wooden floors. Even the normal mops can do the job as long as the mop head is only used to wash wooden floors, is used semi dry and the product used to wash the floor is a 100% neutral wood floor cleaner. The issue with the cotton mops or the Kentucky mops is the overuse of water.
Our Recommendations
Ignore all the TV advertisements and all the ads that promote spray mops for wooden floors. It does not take a lot of thinking to figure out that when you inject 135C hot steam inside a piece of wood, nothing good can come out of it. Do your home work and find out what type of sealer is on your floor and based on that order a proper product that will safely clean your floor without creating dull patches or permanent damage. There is no big secret why some people’s floors are still in great shape after a few years of use while other people`s floors are badly damaged after only a few months of use. Proper maintenance is the secret.
Another thing to bear in mind. The fancier the finish on your wooden floors, more specific and more expensive care is required. Exotic types of wooden floors or rare types of wooden floors might be a step too far for most people. It is like buying a super expensive car. Pretty soon you will find out that there are few people that can deal with the service and the maintenance is not cheap.
All wooden floors, regardless of what type of finish is on it, have to be washed with semi wet mops. Stay away from acidic or alkaline floor cleaners. Do not use universal floor cleaners on wooden floors to avoid creating a layer of cleaning product over the top of your wooden floors. Refresh your hardwood floors once per year if they are oiled or as needed if the floors are lacquered or varnished.
Stay well away from steamers if you plan to have beautiful floors for many years.