SHINY CLEANERS MAKE SHINY FLOORS
“Make it look like new!” “Makes dull floors shine!” “Bring back the luster!”
When a flooring manufacturer sees these words, it makes them cringe. These products put a layer of “polish” on the existing finish. While they may say they are designed to be applied over top of the manufacturer’s finish, read the fine print. How often do you need to reapply? What are some of the ingredients? Acrylic wax? Too many times I have gotten phone calls from a consumer asking why the floor they have had down for 3, 5, 8 years is suddenly getting scratches or looks dull. While any hard surface floor can scratch (carpet being soft surface), knowing the timeline of when the scratches showed up, where they are located, and what is used to clean the floor help the inspector/salesperson determine if the concern is manufacturing related or locally caused. In 99.9% of the cases of scratching it is locally caused. At times, and very rarely, the concern is due to a missed step or bad finish from the manufacturer.
When did you see them?
While some people want to say they started “right away” something needs to cause the scratch. Grit from shoes, untrimmed dog nails, and unprotected chair legs are the most common culprits of scratches. These usually build up over time and become more noticeable. The darker the floor, the more they will stand out. A scratch on plastic (luxury vinyl or laminate floors) will be white and be more apparent on a darker floor than a light colored one. A deep scratch in an engineered wood or laminate product may expose the core material. Scratches in the manufacturer’s finish do not come out and in the case of laminate or vinyl, they cannot be corrected.
Where are they located?
This is a big clue as to what is scratching the floor. Is it under the table? Think chair legs. Is it near the entry doors? Think shoe grit. Is it everywhere? Think animals, children and what is going through the area. Plastic glides on the bottoms of walkers can cause lines of scratches through a traffic area. Regarding protectors on furniture, use soft (felt) glides on hard surfaces and hard (plastic) glides on soft surfaces. Then don't forget to change the felt pads about every 6 months or less depending on usage of the furniture. A dirty felt pad can start acting like sandpaper on the floor.
How do you clean the floor?
While this may seem like the least relevant question – how can cleaning cause scratches? – this may be the most important. Improper cleaners, improper cleaning tools, and improperly maintained equipment can cause scratches.
Improper cleaners like the above-mentioned shine makers will put a shine on a floor that was never intended to be shiny. The manufacturer’s finish is the only finish that should ever be on the floor. Applying a finish onto the existing one can cause the applied finish to not stick and it can peel off the floor. An applied shiny finish is good for so long, but what if it gets scratched? You will see the existing finish and while it looks like a scratch, it is just a scratch in the applied finish, not the flooring product. Note this: Murphy’s Oil Soap was never designed to clean modern day, urethane finished wood floors or floors that “look” like wood.
Improper cleaning tools like aggressive brush bar vacuums and steam mops may cause scratches or other issues to your floor. Contact the flooring manufacturer for the best tools to keep your floor clean.
Improperly maintained equipment can cause as many issues as the other two combined. A broken wheel on a floor scrubber, a well-used mop, or even using dryer sheets or fabric softener on microfiber cloths can cause issues on floors. I have seen the microfiber cloths washed properly but dried with dryer sheets cause the oils and waxes left on the cloths to streak on a new floor.
How often should the floor be cleaned?
The rule of thumb as to how often you should sweep the floor is much like carpet, which is one time per week per occupant in the home. For example if there are 2 adults + 2 children + 1 dog or cat in the home that means the carpet and/or floor should be vacuumed or swept 5 times. This also depends on how many people live in the home and how active the home is. The purpose of cleaning is to remove soil stuck to the floor by atmospheric oily soils that bind the dry soil to the floor. If the home has the previously mentioned amount of occupants then 1 time per week or more often as needed would be the rule. But if it’s a low occupancy and low activity home, probably not so often.
“But I want my floor to be shiny!”
Then buy a shiny floor! The manufacturer’s finishes are designed to take the wear and tear of everyday traffic. The aftermarket floor polishes do not have the same ingredients nor are cured the same as the manufacturer’s finish. The majority of manufacturer’s finishes are melamine, PVC, or urethane, which are UV or temperature cured in ways that are not possible to duplicate in a residential setting. They are designed for easy cleaning and for nothing to stick to them.
How do you clean off any of these shiny finishes? A solution of ammonia water is a good place to start, you may need to scrub. Remember on wood or laminate floors to not get the floor too wet. You can wait for it to wear off but that can be unsightly. Contacting the manufacturer of the floor can guide you in the right direction to see what the best way to remove the finish is.
If you really think the scratches are manufacturing related, look closely at them. Do they cross from plank to plank? Are there scratches everywhere, even in places where you don’t walk? Are they causing an overall white appearance to the floor? These are the things an inspector looks for to determine if scratches are manufacturing related.
THE TAKE AWAY
If you really want a shiny floor, buy one that is shiny. Don’t make a floor that is designed to be dull in appearance, shiny, you will cause more problems to it than you want.
Use soft (felt) glides on hard surfaces and hard (plastic) glides on soft surfaces, and change the felt regularly.
Be prepared and have the proper cleaners and tools to take care of the floor from the day it is installed. Do your research prior to the floor’s installation so you know exactly what to do.
Have a plan in place as to how you will remove the dry soil from the floor and the process you will use to clean it, then implement the plan to keep it clean.
Always remember you can contact us if you have any questions on proper maintenance, cleaning products, or performance issues with your floors.