Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep my floors from getting footprint marks?
I clean them monthly with warm water and vinegar but lately I have been seeing more and more footprints.
For the record, the floors are 4 years old.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
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if it's really doesn't work, why not place a carpet on it.
as if getting worse, this would be another option that you can do.
I was told by our installer that I should keep a spritz bottle of distilled water handy for ongoing cleaning needs.
Spritz and then dry-mop the floor as needed...just make sure the floor dries properly.
Thanks all for the feedback and suggestions!
I have started using method hardwood floor cleaner with amazing results, it smells nice as well.
http://www.methodhome.com/product/squirt-mop-wood-floor-cleaner/?almond
I concur with Olyan. Vinegar ruins the finish on hardwood floors. (Remember vinegar is actually a type of acid). Use hardwood floor cleaners specifically for wood floors such as Minwax Hardwood Floor Cleaner. They leave no residue behind which minimizes footprints.
If it were me, I would move one of the pieces of furniture and compare the colour and gloss level of the prefinished hardwood that's never been walked on with that in the high traffic areas. If you see a whitish discolouration in the high traffic areas, that's due to the wearing down of the finish on the hardwood floor. The hardwood is fine, it's only the hard clear finish over the hardwood that's worn down and scratched up.
I suspect you're seeing that white discolouration that occurs with wear as being due to the dirt from shoes. Do this: Clean the area where you see the white discolouration with a damp rag, sponge or mop. If the white discolouration disappears while the area is wet, and then reappears when it's dry, it's not dirt at all. It's white light created by gazillions of tiny scratches in the finish that are all too tiny to see. That is, the reason your hardwood floor finish has a white discolouration in it is because of the reflection and refraction of light off the rough surface of the clear polyurethane finish on the floor. That is, your floors are turning white in some areas for the same reason that clowds and snowbanks and the foam on a beer are all white; reflection and refraction of light.
Cleaning hardwood floors with water and vinegar is a sure way to ruin them.
Use actual hardwood floor cleaners instead. Many reputable manufacturers offer their own cleaners and cleaning kits. Check with yours.
As an alternative, you can get a good hardwood cleaner from Vintage or Coswick.
Use a clear designed for your type of hardwood finish. It will clean the floor properly and greatly reduce the number of footprints.