black hardwood floors...how can i keep them clean?

13 years ago

I am DYIN' ovah here! We have a medium stain wood (strand bamboo actually) throught most of the house, including our bedroom and the guest bedroom and office. DD just HAD to HAVE a very dark, almost black bamboo floor in her bedroom. It is "Sambuca" by Ty Pennington if anyone is familiar with that. It is NOT strand bamboo, and does show dings and scratches easily, but I knew that going in. Anyway, the smudges, footprints, dog hair and dust are UNBELIEVABLE! I could live with the dog hair and dust (I told her she is going to keep a swiffer in her closet and give the floor a once over EVERY night before bed) but these smudges and footprints are awful.

We were planning on a small area rug somewhere in her room, but now I am thinking a LARGE area rug is more like it! Besides that...any other tricks or tips for keeping a very dark floor smudge proof?

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Comments (7)

CaroleOH
13 years ago
Wear socks? :-)

Maybe it's the cleaner you're using that's leaving a residue on the floor? Try washing it with just a little vinegar and water almost a dry mop and dry it well.
nanny2a
13 years ago
A large rug, and a swifter mop in the closet! I have pretty dark hardwood flooring, too, and that's about all the advice I can offer. With two white westies, (who aren't supposed to shed, but do), the white dog hair is the first thing you see. I do a light dusty almost daily, and heavy duty vacuuming at least once a week.
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You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood.
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palimpsest
13 years ago
No shoes and a Swiffer, probably every day or two at the most. Large rug yes, but not one that sheds a lot.
nancyvh
13 years ago
I totally hear you. We have dark walnut floors throughout our entire 1st floor and they show every spec of dust. So, I use Bona X as a cleaner and I have no smudge issues at all. Maybe try that one out. It was reccommended to me by the floor installer. I was also considering a roomba to help me vacuum everyday.
dirtymartini
Original Author
13 years ago
Palinpset-Well, even barefoot it is bad. :( In fact, I think the oils on our feet smudge it worse than shoes. I like the idea of socks others mentioned, but of course it is just not practical all the time.

carol-I have considered that it may be the cleaner, so I will try your suggestion. Thanks.

nancy-I will also try your product, the Bona X. I have Bella Wood cleaner that the dude from Lumber Liquidators suggested to me. Not sure if that could be the problem, or if it just doesn't clean that well? I will try Bona X!

nanny-glad to know I am not alone in this! Thing is, the hair doesn't bother me as much as those darn smudges!!!
redbazel
13 years ago
Well, if your DD is old enough to make an impassioned plea for something that will be a permanent fixture in your home, (as opposed to a lava lamp or purple comforter, or blue paint) then, she's old enough to sweep and clean her new floors. Tell her to use a dustmop or a broom for the debris, then, the Bona swiffer (I love the one with the button to spray the Bona cleaner, about $30) to clean up the marks and make it shine. All YOU have to do is buy the cleaning products and make her taking care of her floor a must each week.

Red
dirtymartini
Original Author
13 years ago
Oh yes, I said that in my first post...that this was going to be her chore every night before bed. I was just looking for suggestions. Thanks!

black hardwood floors...how can i keep them clean?

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black hardwood floors...how can i keep them clean?

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