Cleaning Painted Wood Floors

Wood floors are a beautiful part of any home, but painted wood floors are an amazingly unique and lovely detail in any house. These floors are often hand-painted and add a great splash of color and sophistication to a room.

Painting a wood floor can be a good way to change the look of the regular wood and give it an interesting appearance. It is also a way to cover up an old, damaged floor and give it new life without spending a lot of money.

Although these painted floors can be beautiful, they are not exactly the same as a regular wood floor. The painted surface of these floors requires special care to keep them looking new and shiny.

When you need to clean your painted wood floors, follow these instructions for best results:

• Dust. Sweep or dust-mop your painted wood floors often. Depending on the traffic in the room, you might need to do this once or twice a week. Every few weeks, wipe up any dirt that collects at the corners of the room and on the baseboards.
• Cleaner. Using either a gentle floor cleaner or a mixture of half water and half vinegar with a rag, wipe away spots and stains that may have shown up on your floor.
• "Soak." Sometimes, you may encounter a dirty spot that won't come off easy with simple wiping. In this case, leave a damp (not wet) rag or towel over the spot for several minutes. When you return to it, the spot should wipe away.
• No abrasives. Be very careful that you do not use any abrasive brushes or sponges while cleaning your floor. The last thing you want to do while cleaning is cause scratches and damage to your beautiful painted wood. A rag or old towel should do the trick and won't cause harm to your floors.
• Corners. If cobwebs or dirt collect in corners of the floor, use either a duster or a handheld vacuum to clean up the mess.
• Protection. Remember that in areas of high food traffic, it might be easiest to place a rug or two to help protect the life of your painted floor.

The best way to keep your painted wood floor clean is to sweep and dust often. Dirt and dust move easily across a wooden floor, and the keep that dirt from getting stuck on your floor you should clean it up once or twice a week. With the proper cleaning, your beautiful floor can last for years and years, and will still look great in the future.