Carpet was yesterday. Today it should be at least laminate, if not parquet, which adorns the floor of a house or apartment. What do the three floor coverings have in common? They should be cleaned and maintained conscientiously and regularly. Laminate and especially real wood parquet are particularly sensitive and therefore require special care. Fumbling with the mop from time to time is not enough. On the contrary: In the worst case, such spontaneous wiping actions ruin the high-quality and expensive wooden floor.
In this article you will find out which mistakes you should not make when caring for parquet and what you should pay attention to when using a vacuum robot.
While you won’t get far when cleaning carpets with water, there is no alternative to wiping smooth surfaces such as laminate, tiles or parquet. But here, too, the good old vacuum cleaner has to be used first. It is important that the vacuum cleaner has the highest possible suction power. The biggest enemy of parquet floors are tiny stones or sand particles that are carried into the apartment unnoticed, especially in winter. In the worst case, vacuum cleaners with too little power keep pushing these stones back and forth on the parquet floor and sand it down like sandpaper. The annoying result: ugly scratches that can hardly be made invisible again. This applies not only to conventional vacuum cleaners, but also to the increasingly popular vacuum robots. A model for parquet and carpet is available here.
You can read a current vacuum cleaner robot test here.
Vacuum robots can also cause damage when cleaning parquet if their suction power is too low. An adequate brush attachment for parquet or a special nozzle for parquet floors is also important. Depending on the manufacturer, these must be purchased separately if in doubt. The most important mission of the vacuum robot is that the largest dirt particles disappear in the dust bag. This reduces the risk of the stones later being pushed unnoticed over the floorboards and damaging them when wiping.
Once dust and the coarsest dirt particles have been removed and the vacuum robot is back in its charging station, act two follows when cleaning laminate or parquet. The wipe. And here, too, there are one or two stumbling blocks that need to be avoided. Never use a microfiber cloth or rag. The scratches that these otherwise passable cleaning aids leave on parquet are not deep, but definitely visible. Soft cotton cloths or floor wipers made from natural products are therefore the best choice. A suitable floor wiper set is available here.
Rule number 1 when mopping: Less water is more. Wood and water are not best friends. Even if the parquet is sealed, the mop should always be properly wrung out and only wiped when it is slightly damp. A slosh of special parquet cleaner improves the wiping result. If you put your hands on the floor once a week, you care for and protect your parquet floor in equal measure. Be careful with stubborn stains. Home remedies such as a mix of water and an all-purpose weapon like salmiak or some turpentine can help here.
If you want to enjoy your parquet for many years, you don’t have to become a cleaning specialist. It is enough to have a handful of tips in mind and to dig them out when cleaning the parquet.
Ignorance does not protect against punishment even when cleaning parquet. In this case, the punishment can also be a nasty surprise. Because before you vacuum, wipe and polish, you should check the condition of the parquet. When it comes to cleaning, it is definitely relevant whether the floorboards are untreated, sealed, waxed or even oiled. Caution is required, especially with untreated parquet. If too much cleaning water gets into the wooden floor, there is a risk of discolouration. In addition, the floorboards warp over time. If the parquet is sealed clean, oiled or waxed, you don’t have to worry about it. In short: If possible, clarify before the first major cleaning operation whether and how the parquet has been treated. If in doubt, a specialist will help.
Cleaning the parquet regularly and thoroughly is one thing. Treating and caring for it carefully in everyday life is at least as important. It is also clear that this is not always possible. Larger nicks are particularly annoying, but so are smaller scratches. In contrast to deep notches, these can usually be polished away very easily. That’s how it works:
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