It is often thought that cleaning parquet is a complex operation, so much so that it influences the choice of the floor to install. Wood is indeed a living material, sensitive to climatic variations, light and humidity, which needs some attention, but it is wrong to believe that maintaining it is complicated.
Here are some simple tips for cleaning your parquet floor that will keep the wood in good health for a long time.

The daily cleaning of parquet

To keep the parquet clean and in good condition, it is necessary to adopt a daily practice of removing dust, crumbs and other residues that commonly settle on the floor. As with any surface, regular cleaning of wood is essential to prevent the build-up of dirt and the formation of hard-to-remove stains.

For parquet that is always shiny, simply use a vacuum cleaner or use a broom with soft bristles or a microfiber dust-catching cloth. Furthermore, sweeping the parquet every day helps to remove any small stones or pebbles that could scratch the surface of the wood. By doing so, you protect the parquet from daily wear and tear.

Parquet cleaning: how often should you wash the floors?

To have a clean and sanitized parquet, it is possible to wash it 2 or 3 times a week as needed. When cleaning, however, care must be taken not to use too much water, as an excess of humidity could cause structural damage to the floor.

Washing must be carried out using a cloth slightly moistened with warm water and specific neutral detergents for parquet, preferably with anti-mould, anti-germ and anti-bacteria properties. It is important to avoid aggressive products such as bleach or foams, which can cause permanent damage to the wood.

If you happen to wet the parquet excessively, it doesn’t take much to fix it: you can pass a dry cloth over the surface so as to absorb the water in excess.

Parquet maintenance: light and humidity

Ordinary maintenance does not end with cleaning the parquet. Taking care of the floors also means protecting the wood from exposure to light which, if prolonged, can change its colour. Although it is a completely natural effect that can also be very pleasant, it is still good to take some precautions so that the color does not change excessively. To screen the direct light it will be enough to have curtains. The use of carpets is also a valid expedient against the sun’s rays, but it is good to move them from time to time, to let the wood breathe and to prevent areas with different colors from appearing.

In addition to the color, wood also tends to vary its conformation depending on the temperature and the degree of humidity in the air. An environment that is too dry can cause micro-cracks or shrinkage, while an environment that is too humid can cause swelling. In fact, wood adapts to the humidity values of the environment in which it is installed. The ideal climatic conditions involve a humidity rate between 45% and 60%, with not too abrupt temperature variations. For this reason, it is good practice to ventilate any room where a parquet floor is present and to have room humidity regulators, ideal for balancing the degree of humidity both in summer and in winter.

Simply cleaning your parquet floor is not enough to keep it in excellent condition. We recommend that you pay extra attention, for example, cleaning your shoes on the doormat before entering the house and fitting chairs and tables with felt pads to repair the parquet.