How to look after your wooden floor
Maintenance routine
Spending just a few minutes a week on the upkeep of your wooden floor will ensure that it maintains its beauty and vibrancy for a lifetime. Follow our simple steps to help care for and maintain your Russwood floor and keep it looking at its best.
Step 1 – Remove dust / loose dirt
On a regular basis the floor should be swept or vacuumed with a brush attachment. For daily quick cleaning try the Osmo telescopic handle with dust mop attachment.
Step 2 – Wash floor with protective solution
Damp-mop your flooring using Osmo Wash & Care with the Osmo telescopic handle and micro mop. This will clean and refresh the floor, but does not form a film or leave residue on the surface, and therefore can be used as often as necessary. Osmo Wash & Care is a concentrate and should be diluted with warm water (1 capful per litre of water). Once wet, the micro mop should be squeezed out to remove excess water, and the floor then damp mopped to avoid penetration of water into the joints of the floor boards.
Osmo Anti-Bac Wood Cleaner can be used to kill bacteria and viruses including covid-19 whilst nourishing natural oil & hardwax surfaces.
We do not recommend the use of steam cleaners. High pressure steam can degrade the finish and trap moisture between the floor boards.
Step 3 – Occasional refresh / intensive clean
Heavy traffic areas such as the hallway or kitchen may require more maintenance than lower traffic areas such as living rooms or bedrooms. If any particular area looks to be scuffed or dull then it is recommended that the Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner is applied using the Osmo telescopic handle and active fibre cloth. Similar to other products in this range, the wax cleaner protects the floor without forming a film or residue. Only a small quantity of the wax cleaner is required (2 teaspoons per 1m2 or 1 litre tin per 100m2). It can be poured onto the floor and should then be applied thinly, using the active fibre cloth to gently rub it in. After use of Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner the floor should be left to dry for approximately half an hour, in order to avoid scuffing it.
Step 4 – Removal of stains
Osmo Wash & Care and Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner can both can be applied undiluted with a cloth to remove stains. Once the stain has been rubbed away, the residue should be wiped off with a clean cloth. For the removal of tough stains (e.g. shoe polish, fat, ink) the Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner should be applied to the floor with an Osmo polishing pad. The floor should be rubbed gently until the stain has been removed.
Step 5 – Surface protection and renewal
To retain the original surface properties of the floor, worn areas will require to be renewed every few years, depending on usage.
A very thin coat of Osmo Polyx-Oil® (in a shade to match previous application) should be applied to the clean floor with an Osmo floor brush. The floor should be left to dry fully then a second coat should be applied, which should also be left to dry fully.
The key to a flawless floor when applying the Osmo Polyx Oil® is to ensure that it is applied as thinly as possible. If too much oil is applied then the surface will be tacky.
If the floor is scratched or particularly dirty, the floor may require sanding or intensive cleaning. Please contact us for advice.
If you are maintaining a large or commercial area of flooring please contact us for our commercial maintenance guidelines.
GENERAL TIPS
- When your flooring is first laid avoid excessive cleaning for 10 – 14 days to allow the floor to fully cure.
- Ensure that all spillages are wiped up immediately and never allow water, moisture spills or cleaning products to remain on the floor for any length of time.
- Place durable mats at all building entranceways, in order to trap as much dirt, grit and moisture as possible before it is trodden into the floor.
- Affix felt protective pads to the bottom of all furniture (e.g. chair and table legs) so that they do not scrape the floor when they are moved.
- To move furniture, lift it rather than dragging it to avoid scratches.
- Try to minimise walking on your floor in high heeled shoes – wood is a natural product and dents can be noticeable.