How to Care for a Bamboo Floor
Bamboo flooring has strength and durability along with the aesthetics many people are looking for when choosing flooring for their homes or businesses. After the installation process, it is important to take proper care of the bamboo flooring to ensure it lasts a long time and maintains its beauty with age. Understanding proper cleaning, care, and maintenance of a bamboo floor before installing it is one way to make sure this happens.
Keeping Bamboo Floors Clean
Keeping bamboo floors clean is not too different from cleaning other types of flooring, but there are some differences to be noted.
Shoes and Mats
To avoid issues with dirt, dust, and other potentially harmful items on the floor, do not allow shoes to be worn in the home. Use mats at doorways to help people remember to wipe their feet or take their shoes off before stepping onto the floor surface. Wear slippers in the home to protect feet from other dangers. Clean shoes and mats regularly to prevent the transfer of dust, dirt, pebbles, and other debris.
Protection in High Traffic Areas
Though bamboo flooring is highly durable and well suited for high traffic areas of a home or business, to prevent early signs of wear and tear, it is a good idea to use rugs in high traffic areas to protect the surface of the floor. Just as with mats and shoes, these rugs should be cleaned on a regular basis to prevent the transfer of debris onto the floor.
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Bamboo Floor Care
Taking care of a bamboo floor sounds more painful than it really is. With a few simple adjustments to the daily routine, it will become second nature in no time.
Keeping the Floor Dust and Moisture Free
Dust and dirt can scratch the surface of bamboo flooring over time, so it is important to sweep frequently. It is necessary to use a soft cloth or pad to ensure that dust and dirt are removed from the floor rather than pushed around it.
Using a damp mop from time to time is a completely acceptable method of cleaning and caring for a bamboo floor. Because bamboo floors cannot handle large amounts of moisture, it is important to be sure the mop is not too wet.
Cleaning Spills
Clean spills as soon as they happen to prevent moisture from seeping into the flooring. Do not use any abrasive materials, such as pot scrubbers or steel wool, to clean the spill because these fibers can scratch the surface of the flooring. If there is an oily spill, it will need immediate attention, as this could potentially cause a stain on the flooring. Dry the floor immediately after the spill has been cleaned.
Cleaning Products for Bamboo Floors
Do not use any commercial cleaning products or harsh chemicals on a bamboo floor. They can cause to damage to the floor.
Tips for Cleaning Bamboo Floors
To maximize time spent cleaning the floors and prevent damage, here are a few tips to help with cleaning the floors.
Clean Bamboo Floors Every Week
The easiest way to ensure proper care of the flooring is to clean it once a week. While there should be maintenance done at some point every day, giving all flooring surfaces a thorough cleaning each week keeps the floors in optimal condition.
Along with sweeping, which is generally the most effective way to clean this type of flooring, light mopping can be done. Using a small amount of water (only ever use a slightly damp mop), bamboo flooring can usually be cleaned with quality hardwood floor cleaning solutions. Stay away from non-alkaline cleaners and wax as they may effect the finish. When using water or other cleaning solutions, be sure to thoroughly wring out the mop before using it on the floor. If moisture is allowed to seep into the seams between the planks, your floors could become damaged.
Cleaning Stubborn Spills
For spills that are gooey or sticky, remove as much as possible with a dry cloth or towel. Wipe any remaining spill with a damp cloth, making sure not to scrub because this will push the material down into the flooring surface. Blot the sticky or gooey spot several times until the spill is gone and dry immediately with a soft cloth to prevent further damage. The sooner a spill is attended to, the less likely it is to stain or cause damage to the surface.
Maintenance of Bamboo Floors
Ongoing maintenance is the best way to care for the bamboo floors in a home or business. Cleaning the floor surfaces regularly and taking precautionary measures with shoes, rugs, and mats will prevent damage and preserve the beauty and condition of the floor.
Daily Maintenance
Be sure to sweep the floor with a soft cloth broom at least once a day. If possible, once in the morning and once in the evening, or after periods of high traffic is even better. If something is spilled on the floor, take care of it immediately. Dust and dirt left on the floor for long periods of time will get pushed around as people walk through the room, causing it to create minute scratches in the finish. Over time, these scratches will diminish the appearance of the floor, causing it to show its age.
Avoid Stiletto Heels or Athletic Spiked Shoes
While bamboo flooring is resistant to dents and scratches, it doesn’t mean it is impervious. Wearing stiletto heels or cleats in the home or business will wear the floor down much quicker, and leave it more susceptible to dents. The more frequently shoes such as those are worn, the more likely they will cause damage to the surface.
What steps do you follow for bamboo floor care?
Mary Ann
Please answer the above questions. Doesn’t do much good to ask if you don’t answer
dee mcwilliams
I waxed my bamboo floor–do you have a wax made for bamboo floors?
Brenda
where do I find the answers to all the above very good questions?
bonnie
my bamboo floor is separating in a number of placing; The owner of the co. where I bought it came over and pushed it back together said it was doing that because of heat and humidity in the house is that true? I also have one board that is lifting on the end?
vee vandersanden
I’d like to know what is the most durable and scratch-resistant type of laminate flooring available on the market today? I saw some beautiful manufactured flooring in a new construction home that was dark in color and had wood grain. It was water resistant and did not scratch. At the time, I was unable to determine the type of laminate or manufactured flooring but would like to pursue this for our home.
Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.
Jenn Gurr
We are considering bamboo flooring versus hard wood. We already use natural alkaline essential oils in our carpet shampooer and cleaning tile floors. doTERRA Certified Therapeutic Oils not only help with health problems but also the most amazing product to clean with. No chemicals…. So #1. We mix vinegar water and pure lemon OIL in a spray bottle and it cleans our bathrooms, showers, kitchen counters, toilets and floors..Although it is Pure… I know potent…but diluted with water is amazing. Would we be able to continue to use this mixture on bamboo flooring? we also have another natural oil mixture called OnGuard that has several oils to kill mold ,mildew and just every thing germ filled and dirty. No chemicals and all alkaline..Suggestion?? If ok and we have good results we will will post and share.. O and also an insect and rodent deterrent.
M Troll
How can you cover the nail holes left when floor was installed. Wood putty will not stay in the holes. Do you have any suggestions. I have been cleaning my bamboo floors with Bona for wood floors. Should I stop and go to vinegar and water? Thank you.
Thierry
My bamboo floor has 2mm gaps on the ends of planks in 20% of the home , I don’t think the floor was layed properly.
The installer said that fine
Melva Hawkins
I also used mop & glow on my floors. It said it was for wood floors but left residue.
How do I get that off ?
It has come off in places that is high traffic but you can see where it is still on in other places.
It actually looks dirty where that stuff is still on.
All help would be grateful
Melva Hawkins
Ted Frisch
What is the best way to remove scuff marks from shoes?
Judy Murray
We had bamboo flooring installed last summer. It is very hard to keep looking nice. I use Bono Floor Cleaner and Bono Floor Polish on it but it only looks nice for a very short time and then looks dull again and very little drop of water leaves a mark. It’s in our kitchen den and hallway. It is very hard to keep up. What is wrong?
Commercial Wood Flooring
I have seen many commercial offices which have bamboo flooring. But they are unable to take care of them. Therefore, their flooring looks dull. They need to maintain their floors so that their offices look beautiful.
Janet
Bamboo floors are sticky, I use a soft cloth and just warm water to clean them. It is the section of the floor that is not walked on very much. Any suggestions to solve this problem.
Janet
Half of my bamboo floor in the dining room feels sticky. I only wipe floor with soft cloth and water, After traffic on the floor you can see foot prints. Any suggestions to take care ,of this problem.
Dave
My contractor installed the flooring and THEN painted the walls and ceiling (go figure). Then he attempted to clean the paint drips using Goof-Off, then paint thinner. What a mess. What would you recommend?
Ceci
I too would like to know how to remove a product I used (Mop and Glo). I think it left a residue which shows every footprint. My floor didn’t do that before I used this. I would like to remove that cleaner and start over.
Brian
Someone moved th fridge over the floor leaving depressions in the floor. Is there any way of lessening the depressions to make them less visible?
Wayne
I thought that bamboo was resistant to water, so why the extreme precautions on cleaning with water based products?
Jen
My cleaning lady use too much Quick Shine on my bamboo floors, now they look shiny in some areas and dull in others. How can I get this off my bamboo floors?
Russ
We find that a spray bottle filled with warm water and a flat mop work pretty well for cleaning, but we often have smudges from bare feet that do not come up very well. What should we use instead?
SHEENA WALKER
Can you use any type of wax to shine the bamboo floor with?
Rodney Noriega
Hi Sheena,
Thanky ou for your inquity. Unfornuately it is not recommended to use any type of wax or shine for the bamboo floor as doing so can negatively affect the appearance of the flooring.
Rodney
Gloria Seelig
Can you use Bona products on a bamboo floor?
Sandra Reekie
What is the best way to deal with scratches on my bamboo floor? Children, dogs and now having had some internal building work done, has left me with surface scratches and dents while the polished surface has become dull. Please advise.
Paula
We love our Bamboo floors but several months after installing (DIY) cracks/seperation developed in some areas between the planks. Is there a way to fix this or make it look better WITHOUT ripping up the floor? Thank you.
Julian Marcuzzi
Hi Paula,
Thank you for your inquiry. This is most likely a moisture issue though it is hard to make that conclusion without seeing photos of the product. I would recommend replacing individual planks where cracks/separation are visible.
Thanks,
Julian
Linda
Can you use a steam mop on bamboo floors? That was what I was searching to find. If you can it would be helpful to add this to the comments on care of bamboo floors. Could you let me know? Thanks
Rodney Noriega
Hi Linda,
A steam mop is not recommended as it is a form of moisture. Slightly damp cloth is best. Use only light cleaning products that are urethane and aluminum oxide friendly. Cleaners which are specifically formulated for hardwood and bamboo floors are available through your local home improvement store .
Here is the link for care and cleaning of bamboo floors, as you will find a lot of useful information here: //learn.builddirect.com/bamboo-flooring/bamboo-floor-care/
Cheers,
Rodney