Bamboo Floor Care and Maintenance – Dos and Don’ts

Bamboo Floor Care and Maintenance – Dos and Don’ts
DOs:
1 – Do clean your floor after installation is complete.  It is best to use a slightly damp mop and a no-wax cleaner that is formulated specifically for hardwood on bamboo flooring.  This step is important to pick up any particles that may have been spread during the installation that can potentially harm or scrath your new flooring.  While strand woven bamboo flooring is more durable that other types of bamboo, it is still a natural flooring that will be scraped and scratched by dragging small particles of dirt across the floor.  cleaning up properly after installation will help to minimize this.
2 – Do regularly use a dust mop to keep your bamboo floor clean.  Alternatively you can use a broom that has soft bristles or a vacuum cleaner that has a soft accessory brush attached.  This will help keep dirt from building up on the floor and potentially scratching it.  As staated earlier, any hardwood floor is potentially susceptible to scraping and scratching from small particles and pebbles.  Treat your floor like the princess who doesn’t want to find a pea underneath her mattress and you will be happy with the finish for years to come.
3 – Do keep any type of bamboo flooring dry.  You should always pick up any spilled liquids immediately.  It is best to use soft cloth to mop up any spills on the floor.  Not doing so will lead to warping and damage of your bamboo floor over time.
4 – Do follow the directions on any wood flooring products that you use on your new strand woven bamboo flooring.  If it states to add water, add water in the ration suggested.  Not doing so can result in chemicals being used on your floor that are too strong for the surface.  This will damage your floor over time, possibly leading to build up or cracking and further unsightly damage.
5 – Do use small carpets or mats around all outside entrances and exits.  This will give you a small space with which to capture all those bad, scratchy particles and pebbles that your family and friends may track inside from the great outdoors.  Remember that your bamboo floor is not like concrete – it needs a little bit of extra protection from the outside elements to remain looking its best for the long haul.
6 – Do have a place to remove shoes near the exits.  Walking on strand woven bamboo without removing your foot gear is not recommended as small, sharp particles can be trapped inside the treads.  Not only that, but high heels will put added stress on your flooring as well. Some people like the “aged” look of wood floors that have had a lot of high-heeled traffic, but if this is not your thing definitely keep them off the floor.  Otherwise, you will spend vast amounts of time and money refinishing and repairing bamboo flooring that could have been saved with this simple tip.
7 – Do use area rugs and runners in high-traffic area.  Sometimes is very difficult to get visitors and children to remove their shoes prior to walking on your new bamboo floor.  Using strategically placed rugs can help minimize the particulate matter that makes its way onto the bamboo planks themselves.
8 – Do use rugs in areas where spills are more likely.  If you’re installing bamboo flooring in a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, or other area of your home where spills are more likely, protect the flooring with some small rugs and carpets.  Remember to always pick up any liquid spills immediately or you may permanently damage the underlying bamboo.
9 – Always vacuum, wash, or shake all rugs, carpets, and runners that you use on your bamboo flooring regularly.  This will help to keep down the buildup of dirt and other particles that may make there way out onto your flooring.  Once a week is probably the minimum that you want to make sure your bamboo stays healthy and beautiful.
10 – Use furniture protectors under every table and piece of furniture in the house.  This will help to distribute the weight of the article evenly across the flooring.  Generally protectors should be large enough to perform their function well.  Check the protectors annually to make sure they are not torn up or need to be replaced.  Also make sure to keep furniture protectors clean and clear of any debris, grit, or dirt.  If not, they will scratch the floor and defeat the purpose.
10 – If you have cats, dogs, or ferrets be sure to keep your pets’ nails clipped regularly.  Untrimmed pet nails are a huge source of scratches and other unsightly marks on bamboo floors.  If you are uncertain as to how to best trim your pet’s nails, be sure to speak with your veternarian or your pet’s groomer before proceeding on your own.
11 – Depending on the humidity in your area, you will most likely need to use a dehumidifier or a humidifier to maintain a constant relative humidity for yor flooring.  Generally you are looking for a range inside the house of 30-50%.  If your humidity is too high, the bamboo planks will swell over time.  If the humidity stays too low consistently, your floor will crack and shrink.  Either one of these situations bodes ill on long-term maintenance of bamboo floors and may even void your warranty if you have one.
DON’T
1 – Do not ever let any type of liquid including floor cleaners to stand on your floor.  The liquid will seep into the bamboo and cause staining, swelling, and possibly warping of the bamboo planks.
2 – Do not allow any type of dirt, particles, sand, or other type of grit build up on your flooring.  This is one of the easiest ways to insure that your floor is scratched and beat up quickly.  Sharp particles like sand will guage the floor quite easily.
3 – Do not use a vacuum without a soft brush attachement.  Beater bars and what not will drag grit and particles around.  This isn’t normally a problem if you are vacuuming carpet, but on hardwood and bamboo floors it will tear up your flooring.
4 – Do not use excessive amounts of liquid cleaners or water on your floors.  Dry mopping is best for daily maintenance.  When you do mop, do not spill the water out on the floor first and always make sure to dry the floor afterwards.  This will prevent any swelling or cupping of the floor.
5 – Do not use wax products to clean bamboo flooring.  Aside from being a hazard to the sock-wearing people who are now using your floor, the wax will build up over time, trap small particles of dirt, and generally create a headache in the end to maintain.
6 – Do not use any type of scrubbing pad or abrasive cleaners on your strand woven bamboo.  These types of cleaning products are not designed for the delicacies of natural wood floorings and will cut and scrape them up.  Same goes for any harsh detergents or chemical cleaners that are not specifically formulated for bamboo flooring.

Caring for Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

Caring for strand woven bamboo floors is fairly simple if you will follow this list of do’s and don’ts.

DOs:

1 – Do clean your floor after installation is complete.  It is best to use a slightly damp mop and a no-wax cleaner that is formulated specifically for hardwood on bamboo flooring.  This step is important to pick up any particles that may have been spread during the installation that can potentially harm or scrath your new flooring.  While strand woven bamboo flooring is more durable that other types of bamboo, it is still a natural flooring that will be scraped and scratched by dragging small particles of dirt across the floor.  cleaning up properly after installation will help to minimize this.

2 – Do regularly use a dust mop to keep your bamboo floor clean.  Alternatively you can use a broom that has soft bristles or a vacuum cleaner that has a soft accessory brush attached.  This will help keep dirt from building up on the floor and potentially scratching it.  As staated earlier, any hardwood floor is potentially susceptible to scraping and scratching from small particles and pebbles.  Treat your floor like the princess who doesn’t want to find a pea underneath her mattress and you will be happy with the finish for years to come.

3 – Do keep any type of bamboo flooring dry.  You should always pick up any spilled liquids immediately.  It is best to use soft cloth to mop up any spills on the floor.  Not doing so will lead to warping and damage of your bamboo floor over time.

4 – Do follow the directions on any wood flooring products that you use on your new strand woven bamboo flooring.  If it states to add water, add water in the ration suggested.  Not doing so can result in chemicals being used on your floor that are too strong for the surface.  This will damage your floor over time, possibly leading to build up or cracking and further unsightly damage.

5 – Do use small carpets or mats around all outside entrances and exits.  This will give you a small space with which to capture all those bad, scratchy particles and pebbles that your family and friends may track inside from the great outdoors.  Remember that your bamboo floor is not like concrete – it needs a little bit of extra protection from the outside elements to remain looking its best for the long haul.

6 – Do have a place to remove shoes near the exits.  Walking on strand woven bamboo without removing your foot gear is not recommended as small, sharp particles can be trapped inside the treads.  Not only that, but high heels will put added stress on your flooring as well. Some people like the “aged” look of wood floors that have had a lot of high-heeled traffic, but if this is not your thing definitely keep them off the floor.  Otherwise, you will spend vast amounts of time and money refinishing and repairing bamboo flooring that could have been saved with this simple tip.

7 – Do use area rugs and runners in high-traffic area.  Sometimes is very difficult to get visitors and children to remove their shoes prior to walking on your new bamboo floor.  Using strategically placed rugs can help minimize the particulate matter that makes its way onto the bamboo planks themselves.

8 – Do use rugs in areas where spills are more likely.  If you’re installing bamboo flooring in a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, or other area of your home where spills are more likely, protect the flooring with some small rugs and carpets.  Remember to always pick up any liquid spills immediately or you may permanently damage the underlying bamboo.

9 – Always vacuum, wash, or shake all rugs, carpets, and runners that you use on your bamboo flooring regularly.  This will help to keep down the buildup of dirt and other particles that may make there way out onto your flooring.  Once a week is probably the minimum that you want to make sure your bamboo stays healthy and beautiful.

10 – Use furniture protectors under every table and piece of furniture in the house.  This will help to distribute the weight of the article evenly across the flooring.  Generally protectors should be large enough to perform their function well.  Check the protectors annually to make sure they are not torn up or need to be replaced.  Also make sure to keep furniture protectors clean and clear of any debris, grit, or dirt.  If not, they will scratch the floor and defeat the purpose.

10 – If you have cats, dogs, or ferrets be sure to keep your pets’ nails clipped regularly.  Untrimmed pet nails are a huge source of scratches and other unsightly marks on bamboo floors.  If you are uncertain as to how to best trim your pet’s nails, be sure to speak with your veternarian or your pet’s groomer before proceeding on your own.  Strand bamboo and pets generally go well together, but you will need to take some precautions.

11 – Depending on the humidity in your area, you will most likely need to use a dehumidifier or a humidifier to maintain a constant relative humidity for yor flooring.  Generally you are looking for a range inside the house of 30-60%.  If your humidity is too high, the bamboo planks will swell over time.  If the humidity stays too low consistently, your floor will crack and shrink.  Either one of these situations bodes ill on long-term maintenance of bamboo floors and may even void your warranty if you have one.

DON’T

1 – Do not ever let any type of liquid including floor cleaners to stand on your floor.  The liquid will seep into the bamboo and cause staining, swelling, and possibly warping of the bamboo planks.

2 – Do not allow any type of dirt, particles, sand, or other type of grit build up on your flooring.  This is one of the easiest ways to insure that your floor is scratched and beat up quickly.  Sharp particles like sand will guage the floor quite easily.

3 – Do not use a vacuum without a soft brush attachement.  Beater bars and what not will drag grit and particles around.  This isn’t normally a problem if you are vacuuming carpet, but on hardwood and bamboo floors it will tear up your flooring.

4 – Do not use excessive amounts of liquid cleaners or water on your floors.  Dry mopping is best for daily maintenance.  When you do mop, do not spill the water out on the floor first and always make sure to dry the floor afterwards.  This will prevent any swelling or cupping of the floor.

5 – Do not use wax products to clean bamboo flooring.  Aside from being a hazard to the sock-wearing people who are now using your floor, the wax will build up over time, trap small particles of dirt, and generally create a headache in the end to maintain.

6 – Do not use any type of scrubbing pad or abrasive cleaners on your strand woven bamboo.  These types of cleaning products are not designed for the delicacies of natural wood floorings and will cut and scrape them up.  Same goes for any harsh detergents or chemical cleaners that are not specifically formulated for bamboo flooring.

7 – When you do find minor flaws in your strand bamboo flooring – repair scratches rather than allowing them to get worse and potentially weaken the surface of your floor.

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