When it comes to clean floorboards and hard floors, much of the dust won’t be visible to the naked eye. To fully remove impurities and particulate matter from hard floors, the right tools and approach need to be used. Sharon says, "There is a common misconception that it’s ok to go straight into mopping floors as that cleans up all the dirt in your home. If dust isn’t removed fully prior to wet cleaning, then it can be smeared across hard floors when mopping your floors, potentially leaving a dirtier rather than a cleaner floor."
In this guide, Dyson’s experts explain how to keep your hard floors dust free and clean. The best vacuum technology and tips including how to remove stains from tiles and mop hardwood floors is ahead.
How to clean your hard floors day-to-day
The daily routine for most people consists of removing the visible dust you see from hard floor surfaces, using a variety of methods – dry wiping, sweeping and vacuuming. However, what’s equally important is the invisible dust that cannot be seen with the human eye, which is best removed with a vacuum cleaner. If you prefer to follow up with mopping your floors, here’s what you need to keep in mind:
“With mopping, you use disinfectant to clean. You are not trying to remove germs but rather you are trying to kill them. The combination of mopping to kill germs and suction to remove fine dust are two very different jobs. They need to work in unison to achieve that barefoot clean feel. You really must ensure you are vacuuming properly, with the most effective technology to try to remove all of that dust is removed before reaching for the mop,” says Yap.
Dampening dust on floors – even fine dust invisible to the naked eye – could mean that you’re creating a habitat more favourable to dust mite and mould proliferation.
Vacuum daily
Vacuuming the high traffic areas in your home ensures that dust doesn’t build up in any areas. Illuminated cleaning in the Dyson V12s Detect Slim™ Submarine™ and Dyson Gen5detect™ make invisible dust visible on hard floors – so you don’t miss a thing.
Use the right brush head to avoid scratches
The Dyson Fluffy Optic™ roller head is specially made for hard floors. Using soft nylon and anti-static carbon fiber filament, it removes dirt and fine debris.
Use the right accessories
While it may seem like an effort to change tools mid-vacuum, this will help you remove dust you can see, and dust you can’t. Use a crevice tool to clean hard to reach places.
Vacuum before mopping
It might seem like double the work, but it’s important to try to remove all the dust in your home first. If the dust isn’t removed fully prior to wet cleaning, it can be smeared across your hard floors while mopping, potentially leaving a dirtier rather than a cleaner floor. Achieve a powerful, hygienic floor cleaning with the Dyson WashG1™ wet cleaner. Sign up to be notified when it arrives in Singapore here.
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How remove hard floor stains
While hard floors can be fairly straightforward to maintain, they are still susceptible to wear and tear over time, as well as stains. Stains are made up of a number of chemicals or chemical components, so it’s important to understand what cleaning products you can use for the type of stain.
“There is an assumption that hard floors are smooth, but that’s not true. Wooden floors have grooves and even tiles can be porous and absorb stains,” says Dr Calum Robertson, Chemical Research Scientist at Dyson. “The strong chemicals aren’t always the best solution – bleach can remove the varnish on wooden floors, so it’s always safer to start with a lighter solution like soap and water to avoid damaging your floors.”
- Start slowly with soap and water. Metal surfaces can present as a corrosion risk if you use products that are too abrasive – always start with some warm water and soap to see if stains can be removed first.
- Act quickly with stains on marble flooring. Marble is a porous stone material – leaving stains on your marble flooring may result in permanent damages. For oil-based stains, which can comprise of common household items like cooking oil, milk, butter or even hand lotion, use a liquid cleanser that contains household detergent, mineral spirits or acetone.
- Use bleach-based products sparingly. Some stains, like tea, coffee or red wine cause discoloration and so you may need to apply a bleach-based product to these kinds of stains – but only in sparing amounts. Always test the product on a more inconspicuous part of your flooring first and be patient when cleaning – and always read the label! Applying too much at once can cause irreversible discolouration to both the stain and your floors.
- Don’t mix and match! As eager as you may be to get rid of stains, be patient with the process. A study undertaken by the CDC found that poisonings related to combining household cleaning products surged during the Covid-19 pandemic* as people sought to clean their homes with a mix of disinfectants and bleaches.
- Be sure to have vacuumed beforehand, using the right accessories to get into the cracks and crevices to remove all dust – both visible and non-visible to avoid spreading bacteria when you clean afterwards.
*Chang A, Schnall AH, Law R, et al. Cleaning and Disinfectant Chemical Exposures and Temporal Associations with COVID-19 — National Poison Data System, United States, January 1, 2020–March 31, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:496–498. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6916e1.