Can You Use Swiffer on Hardwood Floors?
Last Updated on October 15, 2023 by admin
You install a brand new hardwood floor that envies your friends and makes you proud of yourself for working hard on your job or business. The last thing you want is to get it damaged by a cheap product available in any local store. You will never forgive yourself if that happened. So, we decided to write a detailed post and let you know if Swiffer is the right product for your lovely flooring or should you go for another product. We did some laborious research and dug out every relevant article to save your flooring. So to the question, is Swiffer safe on hardwood floors, let’s dive into the details and find out the answer to this vital question.
Let’s start by getting some information about Swiffer, its working mechanism, and whether it is a reliable product without further ado.
What is Swiffer?
Swiffer is a replacement for the traditional mop and bucket. It offers a small and straightforward solution to the bucket problem by providing a water tank and spray nozzles. These additional features give this modern mop an advantage over the mop-bucket package as there is no need to carry the liquid around in a container. Swiffer has a small liquid container that fits entirely and is not heavy at all.
Swiffer comes with a mop, one bottle of liquid cleaner, cleaning pads and an extra pad for scrubbing. It operates on four A4 batteries, but these are not included in the starter pack. Remember that you can’t use rechargeable batteries. Typically, one original pad should be enough to clean two rooms, and the solution provided by the seller is enough for four places.
The manufacturer claims that it can be used on any surface, including vinyl, marble, ceramic and hardwood floors. However, it does recommend that we not use it on unfinished floors or the floors that have been waxed or oiled. To check whether that claim is genuine or not, we take a deep look into Swiffer’s overall working and relevant facts.
How does it work?
The working of Swiffer is relatively simple and will help us find the answer to our question, that is, can you use Swiffer on hardwood floors? When you are cleaning the floor, you first press the button that sprays the liquid on the floor through two nozzles. After that, you clean the surface in front of the mop where the cleaning liquid has landed. The working is simple enough and follows the basic principle of applying cleaning liquid to the floor and mopping it. Now that we have explored Swiffer’s working let’s see why hardwood floors need extra care due to the nature of flooring’s material and nature.
Hardwood floors and their cleaning
Hardwood flooring is made of timber and cut or shaped in tiles or small usable planks. It can be finished in different colors, designs and assembly profiles. Its placement of tiles offers a variety of designs and gives various choices to the homeowner.
It is installed in many ways, and to know the assembly of the floor will answer our question. One method is tongue and groove, where one side of the plank has a groove in which the tongue of the other plank fits like a lock a key assembly. This leaves a tiny space, and that’s what we need to consider. If the finishing is fairly good, and the floor is not new, then we are good with Swiffer. The glue-down method is also used to install the planks and apply glue to make them stay together.
After the floor is done, different methods are used for floor finishing, including Polyurethane, natural shellacs, varnishes, waxes and lacquers, often used in combination with different oils. Oil as an independent finishing product is also an old method for floor finishing.
To answer our question, we do not want the liquid seeping into our flooring through the minute cracks between the planks. As long as that doesn’t happen, we can use any liquid for cleaning, providing that it is not toxic or acidic. So, we should not use Swiffer if the floor has crevices or the finishing is new.
So, in a nutshell, Swiffer is safe for hardwood flooring as long as the floor is dried and properly finished.
Tips for cleaning and protecting hardwood floors
Now that we have established that Swiffer is sage for hardwood floors, we can move on to some useful tips to use Swiffer effectively and to prolong the life of our flooring. Follow these guidelines based on experience and research to clean your flooring correctly.
Avoid damaging products
Be it a mop, a scrubbing pad or a mop, your flooring needs care and is not dispensable. It has its limitations, and using toxic, strongly acidic or alkaline liquids will erode the surface, and the floor will lose its look. Similarly, rough and abrasive cleaning pads can damage the floor, and the color will become faded. Mops can also be a problem, and you must check a review of any mop in detail before making a purchasing decision.
Use water in a proportionate amount
Hardwood floors are durable, but water is held only by the finishing used on the flooring. Sometimes, the oil or wax finishing is worn off, and water can seep through to the underlying planks. Water is a curse for wood and disfigures it completely. So make sure you use water in as little an amount as possible.
Dust the floor properly
Swiffer does not clean the dust, hair or other solid particles to vacuum the floor before using Swiffer. It will also help in keeping your foot clean and neat, and the mop will not transport any dust or other solid particles to other rooms
Pick up the weight, don’t drag it
One of the most common damaging factor to any floor is dragging things around. It scratches the surface and leaves immense damage. When you move furniture around, get help from a friend or a friendly neighbor and save your floor from damage.
Leave the shoes outside
You might like to dance in your high heels, but there is a time and place for that. Also, you can’t keep cleaning the surface again and again. So, keep the shoes out and make it a rule for everyone. You don’t want your precious time laboring in the house.
Keep a clean floor mat
Keep the dust out of the door. Stop it from entering your house and save yourself from unnecessary work, which can easily be avoided. Keep a floor mat, and make sure you vacuum it regularly.
Final thoughts
To sum it all up, Swiffer is safe and reliable for hardwood flooring providing the flooring finished correctly, not damaged at any point, and the oil and varnish used are dried properly. Also, the cleaning liquid should be used in an optimum amount. However, it does not mean you don’t need to care for your flooring in other ways. Keep the floor vacuumed, keep a doormat, and protect the floor from the furniture. This will ensure a long and fresh look for your floor.
