There are many hardwood floor cleaning solutions on the shelves today, but among them, Hydrogen Peroxide is arguably the most environment-friendly and the safest DIY cleaning solution. Hydrogen Peroxide is used both as bleaching and cleaning agent, and it is safe for both pets and humans. While it has been around for years, you might be a little skeptical about it, especially if you have not used it before.
So if you are considering using Hydrogen Peroxide on your hardwood flooring, but still have doubts about it, here are some answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about it.
Is Hydrogen Peroxide an effective cleaning solution?
When used correctly, hydrogen peroxide is very efficient cleaning and bleaching solution. Since it has anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties, this cleaning agent does more than just eliminating the dirt and debris on your floor. It significantly minimizes the health risks posed by various types of viruses, fungus, and bacteria that may creep onto a dirty hardwood floor. Often, applying hydrogen peroxide correctly on any wood floor leaves it looking as clean as though it’s new.
How does Hydrogen Peroxide work on wood? What are its effects on wood?
This cleaning solution works to sanitize and clean your wood floor. It removes stubborn stains and surface dirt caused by pets, mud, food spills or any other thing.
A hardwood floor has a porous surface that has several micro-sized holes which absorb and also release moisture. In humid climates, for instance, buckling occurs as a result of the damp vapor present in hardwood flooring. The porous surface absorbs moisture, and the pores begin buckling, making liquid stains very difficult to clean. Hydrogen Peroxide easily disintegrates the staining compounds and pulls them out while drying the floor in the process.
Hydrogen Peroxide also has a bleaching effect on wood. However, you don’t need to worry because unless you apply an unnecessarily powerful hydrogen-peroxide formula or you have really dark hardwood floor, hydrogen peroxide won’t affect the color of your floor. It won’t whiten it. You can test it in some discreet part of your floor (say, at a corner in one of your rooms) in case you are worried it will bleach the floor.
What is the proper way to use Hydrogen Peroxide as a wood cleaning agent?
For proper cleaning, you will need a bottle of 3 percent Hydrogen Peroxide, a spray bottle, rubber cleaning gloves, and lint-free microfiber cloths for cleaning.
Apply the hydrogen peroxide to your hardwood floor using the spray bottle. Allow it to sit for some minutes then wipe the excess liquid off with the microfiber cleaning cloth. You will need to apply greater force as you scrub to get rid of stubborn stains. Your hardwood floor should appear clean and new right after you finish.
For any hardwood flooring, Hydrogen Peroxide can be a very effective cleaning agent, but it is important to be cautious while applying it. You might want first to test the floor you want to clean to make sure it won’t be bleached.
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