Can You Steam Hardwood Floors

Steam cleaners put heat and excessive water on your floor which can lead to cupping and long term damage.

Can you steam hardwood floors. Today there are a number of companies that believe it is a good idea to steam clean hardwood floors with the use of their manufactured steam cleaners. The indication is that the water when heated to an extremely hot vapor will not cause damage to the hardwood floors as long as they are properly sealed. The steam can damage the wood surface by forcing water into the veneer and the top layer of hardwood.

Most hardwood flooring will come with a manufacturer s or a retailer s warranty. Never use a steam cleaner on your engineered hardwood floor. However despite the claims made by these varied companies all of the flooring companies and associations including the national wood floor association nwfa strongly disagree with the.

Steam cleaners put heat and excessive water on your floor which can lead to cupping and long term damage. But here are the steps we take to try to reduce potential damage from using a steam mop on hardwood floors. Again i m no expert on the subject.

Keep steaming on as low of a setting as possible. Sealed hardwood floors can withstand the moisture and heat from a steam mop and they clean really nicely with a streak free finish. Yes using steam on hardwood floors is an excellent way to sanitize them and it poses no problems to the wood surface given that the operator uses the right technique.

While a steam cleaner can be a useful tool for cleaning a carpet floor it should never be used on engineered hardwood. This will outline how long the floor should last under normal usage and guarantees its replacement if the material fails due to structural problems. Make sure the floor sealer is in good condition.

A question that is commonly asked a few times per week so here is our definitive answer. Avoid using water and vinegar soap based cleaners wax or steam cleaners on your hardwood floor. But they aren t for wood floors.