How to Clean Your Hardwood Floors

One of the more common questions we get here at Tadas Wood Flooring – and I’m sure most hardwood floor refinishers get – is: “What should I use to clean my hardwood floors?” or some variaton of that.

Many people are confused about what what products to use. One of the big contributors to this confusion is all of the infomercials on TV bragging about the latest wood floor cleaning product that will work its magic on your hardwood floors. We’ve all seen the commercials raving about hot steam mops, Orange Glo and many other cleaners, polishers and conditioners.

Do these products actually work? And what is the best way to maintain your hardwood floors?

TRIO Sanding Machine for Flat Floors

I’d like to introduce you to one of our secret weapon’s that plays a huge part in allowing us to provide clean, flat and beautifully finished hardwood floors for our Naperville clients.

It’s the specialized hardwood floor sanding machine pictured below – the TRIO.

One of the common questions we get when we unload the TRIO is: What is that? It is a weird looking contraption. It kind of looks like a funny vacuum cleaner, especially with all the hoses attached.

And in fact a big part of it is a vacuum system – we’ll come back to that in a moment though.

Powder Post Beetle Hardwood Floor Damage

Recently we had some “fun” on a job in Orland Park, Illinois.

As we were prepping the beautiful 3 inch red oak floor and getting it ready to start the first sand, we noticed some unusual dust on the floor in one of the rooms. This area of Chicago has a bit of a termite problem so we automatically assumed that was the issue.

We knew we couldn’t continue on with the sanding and refinishing job, so we made the decision to pull up one or two of the boards to see what we were dealing with.