Hardwood Flooring Care & Maintenance

Your new hardwood flooring will add warmth and beauty to your home for years to come. Following a few simple maintenance steps however, will help protect your investment.

Cleaning

  • Blot up spills and spots immediately (Standing moisture will penetrate into the wood causing irreversible discoloration and damages
  • Vacuum, dust mop, or sweep the floor to minimize abrasive grit and dirt. Note: Do not use vacuum with beater bars.
  • Periodically clean floor with recommended hardwood floor cleaner such as a Bona Cleaning Kit. (Never use other cleaning products or detergents.)The manufacturer recommends a Terry Cloth style mop. For daily wiping the manufacturer recommends the use of distilled water applied to the mop with a spray bottle. (Tap water contains ingredients that may leave an unsightly film.
  • ALWAYS WIPE DRY IMMEDIATELY until no moisture is visible on the floor. Do not use wax, polish, oil soap, abrasive cleaners, steel wool, scouring powder, or ANY appreciable amount of water
  • Do not use wet mops, wet scrubbers or steam cleaners as these products will cause irreversible discoloration and damages

Protecting Your Investment

  • Your newly installed floors are real wood and therefore are subject to change from excessive moisture, or non-conforming environmental conditions. Remove any standing water immediately, and maintain an indoor relative humidity level of 35-55% throughout the year to minimize the natural expansion and contraction of wood
  • Use quality vinyl-back area rugs and doormats by outdoor entrance areas to prevent dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as but not limited to water, oil, asphalt, and driveway sealer from being tracked onto your floor
  • Use felt floor protectors and wide-bearing cylinder leg bases to minimize indentations. As a rule of thumb, the heavier the item the wider the floor protector should be. The Manufacturer does not recommend the use of wheeled furniture as they will accelerate wear not covered by this warranty.
  • Avoid gouges or cuts in your floor from sharp objects. While your newly installed floor is one of the most wear-resistant floors on the market, it is not impervious to damage.
  • Do not walk on your floor with "stiletto-style" heels; they will cause indentations.
  • Rearrange rugs and furniture periodically so the floor ages evenly. UV sunlight will change the color of different species to varying degree,
  • Keep pets' nails trimmed and filed in order to minimize indentations. Any pets' nails can damage wood floors.
  • Use a wide base air tire dolly when moving heavy appliances or furniture. But first, put down a sheet of quarter-inch clean plywood to protect the floor. Never try to slide or roll objects across the floor without precautions

Oiled Flooring Initial Maintenance Instructions

You will need to apply Woca brand oil refresher immediately after installation is complete.

  • Oil Refresher is an oil/soap combination used for regular cleaning and maintenance of your oil finished floors. Oil Refresher, available in natural and white, combines efficient cleaning with re-oiling as additional oil penetrates into the wood, forming a protective layer within the surface of the floor. This means longer wear before re-oiling. Oil Refresher should not be used more than four times per year as this may create unwanted build-up. Floors requiring more frequent cleaning should be cleaned with WOCA Soap (Master Soap for commercial areas) with intermittent use of Oil Refresher up to four times per year.
  • Clean your floor with WOCA Oil Refresher only when dirty.
  • The Oil Refresher solution not only cleans and nourishes oiled floors but also forms a protective film on the floor after drying, making future cleaning quicker and easier.

Never apply Oil Refresher to an oiled floor until at least 36 hours after the last oil application.

  • For traditionally oiled floors, mix WOCA Oil Refresher with lukewarm water in a solution of 1:20 (6.4 oz per gallon of water) and for UV-oiled floors in solution of 1:40 (3.2 oz per gallon of water). Mixing solution should be: Two gallons of lukewarm water + 12.8 oz. (1 ½ cups) of Oil Refresher. (Traditional oil) Three gallons of lukewarm water + 19.2 oz. (2 ¼ cups) of Oil Refresher. Four gallons of lukewarm water + 25.6 oz. (3 cups) of Oil Refresher. Mixing solution should be: Two gallons of lukewarm water + 6.4 oz. (¾ cup) of Oil Refresher. (UV-oil) Three gallons of warm water + 9.6 oz. (1 ¼ cups) of Oil Refresher. Four gallons of warm water + 12.8 oz. (1 ½ cups) of Oil Refresher.
  • If too much Oil Refresher is used in solution, footprints may show on the floor even after drying. To remove excess Oil Refresher, clean the floor with WOCA Wood Cleaner.
  • Use a good quality mop, such as the WOCA Swep Mop, which has no loose ends.
  • Remember that a wood floor should be DAMP mopped.

Oil Refresher Application Instructions:

  • Sweep or vacuum the floor before cleaning with WOCA Oil Refresher.
  • Shake the container well before use.
  • In one bucket, mix a solution of Oil Refresher and lukewarm water. Pour lukewarm water in a second bucket to be used as rinse water.
  • Dip a clean mop in the oil refresher solution. Wring the mop. The mop head should retain enough moisture to dampen a 4’ x 8’ section of flooring. Spread the solution across the work area, and then mop the damp area along the direction of the floor boards. For very dirty spots, let the solution set for a few minutes, then come back to the spot and scrub with a dish scrubbing brush. Continue mopping until the mop head becomes dirty or is not moist enough to thoroughly clean.
  • Dip the mop in the rinse water bucket. Slosh around very well. Wring the mop head as thoroughly dry as possible. This will remove dirty water and keep the mop head clean. Do not rinse the previously cleaned floor.
  • Dip the mop in the Oil Refresher solution and wring. Clean the next section. If water is still visible on the floor after 2-3 minutes, the mop was too wet. Wipe up excess water and reduce moisture in the mop.
  • Repeat the process until the entire floor has been cleaned.

Routine Cleaning Information:

You will need to use Woca brand Soap to clean and maintain your new floors.

  • It is recommended to mop your floor with WOCA Soap approximately one week after oiling it and then clean your floor with WOCA Soap only when dirty.
  • The soap solution, which contains soy and coconut fats, forms a protective film on the floor after drying, making future cleaning quicker and easier.
  • The soap must be diluted.
  • Never apply soap to an oiled floor until at least 36 hours after the last oil application.
  • Public and commercial areas which require daily or weekly cleaning should use WOCA Master Soap.
  • Mix WOCA Soap and lukewarm water in a solution of 1:40. For very dirty floors the solution mix can be increased up to 1:20 except for oak floors. Oak floors should never be cleaned with a solution stronger than 1:40

Mixing solution should be:

  • Two gallons of lukewarm water + 6.4 oz. (just over ¾ cup) of Soap.
  • Three gallons of lukewarm water + 9.6 oz. (just under 1 ¼ cups) of Soap.
  • Four gallons of lukewarm water + 12.8 oz. (just over 1 ½ cups) of Soap.
  • If the soap solution is not properly mixed, footprints may show on a soaped floor even after drying. This is caused by using too much soap. To remove excess Soap, clean the floor with WOCA Wood Cleaner.
  • Use a good quality mop, such as the WOCA Swep Mop, which has no loose ends.
  • Remember that a wood floor should be DAMP mopped.

 Instructions:

  • Sweep or vacuum the floor before cleaning with WOCA Soap.
  • In one bucket, mix a solution of WOCA Soap (well shaken) and luke warm water. Pour luke warm water in a second bucket and use as rinse water.
  • Dip a clean mop in the soap solution. Wring the mop. The mop head should retain enough moisture to dampen a 4’ x 8’ section of flooring. Spread the solution across the work area, then mop the damp area as you would a vinyl kitchen floor. For very dirty spots, let the solution set for a few minutes, then come back to the spot and scrub with a dish scrubbing brush. Continue mopping until the mop head becomes dirty or is not moist enough to thoroughly clean.
  • Dip the mop in the rinse water bucket. Slosh around very well. Wring the mop head as thoroughly dry as possible. This will remove dirty water and keep the mop head clean. Do not rinse the previously cleaned floor.
  • Dip the mop in the soap solution and wring. Clean the next section.
  • Repeat the process until the entire floor has been cleaned. The floor should be dry within 5 to 15 minutes. If water is still visible on the floor surface after 2-3 minutes, the mop was too wet during the cleaning process. Wipe up excess water and reduce moisture in the mop.
  • It is not unusual to see a “haze” on darker floors after soaping. Simply put a cotton cloth under a dust mop or floor buffer and quickly polish away the “haze”.
  • Coverage: 3000-4000 sq.ft./liter.
  • WOCA Oil Refresher should be used instead of Soap at least once a year. If floor is cleaned four times a year or less, Oil Refresher is recommended instead of Soap.
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