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What Can You Use To Clean Bamboo Floors?

Bamboo floors have become the new fad, giving a natural and wonderful look to your home and making you feel closer to the environment. However, problems arise while maintaining the original shine of these floors and cleaning them regularly. So, what exactly can you use to clean these bamboo floorings?

You should be very careful while selecting products for cleaning bamboo floors. To scrub down your bamboo flooring, you can use pH-neutral solutions such as vinegar, fabuloso, and pine-sol, but you will have to dilute them first so they don’t end up damaging the floor.

Bamboo floor

Bamboo floors are quite expensive to place and require a lot of care and attention. If you use products that are too acidic or alkaline, you can end up waterlogging the surface and causing discoloration. 

How Do You Clean Bamboo Floors Properly?

Couple sitting on ground with carboard boxes over head

Although there are multiple ways through which you can clean bamboo floors, you should always look for the ideal option so that these floorings do not degrade over time. 

The proper way of cleaning bamboo floors consists of using a solution that has the least amount of moisture in it and is purely pH-neutral. Therefore, ammonia-based solutions or excessive amounts of water should be avoided at all costs unless you want to waterlog your bamboo floors. 

How to Clean Bamboo Floors the Right Way

If you’re interested in cleaning your bamboo flooring with a specific cleaner, here’s a step-by-step guide so that you can achieve a sparkling clean result: 

Step 1: Filtering the major debris should be your utmost priority when it comes to cleaning bamboo floors. You can do this by wiping the bamboo floors with a clean cloth before proceeding to the next step. 

Step 2: Now, you need to apply a suitable cleaner. A great cleaner for bamboo floors would be the oil soap by Murphy, as it is specifically designed for hardwood floors. 

However, you will need to dilute the solution first. A general tip would be to consult the manufacturer’s instructions before you proceed. 

Step 3: Dip your mop into the solution and start to scrub the floor. While sweeping or cleaning, keep an eye out for stains and scratches. Also, make sure that excessive moisture does not get trapped in between the planks as it can ruin your flooring.

Step 4: After you’re done mopping, let the bamboo floor air dry for a while. In this part, you do not need to use a clean cloth or a rug as it runs the risk of leaving behind swirl marks. 

Once the surface is dry, you’ll meet with a gleaming, shiny, and clean bamboo flooring in your home! 

Can You Use Vinegar To Clean The Bamboo Floor?

Cleaning supply bottles

Vinegar is a common household item that is used for various cleaning purposes. This is owed to vinegar’s high acidity levels which allow it to get rid of dirt and scum from various surfaces with ease. However, is vinegar a viable alternative to clean bamboo floors? 

The answer is yes, you can use vinegar to clean bamboo floors. However, it is generally not recommended as vinegar has high acidic levels Therefore, you need to dilute the vinegar first before applying it to your bamboo floor. Otherwise, it will corrode and damage the surface over time. 

How To Clean The Bamboo Floor Using Vinegar?

Using vinegar to clean bamboo floors is fraught with dangers. However, if you’re really hell-bent on using the vinegar solution, the least you can do is help you with the steps: 

Step 1: Mix one part of white vinegar with three parts of water and stir the mixture properly. This will lower the acidic levels of vinegar and make it less damaging to your floor. 

Step 2: Using a mop or a sponge, apply the mixture you’ve just created to the bamboo floor. Let the solution sit for 15 minutes before using a clean mop to wipe it away.

Make sure you dry out every bit of moisture to prevent any chance of corrosion or waterlogging of your bamboo floor. Once dried, you’ll have a sparkling clean floor looking at you! 

Can You Use a Steam Mop to Clean The Bamboo Floor?

Steam mop floor

Steam mops are becoming an increasingly common sanitizing tool and are frequently chosen over regular mops. However, should they be used to clean bamboo floors?

No, a steam mop shouldn’t be used to clean bamboo floors. This is mainly because bamboo floors are not waterproof at all. Consequently, when the steam mop emits moisture, it gets lodged inside the surface and causes the bamboo floors to become waterlogged, which results in uneven floors.

Why Steam Mops Are Bad for Bamboo Floors

Since we’ve already established that steam mops are harmful to bamboo floors, let us explain why that is. 

For starters, the water vapors from the steam mop can penetrate through the bamboo floor and will cause pits and bumps all along the floor. If too much steam accumulates inside the surface, the floor will become rugged and uneven. 

Moreover, the steam can also cause your bamboo floor to change and fade colors, and in the worst-case scenario, your bamboo floor might even get warped and lifted by contraction and expansion due to moisture. This deformation is usually permanent and ends up ruining your whole floor! 

Can You Use a Swiffer To Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Dusting house floor

When it comes to floor cleaning options, a Swiffer might already be at the top of your list. Swiffers are found in nearly every household these days and although they’re extremely effective on glass and hardwood floors, would they be as efficient on a bamboo floor?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Swiffer is extremely dangerous to be used on bamboo floors for cleaning purposes. This is because Swiffer shoots spurts of water on the bamboo floor which can waterlog and discolor your entire flooring.

Why Swiffers Damage Bamboo Floors

Using water on a bamboo floor while cleaning can cause it to seep through the cracks of the planks of your bamboo. This might result in permanent damage to the bamboo floor because the floor can get waterlogged easily. 

Disadvantages of Waterlogging

Waterlogging causes bamboo floors to deform. This is because moisture causes the bamboo to expand and contract. Moreover, due to this deformation, the number of cracks in the bamboo floor might increase, and these cracks cannot be repaired. 

Another result of moisture accumulating inside the surface due to Swiffer is that the bamboo floors will start to fade over time. Not only will this cause the floor to become more rugged, but there will also be pits and bumps all around the floor. This will make your bamboo floors look ugly and weird rather than the stylish and organic look you were originally going for.  

Can You Use Water to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Bamboo floor planks

The first thing that springs to mind when you talk about cleaning floors is water. Even though it’s an incredibly common cleaning liquid, can you use it to clean bamboo floors?

The answer is yes, however, it has some conditions. Anything more than a few sprinkles of water can be harmful to the bamboo floor. If excessive water is used to clean bamboo floorings, it can result in discoloration and waterlogging which can completely destroy your floor. 

What to Keep in Mind While Using Water to Clean Bamboo Floors

Bamboo floors are made up of natural materials. Therefore, when they absorb water in excessive amounts, they begin to swell up. This causes the bamboo planks to warp, contract, and expand the bamboo floor which deforms the shape permanently. 

Moreover, when the water goes inside the bamboo floor through small cracks, then the floor’s color also starts to fade away, giving it a displeasing appearance. In the worst case, the bamboo floor can start to crack as well, rendering it unusable. 

What if Water is the Only Remaining Option?

Although it is not advisable to use water to clean bamboo floors, sometimes you have no other option. Therefore, it is recommended to use only a few sprinkles of water on the stained area.

Dry them off completely right then and there with a clean cloth, so that no amount of water gets absorbed by the bamboo floor.

Can You Use Bona to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Cleaning bottles

A bona, commonly known as a bona spray mop, is a residue-free solution that gently removes dust, debris, and grime from hardwood floors. However, can you use it on bamboo floors as well? 

Yes, you can use Bona to clean bamboo floors as it is specifically designed to ensure that no water or liquid goes through the cracks between the bamboo planks. This prevents the bamboo floor from warping and deforming, keeping its beauty intact.

How to Use Bona to Clean Bamboo Floors

Even though you can’t go wrong while using Bona, it’s still very important to follow the proper guidelines to get a sparkling clean floor.  

Step 1: Gather a Bona spray along with a clean mop to scrub your bamboo floor. 

Step 2: Make sure that your floor is clear of large pieces of debris before you spray the solution on it. This will help prevent the mop from leaving scratches on the surface. 

Step 3: Spray Bona on the areas you would like to clean – a good three to four times. Next, let the solution sit there for a few minutes before you proceed to wipe it with the mop. 

Step 4: Start mopping the floor and make sure you do not leave any Bona residue behind. After that, let the floor air dry for a while to achieve a gleaming shine. 

Can You Use a Steam Cleaner to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Steam cleaning house floor

Hard surfaces, such as kitchen counters and bathroom tiles, are often cleaned using steam cleaners. These cleaners are also used on different types of floorings like laminated and vinyl. However, the question is whether steam cleaners can be used to clean epoxy bamboo floors?  

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on June 13, 2022.

No, you should not use any kind of steam cleaner to clean your bamboo floors. Bamboo floors are made up of natural materials which can be seriously damaged because of water produced by steam cleaners. Some damages include waterlogging and the discoloration of the floor.

Why Steam Cleaners are Bad for Bamboo Floors

While sprinkling a small amount of water separately may be a solution to cleaning your bamboo flooring, using a steam cleaner is a big no! Water vapor in the steam cleaner is available excessively and can penetrate the bamboo floors from the cracks and spaces present on the surface. This can cause many problems as bamboo floors are not built to handle such huge volumes of water. Some of those problems include the floor becoming discolored, uneven, and cracked. 

Discoloration 

One of the cases that you might encounter is the decoloring of the bamboo floors. The colors will fade away and sometimes also start to change. This will diminish the linearity of the bamboo floor which is quite the beauty of it. It will also ruin the overall aesthetic of your room and will require you to change your flooring if you want to compliment your furniture again. 

Unevenness

Unevenness is another drawback that arises when excessive water is used on bamboo floorings with the help of a steam cleaner. Due to waterlogging, the bamboo floor expands and contracts to cause warps, pits, and bumps in the flooring. This not only causes the floor to be bumpy and rugged but also ruins the visual appeal. 

Cracking of the Surface

Another consequence of using a steam cleaner is that your bamboo floor can start to crack if water seeps in between the planks and is absorbed by the bamboo. Unfortunately, once your bamboo has cracked, there’s no going back and the only option you’re left with is to replace the flooring as a whole. 

Can You Use Bleach to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Pour bleach out

Bleach is a common household cleaner that is often used after diluting it with other liquid-based cleaners. It is also a popular sanitizer that may be used on almost any surface to disinfect it from bacteria and germs. Should you, however, use bleach to clean bamboo floors?

The answer is no, Bamboo floors should not be cleaned using bleach since it contains high amounts of alkaline. Bleach can severely damage your flooring by corroding away the surface and causing huge amounts of discoloration. 

Why Diluting Bleach With Water is Useless

Some might think that diluting bleach by mixing it with water will not damage the floor, but they are wrong. Bamboo floors cannot stand moisture and they will be damaged even if the slightest moisture from water seeps in between the plank’s cracks and comes in contact with the bamboo. 

Therefore, you should avoid using bleach in any kind of form to clean your bamboo floors. I would also suggest you find another method or leave your floor as is if you do not have another option for the time being rather than permanently damaging your floor.

Can You Use Glo to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Colorful spray bottles

Bamboo floors need to be cleaned with pH-neutral solutions containing minimal water. Glo products are acidic which means that the abrasive property is very high in those products. However, does this make them sufficient for cleaning bamboo floorings?

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on June 13, 2022.

No, Glo products are usually made up of orange peels which are acidic and can damage your bamboo floorings. Due to the abrasive nature of Glo products, your bamboo flooring will not only get discolored but will also lose its smooth finish. 

Glo products will make the bamboo floor’s surface rugged and bumpy. Along with that, the moisture content is also high in Glo products which is very harmful to the bamboo floors as they cause excessive discoloration.

Can You Use Roomba to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Roomba on wood floor

There’s no better way to clean your floors than by using the latest technology, and what better technology is there than a Roomba? Roombas are amazing tools that can be used to clean and maintain a variety of floors but are bamboo floors one of them?

The answer is yes, Roomba robots can be used to clean bamboo floors. This is because Roomba does not have any acidic or alkaline solution, nor does it have a water or moisture-ridden solution that can damage the bamboo floor by waterlogging it. 

What to Keep in Mind While Using Roomba to Clean Bamboo Floors

Although the Roomba is good at cleaning, there are still some things that you need to take care of to avoid running into any trouble. 

Firstly, you need to ensure that before enabling your Roomba, you filter out major debris or dirt particles from the bamboo floor so that they may not get stuck in the Roomba’s wheels. If stuck, the wheels of your Roomba may leave behind scratches and marks on the bamboo floor, ruining the whole purpose of the robot. 

Another thing to keep in mind is the price of a Roomba. It is by far one of the most expensive cleaning tools, so if your bamboo floor doesn’t require constant maintenance, you don’t have to invest too much of your money into buying a Roomba. Instead, you go for much cheaper alternatives like a handheld vacuum. 

Can You Use Lysol to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Yes, Lysol can be used to clean bamboo floors. However, you would need to dilute Lysol if you want to avoid damaging the bamboo floor. Ideally, you would want to use a quarter cup of Lysol with a gallon of warm water to prevent the Lysol from causing discoloration on the surface.

Can You Use Fabuloso to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Fabuloso is perfectly safe to use for cleaning bamboo floors as long as the bamboo floor is sealed from edge to edge. Fabuloso is also a pH-neutral cleaning solution that can be even further diluted with warm water before being used to safely clean your bamboo floor. 

Can You Use Pine Sol to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

Pine-sol can be used to clean bamboo floors. Just like other cleaning solutions, Pine-Sol also needs to be diluted in warm water for usage and should be only used on sealed bamboo floors. If the moisture or water content penetrates through the floor, it can crack or warp it permanently.

Can You Use a Wetjet to Clean the Bamboo Floor?

It is not recommended to use a waterjet to clean bamboo floors. There is always a huge chance that it might leave brush marks on the floor making it rugged and less shiny. Moreover, it also causes the floor to lose its protective layer against insects and moisture.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on June 13, 2022.

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