Parquet is one of the most elegant and beautiful floor coverings for modern homes. But besides its visual appeal, parquet has many nuances of proper care. Knowing some secrets, you can save the original appearance of the floor as long as possible without much effort and material costs.
The advantages of parquet
Parquet flooring is chosen because it has a number of significant advantages:
- This type of floor does not emit toxic substances, which is very important for the health of the family. This advantage is very attentive to families with children.
- Parquet has an aesthetic look. It goes well with various interior solutions.
- Natural wood is characterized by decent durability, which can be extended with proper care.
- Parquet flooring in the house is warm, unlike tile and linoleum.
What is afraid of floorboard
Due to the fact that the parquet flooring boards are made of natural wood, the main pests to cover will be moisture and dry air. Under the influence of moisture wood fibers swell and begin to rot, and dryness adversely affects the wood, because it dries the fibers and parquet shrinks. Another risk group for this coating is mechanical damage (scratches and dents) of lacquer or wood fiber itself.
Learn how to insulate wood flooring.
Such damage may occur due to a number of reasons:
- walking in shoes with high heels on the heels of the cover;
- the presence in the house of large animals with neglected claws;
- lack of protective covers on the legs of furniture;
- on time, not collected dust and small debris, which is brought into the house from the street.
In order to avoid scratches on the floor, it is necessary to prevent the influence of possible risk factors, which means that:- it is undesirable to wear stilettos in the room;
- pet claws should be trimmed regularly;
- the legs of the furniture, which is located indoors, must be wrapped in special felt or wool covers;
- to lay two rugs in the hallway: the first must be tough to collect the bulk of the dirt from the shoes, and the second is soft, so that fine rubbish and dust remain on it.
Parquet cleaning rules
In order for the maintenance of the floor to be effective, it must be selected on the basis of the type of parquet (varnished or coated with oil).
Important! When cleaning the parquet flooring, the use of washing vacuum cleaners, hot water, bleach, powder and abrasive cleaners is strictly prohibited.
Varnished boards
The main rule when caring for a varnished coating is that daily dry cleaning with a soft brush or soft floor brush is preferred. Being engaged in cleaning of varnished parquet, you should try not only to clean the surface from dirt, but also to keep the top layer of varnish.
Make a warm floor with your own hands.
Once a week you should wash the floor, but only with certain detergents:
- Sprays - needed for daily cleaning of the surface, if the stain is not very difficult, then the tool is applied to a soft cloth, which wipe the floor. If the contamination is more serious, the spray is applied directly to the stains, and left there for a while. After using the spray, the place of pollution is not wiped, but wait until the area dries itself.
- Concentrates for cleaning parquet, which are diluted in water. Such means are used according to the instructions on the package. Concentrates have water-repellent and anti-slip properties. A rag is moistened in the solution, it is well wrung out, then the coating is wiped with a damp cloth.
Oil waxed coating
Parquet with such impregnation is protected from dust, moisture and dirt in the fibers. But such a protective barrier does not have particularly durable properties, because often the oil impregnation needs to be updated. For general cleaning of oiled parquet, you can use wet cleaning and special solutions for coating based on vegetable oil (most often coconut oil). Funds are applied over the pre-cleaned coating according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Important! Make sure that when damp cleaning the cloth is well wrung out, because excessive moisture will damage the coating.After cleaning with water, the surface is polished with a wool or felt cloth. Such polishing is necessary so that the parquet retains its color in one tone and does not have spots of various shades on it. Such wet cleaning is carried out no more than once a month, when it becomes necessary to immediately clean a large area of parquet.
For daily cleaning use a soft brush or a vacuum cleaner with a felt nozzle. Once a month it is necessary to carry out capital polishing of the coating with oil impregnation. To do this, apply a polish for the parquet floor based on oil on the surface, after which the parquet is polished with a special machine or felt (felt) cloth.Parquet care products
For proper cleaning of the floor you need to carefully choose the tools with which you will maintain the floor in a tidy condition.
For arranging a private house, it will be useful for you to find out how best to process the wood, how to insulate the basement of the foundation outside, how to sheathe the door, how to sheathe the walls with drywall, how to make a blind area at home, how to make a drywall wall, and how to equip concrete walkways.
Homemade
For light pollution of parquet, it is best to use a damp, clean cloth (soft, moistened in ordinary water without detergent), which removes small stains. Older stains can be removed with soapy water.
Important! Before cleaning with water, be sure to brush off dust and sand from the coating with a soft brush.
There are a few tips on how to effectively remove the greasy stain from the floor:
- Apply talcum (a silicate mineral often used by athletes) to a fat divorce and sweep it with a broom after 5 minutes.
- Apply magnesia powder (magnesium sulfate) to the stain and leave in place for 2 hours. After this time, also scoop the powder with a broom.
If you are concerned about the spots of different origin, here are some tips on how to get rid of them:
- Traces of shoes can be removed with a nylon cloth - just wipe the black spots with this cloth.
- If there are drops of wax on your floor or a chewing gum is glued, you just need to freeze these stains with pieces of ice, after which you can gently remove any contamination with a plastic spatula.
After using the above methods of cleaning, wipe the dirt off with a damp cloth and apply a special protective agent according to the type of parquet.
Did you know? The most expensive parquet in the world costs $ 1 million per 1 sq. M. meter, such parquet produces company Pietra Firma.
Special
Special tools can help in more advanced cases. To purchase such cleaners, you must contact the shops of household chemicals. If you notice stubborn stains on the coating, you will need a special solvent-based compound. But the prerequisite for the adequate use of such a tool would be that after applying the cliner, it will be necessary to renew the protective layer (again soak it with oil or apply varnish) of the parquet flooring. Apply this tool should be as follows: just put on a soft cloth a little money and wipe the stain with it. 
If you were unable to find the necessary cutter for your parquet, then ordinary white spirit can help you, you need to apply it according to the same instructions. Aerosol wipers are best suited for varnished parquet, they are the easiest to use, and in addition such a tool will care for the parquet. Aerosol is applied directly to the stain and wipe the area with a dry cloth.
Parquet prevention and protection
In order for your flooring to remain in good condition as long as possible, you should not only solve existing problems, but also pay attention to regular maintenance and prevention.
Varnished boards
For the varnished floor it is important to secure the furniture legs. To do this, use soft pads or covers that protect the coating from mechanical damage. More global care is that the lacquer surface must be updated every 5 years. The old layer of lacquer is polished with a special machine, then the varnish for wood is applied again. It is better to entrust this process to specialists so as not to damage the coating. 
Such measures are necessary so that the tree does not darken and does not change its characteristics from thinning the old varnish layer. If you take this measure without proper attention, then you will need to completely remove the lacquer layer and scrub the floorboard itself to re-cover everything with varnish. Such measures are extreme, because they require much more time, finances and strength.
Did you know? The name "parquet" in French translates as "small courtyard." Initially, so called small beds, but over time, the name began to denote the hall for receptions to the royal family of important persons, which was decorated with carpets and expensive flooring.
Oil waxed coating
For this floor, it is necessary to carry out a similar procedure as with a varnished floor, but it will be necessary to update the impregnation every 2 months.
In order to do this, you need:
- sweep the floor;
- carry out a thorough wet cleaning;
- apply a special coating and let it dry.
Oil impregnates wood fibers and penetrates into the structure of the parquet. This floor is easier to update, it is not so much afraid of scratches and light mechanical damage. 
For both types of floor, you need to maintain a stable indoor climate:
- constantly monitor the temperature and humidity in the room. It is better to keep the temperature in the range of + 18-25 ° C, and humidity in the range of 50-65%;
- For a more comfortable observation, you can use special climate control systems, they comprehensively support optimal microclimate performance by synchronizing with the heating system, filters in the house and air conditioning;
- Avoid excessive moisture and dryness (do not let the couple stand indoors, leave puddles on the floor during washing, do not warm the room above 25 degrees).
Video: parquet care
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