Tips for Maintaining Hardwax Oiled Timber Floors from Whittle Waxes

Care Products for Hardwax Oiled Timber Floors

TIPS FOR CLEANING, CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF HARDWAX OILED TIMBER FLOORS

Cleaning in domestic locations:

Regularly lift off all dirt with a broom or vacuum cleaner. A vacuum cleaner is the easiest and most efficient way of increasing the longevity of a floor finish, as it lifts the abrasive particles of sand that grind away at the surface.

N.B Your Hardwax finish will take about 10 days to reach its maximum strength, both physically and in its moisture repellent properties. Please refrain from mopping the floor for a week or so and take care to soak up anything spilt on the floor.

Cleaning:

Whittle Waxes Floor Care Concentrate
NEW highly concentrated formula, add 1/2 of a teaspoon of Floor Care Concentrate to one litre of water.

Spray N Glide Mop
Makes it quick and easy to clean your floors. It has a detachable water dispenser so you don't need a bucket, you can simply fill it with water and Whittle Waxes Floor Care Concentrate and go.

Maintaining:

Marks, fine scratches or more persistent stains can be removed with Whittle Waxes Object Oil.

This should be applied thinly to a dry clean floor and then lightly polished. Polish by hand on a small area or a floor polisher on a larger one. Occasionally freshen up the entire floor surface or hard worn areas. Initially cleaning with Whittle Waxes Floor Care. Allow it to dry thoroughly, and apply Whittle Waxes Object Oil to the area.

A proper maintenance program will reduce general wear on a floor and prolong the durability of the coating.

Repair: A good regular maintenance program will reduce general wear on a floor, however, very deep scratches or gouges will need professional attention.

Heavy Soiling

For heavy soiling use Whittle Waxes Preparation Cleaner

Multi surface and Laminate cleaner aggressively removes grease, oil, and wax before refurbishing and thereby removes old gloss and polymer layers, waxes, oil films and other impurities.

For your convenience, we have conveniently designed these kits to conserve, clean and refresh timber surfaces finished with Hardwax Oil.

Waffle Cloth, Pair of Gloves, Lint Free Cotton Cloth, Floor Care Concentrate, 1L Repair Wax 250 ml, Maintenance and Care Instructions, Whittle Waxes Floor Mop not included.

To protect the floors we recommend:

Doormats at all exterior doors, to trap dirt and grit from outdoors, before it gets to the floor.
Encourage of checking the soles of your shoes for gravel and grit caught in the treads.
All 'moveable' pieces of furniture need soft clean pads on the bottom of legs or supports.
Rubber feet on items such as dining room chairs.
Apply floor protector pads to heavy items of furniture.
Always remember to pick up furniture rather than slide it across the floor.
Floor guards enable you to move your appliances forward for servicing without gouging your floor.
Some areas always experience more wear than others (example: under the office chairs) Use thin non-slip protective mats in these areas.
High heels concentrate a person's weight on a small point (60kg person = approx150kg per sq. cm when taking a normal step). This kind of force can damage many types of flooring, fracturing ceramic tiles and perforating vinyl, as well as denting wood floors. While high heels in good repair may not damage wood floors, discourage high heels where practical.
Spills from the food and liquids are usually no problem if wiped up in good time.
Rugs can be used to minimize damage in high traffic areas.
Make sure any rugs are kept clean and dry. Have them shaken out and vacuumed regularly.

Other tips:

Depending on the type of use the floor is getting will depend on the maintenance regime, obviously the kitchen will require more regular maintenance than the bedroom. Heavy soiling can be cleaned as described above, or careful use of a Steam Mop will lift grime without saturating the floor. Use of Floor Care is often enough to keep the floors looking great.
Work surfaces, tables and Bench tops should be cleaned in the same fashion, using the Floor care as the cleaner, spray the area to be cleaned and wipe dry. The application of Object oil will maintain the Waxes properties and maintain the look and feel of the surface. Treatex exhibits 99.9% antibacterial properties, negating the need to use aggressive detergents.
Wood floors are very sensitive to their surrounding climate. Seasonal cracking is a common occurrence. They expand in humid conditions and contract when the air becomes dry, usually due to heating. Using a humidifier or dehumidifier in conjunction with heating/cooling system is recommended, to maintain a constant 30-50% humidity level. This will minimise shrinkage and cracking.
Never place plants directly on a wood floor even if they are in a waterproof saucer. If there is no alternative always use trivets or short stands under the pot and saucer so that air can circulate underneath. This will prevent condensation on the saucer from damaging a wood floor. It will also be easier to see if the plant is over watered or if water has spilled onto the floor.
Many people are shocked when a rug is moved and there is an outline of the rug on the floor. Luckily there is no need to panic. If you remove the rug completely, the colour will blend eventually but it will take a while. So be patient! This is called oxidation and happens because UV light hits one part of the uncovered floor and does not reach the area of floor underneath the rug.
A deep scratch or gouge is not always easy to repair. We recommend consulting a professional when the damage exposes the bare wood.