Flooring experts say mopping wooden floors with a simple kitchen item will keep dust at bay for longer and restore their natural shine
Hard flooring is ideal for the busiest parts of your home, but despite being more hard-wearing than carpet, it can still become surprisingly dirty. What’s more, signs of deterioration become more apparent over time, making routine cleaning with the right products absolutely vital.
While wooden floors are typically easy to clean, as the weather warms up, many households may discover their floors stay dusty no matter how often they vacuum and mop. Wooden surfaces tend to create significant static electricity during warmer periods, causing dust to float in through open windows and constantly settle on the floor.
However, flooring experts at All Kleen Carpet Cleaning Services suggest that dust can be held off for longer and wooden floors can keep their lustre using nothing more than black tea.
They said: “In addition to being a comforting and refreshing drink for your body, black tea can also refresh and even clean your hardwood floors.
“The tannins in black tea act as a light and warm stain that brings the natural warm tones out of your hardwood, while the polyphenolic compounds found naturally in the Camellia Sinensis plant that black tea is made from, attack germs and prevent their growth.”
The experts pointed out that you can adjust the strength of the tea and, as a result, the depth of the “stain” it creates. For lighter wooden floors, using four to six tea bags is recommended, while for particularly dark hardwoods, 10 to 12 tea bags are advised.
If you find the tea is too strong after testing it, simply dilute it with a little extra water, or if it needs more potency, add a few more tea bags.
Before getting started with the tea mop, however, make sure your floor is completely free of dust and dirt. Give it a thorough sweep followed by a vacuum to ensure every last trace of grime has been removed.
How to clean wooden floors with black tea
Bring 1.9 litres of water to the boil in a large pot over high heat on the hob.
Once boiling, turn off the heat and steep the eight black tea bags in the hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.
Once the time is up, remove the tea bags, squeezing out every last drop of liquid before discarding them.
Allow the tea to cool until it is barely warm, so as not to cause any damage to the floor’s finish.
If you need to speed up the cooling process, start by boiling only half the water, steep the tea, then top it up with another eight cups of cold water.
When the mixture is lukewarm, pour it into a large bucket and take it to a discreet or less prominent area to test it on your floor. A corner would be the perfect spot.
Dip a clean cloth into the tea and wring it out thoroughly, as you should never saturate your wooden floors with water.
Working in the direction of the wood grain, apply the tea to the test patch.
Once you’re happy with the shade the tea gives your floor, mop up the rest using minimal amounts of water.
Allow the floor to dry fully and take pleasure in your wonderfully revived wooden flooring.
