Are Steam Mops Safe To Use On Hardwood Floors

Although it may be tempting to deep clean your hardwood floors with a steam mop don t.

Are steam mops safe to use on hardwood floors.

The fact is there s no such thing as a completely sealed wood or laminate floor. Steam exposes your wood floors to extreme heat and water. Alternatives to the steam mop to clean hardwood floors. Moisture can seep between the layers weakening the bond and permanently damaging the floors.

This can cause damage warping bending and rot. If your wood flooring has a surface penetrating floor sealer use a damp cloth rather than a mop. But don t use steam mops on hardwood floors that aren t sealed. Mop manufacturers claim the mops are safe to use on a variety of flooring.

Drastic temperature changes and moisture may warp the wood says steve stocki manager of marketing and merchandising at lumber liquidators. Most hardwood flooring will come with a manufacturer s or a retailer s warranty. It s common for steam mop manufacturers to warn against using steam mops on unsealed floors a vague direction. Though durable on the surface engineered hardwoods are bonded using adhesives and the steam cleaning can affect the quality of those adhesives.

Be careful using a steam mop on other types of flooring even for non wood flooring you need to. If your floor is sealed you can clean it with steam at medium or low settings. Avoid using a steam mop on wood. The short answer is yes you can use steam mops on hardwood floors.

While researching the use of steam mops on hardwood floors i came across article after article that cautioned against using a steam mop on hardwood floors. The premise is that despite mop manufacturer claims the steam from the mop moves through cracks in the floor more easily than water which penetrates below the sealer and the moisture. In fact the steam mop comes into its own on these types of floors. Ceramic and porcelain wood floors.

Using steam can void the flooring s warranty. Avoid using steam mops on engineered hardwood floors. However even hairline gaps between boards are not bridged by the. Most hardwood floors are finished with polyurethane a moisture resistant finish.