How Do You Clean Cork Flooring?

How Do You Clean Cork Flooring?

Cork flooring is an excellent choice for those with pets, kids, and high traffic areas in the home they wish to keep beautiful. Cork has a great look that’s akin to hardwood, but it’s able to handle the abuse of a pet, child, and traffic friendly household without sustaining damage much better than many hardwood options. If you want your cork flooring to keep its beautiful luster over the course of time, you’ll want to know just how to clean it during regular maintenance. 

The first step to cleaning your cork floors is sweeping, as this gets rid of all of the dust, dirt, pet hair, and other solid debris that may be sticking to it. When sweeping cork flooring, you’re going to want to opt for a soft bristle broom and go about the sweeping process thoroughly on all parts of the floor. 

Next, you’ll want to take a bucket and fill it with warm water and a little gentle dish soap or cork appropriate cleaner. When cleaning cork flooring, you’ll want to stay away from harsh cleaners that are too acidic or too basic, as going too far in either direction will damage the finish on the flooring over time. Gentle dish soap is a really popular choice, and only a very small bit is necessary to effectively clean the flooring. If too much dish soap is added, you may then be stuck dealing with a film on top of your flooring once it dries.

While you mop the flooring, go with a soft sponge mop, and remember to use as little of the water and soap solutions as possible. Since cork is an absorbent material, it can soak up excess moisture, and this can cause the flooring to begin to swell. With a damp soft sponge mop, you’ll be able to clean your cork flooring effectively and without causing it damage. 

When it’s time to dry your flooring, you can expedite the process by using a soft microfiber cloth to soak up any excess moisture and allow the rest to air dry. It’s important not to use harsh or scratchy fabrics, as this can damage the cork’s finish, and you can simply allow the floor to air dry should you not have a soft microfiber cloth on hand. As long as there isn’t too much excess moisture, air drying the floor is perfectly sufficient!

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