How to Clean Cork Flooring While Going Green
We have all heard and talked about the eco-friendly benefits of using cork products throughout your home, specifically cork wall tiles and cork floor tiles. But with this invasion of new flooring and wall covering options, many wonder – how do we clean cork flooring damaging it? Really, cork floor maintenance is very simple and we will give you 15 ways today to keep your cork flooring and wall tiles looking factory fresh every day and keep the dust bunnies out of your house too!
1. If you spill it, clean it. And don’t wait too long either. Just like with carpet or any other porous floor covering, you need to clean up spills within a quick time frame whenever possible. It is true that cork has a moisture barrier, but that only goes so far. Don’t test the limits! Clean it up as soon as possible with a dry towel or paper towel.
2. Use area rugs in high traffic areas to keep the dirt from being ground into your flooring and to save your back from sweeping multiple tiles a day. At the very least, we recommend that you use small rugs or mats at entry ways to dust the dirt off your feet before entering from the outside. The garden lives outside, not in your flooring!
3. Be sure those mats do not have rubber or non-porous backing that can trap moisture under them and affect the life of your cork flooring. Try to find coverings that compliment both the beauty of your cork flooring and the life of it too! We suggest something that is well ventilated from top to bottom.
4. Do NOT use harsh chemicals when caring for cork floors. Damp mop your cork flooring often, but make sure that it doesn’t remain saturated with water or cleaning supplies for too long. Note, we said damp mopping. Be sure you do not use a saturated mop when cleaning cork floors. Gently wring out your mop before using it to clean. Check with our AmCork specialists upon purchase to see what products they recommend to keep your floors beautiful and clean.
5. With the cork tile installation, you worked from the inside of the room to the outside. When mopping, we recommend that you do the opposite – work from the outside in. This keeps you from mopping all the dirt you just picked up into the cracks and crevices along the wall.
6. In addition to regularly using a damp mop, run your vacuum on its floor setting often to keep the dirt and dust at bay. This is something you can easily do several times a week and most of the newer vacuums have a bare floor setting. I know I use mine on that setting more than any other and it works like a champ!
7. If you want to clean in silence or only need to tidy up a small area, sweeping works perfectly well too! Keep your dust pan handy and sweep, sweep, sweep! It’s so easy you could probably even convince your children to do it for you!
8. Wipe down cork wall tiles with a damp hand rag on an occasional basis. You should not need to clean the walls as often as your floors. You may want to alternate a damp rag with a light chemical solution cleaning every once in a while. But if you have used our cork wall tiles in your kitchen backsplash area and cook a lot of spaghetti sauce, this will be an important hint.
9. Use furniture pads under your furniture. This helps with not only keeping any possible indentation from heavy pieces to a minimum, but it also helps you move furniture a little easier to clean under and behind it – See? We are saving you time and energy already! Plus your allergies will thank you for a proper cleaning!
10. Use those handy duster wands for weekly clean up on your walls. Just run it across the cork wall tile surfaces and collect your bunnies! This works great in the wall corners and around the base boards too.
11. When selecting a cleaning solution, be sure to keep your mind on our planet and select something that has a low impact on our environment. The marketplace is beginning to have many eco-friendly cleaning products available without having to search for them. You selected this type of product for a reason. Don’t let it stop at your feet!
12. On occasion, you may need to buff your cork flooring to remove scuff marks and bring back its natural shine. Again, we highly recommend you speak with one of our AmCork specialists when purchasing your cork product about how and when you may need to do a full service cleaning like buffing.
13. Have four-legged friends? This may increase your cleaning a bit more. But it would be the same with wood or tile floors too. Just be sure to sweep on a regular basis to keep both your floors and your fur-babies happy!
14. Love your cork floors and cork wall tiles and they will love you in return for many, many years to come. In addition to avoiding harsh chemicals, avoid harsh cleaning tools as well. Never, ever use steel wool, scouring pads, or anything else with a harsh abrasive on it. Remember – love them and they will love you too!
15. And lastly, enjoy your gorgeous cork wall coverings and flooring! The more you appreciate what you have in your home and the benefits you are reaping from them, the more likely you are to want to keep them in good repair. Plus, all your friends will want to visit more often after you install our products, so you will want to keep it showroom fresh to show them off to your fan club!