Getting Your Wood Floors Holiday Ready

The season for gathering with friends and family is quickly approaching, and we know that making sure your home is ready for all the hustle and bustle is in the front of your mind. There is no better time (or excuse), to use the season as the perfect opportunity to show off your home, as well as connect with the people we love.

Having floors that have been finished with Rubio Monocoat products make maintenance a breeze, so there is no reason your floors can't look as good as new before the guests arrive. Even if your floors are not finished with Monocoat, many of Rubio's natural maintenance and cleaning products are compatible with other types of finishes.

Cleaning Wood Floors

The first step to beautiful floors is keeping them clean.  Keeping your floors free from dirt and grit will extend the life of your floor's finish.

Steps to keeping your wood floors clean

1. Use mats and rugs. Placing mats at both the inside and the outside of all exterior doors prevents dirt from being tracked onto the floors, which helps to keep scratches and other blemishes from occurring.
2. Vacuum or sweep your floors regularly. Depending on the amount of traffic your floors get, will determine how frequently you need to vacuum or sweep. High traffic areas may need to be cleaned on a daily basis, whereas light traffic areas may only need to be vacuumed after several days. If you see dirt or grit on your flooring, it's time! And remember, always place your vacuum in hard floor mode or use an attachment that is specifically made for hardwood floors to avoid damaging your floors.
3. Damp mop your floors regularly. Using a well wrung (not dripping wet) damp mop your floors regularly to remove any build up of dirt or grime. Using a damp mop also helps to remove any dirt that may have been missed while vacuuming. A damp mop is often sufficient to keep your wood floors clean.
4. Use Rubio Monocoat's Universal Soap as needed. When your floors are in need of a more thorough cleaning than Monocoat's Soap will remove all dirt and grease without leaving a film or affecting the matte natural look. This is the only cleaner that is recommended for use on Rubio Monocoat oil finished floors. Remember, only use a damp mop with the soap mixture. Do not saturate the floor.

Restore and rejuvenate your floors

Now that you've gotten the cleaning done, it may be time for a little "rejuvenation". Usually between 2 and 6 years, your floors may benefit from maintenance using Renew.

If your floors are looking dry or rough, or if you notice that water is no longer beading up, using Renew will bring back the surface of your floors back to when they were brand spanking new. You can use Renew on individual areas or spots as needed, which makes the job fast and easy. Using Renew when necessary will extend the life of your floors and keep maintenance simple. (And who doesn't like simple!)

How to use Rubio Monocoat Renew

Renew is easy to use. Simply apply it onto the spot needing treatment. Wait for 3-5 minutes while it reacts. Then wipe the area dry. Make sure that all the excess product is removed. The area will be ready for light use in 4-6 hours.  If your floor's color has been affected, you will need to perform a renovation application of Oil Plus 2C in the original application color. 

For additional information, please check out our instructions on how to renovate a Rubio Monocoat floor.

Want to add a little shine (well, sheen)?

Oil Plus 2C has a natural, matte finish.  If that just isn't your "thing" than you can increase the sheen slightly (approximately a velvet like appearance) by using Universal Maintenance Oil.  It also adds a luster and provides additional nourishment for your wood floors.  

You can also use Universal Maintenance Oil to convert a floor that was finished with a different or an unknown brand of oil finish.

Once you have used Universal Maintenance Oil to rejuvenate a surface, any future maintenance should be performed using Universal Maintenance Oil to keep a consistent sheen.

After applying Universal Maintenance Oil, your floor will be dry in approximately 6-8 hours for light use.  Your floor will be fully cured after 6 days.

Call in the guests!

Now that your floor is both beautiful and well protected, it's time to start planning that party!  We know that your home sets the tone for any occasion, and is an extension of who you are.  Knowing that your floor has been treated with Monocoat's non-toxic, zero VOC products lets you and your guests breathe easy.   And when spills, scratches and other life's mishaps occur you can rest easy knowing that you can easily bring it back to new in just a few easy steps.