Photo by Denys Striyeshyn on Unsplash
Wood floors can be the best and the worst all at the same time! They’re absolutely stunning, but keeping them clean can be a challenge. When it comes to wood floor cleaning, it’s a delicate process. Here’s the thing. Some of those chemicals and cleaners might actually be harming your floors.
Check out this guide to better understand why your wood floors might look yellow and how to best avoid that issue.
Type of Wood
Some types of wood floors are far more susceptible to discoloration than others. Oak is a great example. When it comes to wood floors looking yellow, oak flooring is the most common culprit. With that in mind, other types of wood can also end up with a yellow tint or even yellow spots, so don’t assume you’re safe just because you don’t have oak!
Oak is susceptible to several things that could cause it to look yellow over time. This is because oak is such a light color to begin with, so it is affected by things that lead to discoloration. Take sunlight, for example. On oak floors, the sunlight will expose wood floors to UV, which can cause it to take on a yellow hue as it ages.
Other types of wood can also be affected by the sunlight and turn yellow. It just tends to be more noticeable on oak floors.
Cleaning Products
It’s quite possible that the cleaning or waxing products that you are using could be the problem. For example, some oil-based solutions actually are designed to leave a yellow tint behind. In most cases, the tint also leaves a shine behind. However, that yellow look from your product could build up over time and make even the best wood floors look yellow.
When you’re choosing cleaning products, try looking for something with simple ingredients that is light or even clear when you look at the color. Avoid anything oil-based, as these are what might give you a yellow tint.
Polyurethane was actually originally designed to have a yellow hue. Sometimes, that hue builds up to an orange color. People don’t often realize what it’s doing to their floors. Take the time to find something that is not oil-based so you can avoid this.
Yellow Spots
Maybe your whole floor doesn’t look yellow, but you just noticed yellowed spots. Here’s the thing: even though you would think the effect would be all over the wood, you can have the same yellowing effects we mentioned above in sparse places.
It might just be that spot gets more sunlight, or it could be that there was debris and buildup that settled in when mixed with the cleaner you used.
What Do You Do?
If you notice yellow hues or spots on your wood floors, the best thing you can do is hire professionals for wood floor cleaning. In most cases, your wood floors can be restored and cleaned up to get rid of that yellowing color. Going forward, follow the best practices when you are cleaning to avoid the yellow coming back!
Give us a call at The King of Kleen. We would be happy to help with your wood floors.
