There are a number of important do’s and don’ts for maintaining a strand woven bamboo floor. This type of flooring is hard and durable and suitable for high traffic – more so than most hardwood floors. Nevertheless like with hardwood flooring, strand woven bamboo flooring is susceptible to three main things – particles, humidity and water.
The number one cause of scratching is by small hard particles, in other words, such items as small rocks, bits of glass, pebbles, grit, hard dirt, tiny pieces of hard plastic and gravel. These particles can be hard to spot but very abrasive and damaging to a wooden or bamboo flooring. People walking on the particles will slide the particle across the floor damaging it. Ways to limit this type of damage is to make people take their shoes off at the door. Also have a rug or mat by all outdoor exits to catch the little rocks etc. Shake these rugs and mats out twice a week. If you use furniture protectors then check that the furniture protectors are clean and free of particles. Use a vacuum cleaner with a soft accessory brush, or a dust mop to regularly clean the strand woven bamboo flooring. And don’t wax your floor because dirt and grit will eventually find its way into the wax build up and then will constantly stress and scratch the flooring whenever pressure is applied to the flooring area containing grit and wax. High Heels with their focusing of weight on a small area act like dirt and grit on the floor.Also if you have pets then regularly check their paws to make sure they aren’t harbouring abrasive grit. It is also a good idea to get their paws or nails clipped so they don’t scratch the bamboo.
Humidity is another key issue. If the air contains too much water the strand woven bamboo planks will swell. If there isn’t enough water in the air then the bamboo will crack and shrink. This obviously happens over several years but to keep your floor beautiful and in good condition you will need a dehumidifier and a humidifier separately or combined for the room or rooms containing strand woven bamboo flooring. Your requirements depend on your location. Neither too much nor too little humidity is a problem in most of the UK, but in Springfield Missouri humidity is a big issue. The ideal humidity for strand woven bamboo flooring is between 30% and 60%.
Connected to humidity is water. Any spillage on a strand woven bamboo floor needs to be thoroughly mopped up immediately. Water if let to sit on the bamboo floor will cause rotting. It is worth considering putting down rugs in areas such as kitchens and bathrooms where water hitting the floor is more likely. It is best to dry clean your floor but if you want to wash your strand woven bamboo flooring with water then don’t use detergents and don’t spill lots of water on the floor. Instead use as little water as possible and dry carefully with a soft towel after washing.
That’s it for the basics for maintaining your strand woven bamboo flooring. Think particles, humidity and water. PHW. Peace Helps War.
