Are Wood Floors Hygienic?

We all want our houses to be clean. Going beyond visible cleanliness, that means minimising dirt, dust and bacteria that could potentially cause harm. Thanks to the magic of gravity, your floors are among the trickiest areas when it comes to hygiene.

In this post, we’ll discuss how wood floors can help out.

Carpets’ hygiene problem

Hygiene is important throughout the home. Your floors are no exception. Having clean, hygienic floors stops germs spreading, keeps things looking nice and eliminates any nasty smells lingering in your home. That’s why research by sofa company SCS is so alarming…

They found that carpets are among the dirtiest areas we encounter. Testing various surfaces for levels of bacteria, yeast and mould, they discovered that bedroom carpets had 140 colony-forming units (CFUs) per square centimetre. Put simply, that’s the number of microorganisms like fungal cells or bacteria in a sample.

Living room carpets were second with 52 CFUs, while office carpets’ 2.9 CFUs put them fifth. To put that into context, toilet seats came in fourth with 12.4, meaning some of the floors in your home could be 10 times dirtier than the average household loo!

How do wood floors compare?

The reason carpets rank so highly in the tests above is that they naturally absorb lots of dirt, dust and bacteria. Everything from dead skin cells to insect faeces can be held in a carpet’s fibres, even those with a short pile.

Once it’s in there, vacuuming is unlikely to get it out and it’s simply not practical to book in a professional deep clean every few months.

In contrast, wood floors have a solid surface that doesn’t absorb dirt or dust of any kind. It’s much more hygienic than a carpet and much easier to clean yourself.

Keeping wood floors clean

While wood floors are undoubtedly more hygienic than carpets, they still need to be cleaned regularly to prevent any unsanitary build-up. Over time, dirt and micro-organism can accumulate in scratches and joints. Fortunately, this isn’t something you’ll need professional help to deal with.

Using a good vacuum that’s designed (or has a specific setting) for hardwood floors will remove dirt and debris from the surface and joints of your wood floor. On top of that, a microfibre duster can lift dry dirt, while a microfibre mop is the best option for picking up stains.

You can also bolster the hygiene of your wood floors with polishes and oil refreshers. These work to protect the surface of your wood floors, preventing any moisture and bacteria from getting into the wood itself. It also reduces the chance of scratching, so there are fewer areas where dirt and dust can accumulate.

Cleaning kits for wood floors

At Greyspace Flooring, we stock a full range of cleaning kits that are specifically designed for wood floors. With microfibre dusters and mops plus a selection of maintenance products, we have everything you need to keep your wood floors hygienic long into the future.

Visit our showroom in Sheffield to find the products you need or talk to our team about the best solution for your floors.

Visit Our Showroom