Clean Wax Buildup Off Wood Floor

Deep clean heavy dirt and grime buildup.

Clean wax buildup off wood floor.

To gain a better understanding of how to remove it it s good to have an idea of the ingredients in floor wax. To remove wax buildup in wood furniture s crevices dip a soft brush like an old toothbrush in the cleaning solution below and scrub rinse immediately and buff dry. Scrub heavy wax buildup with fine steel wool if the cloth does not remove all residues and wipe with a clean dry cloth. Before stripping the wax buildup remove furniture from the floors you re cleaning sweep up any loose debris and mop to remove dirt.

Over time the layers of wax start to build up turn yellow with age and can make the floor look dirty even after you just cleaned it. While waxes vary most contain an emulsion of paraffin or carnauba an extract from brazilian palm trees in a solvent when you apply the wax the solvent evaporates and only the wax coating remains. You should always keep maintenance up with the wood floor as well as stay away from oil soap wax or wood cleaners that will damage your floor. He said they did clean hardwood floors but that my floors had a buildup of hazy residue that would need to be removed before they could use their equipment on them.

When cleaning hardwood floors less is more. Continue working in 2 foot sections until the entire floor is cleared of wax. To remedy this strip the old wax buildup before waxing again. If you use ammonia every day it can strip off the finish as well as warp the wood floors.

If a surface finished hardwood floor still looks dingy or dull after dusting deep clean it with any ph neutral wax free and petroleum free cleaner such. Wax should be reapplied regularly as per manufacturer instructions. A small application of cleaner on a microfiber mop is all that s needed to clean your floors. I wasn t sure what he was talking about so i folded back a corner of one of the rugs in the living room and saw the difference for myself.

If waxing a floor that doesn t need it the wax will react negatively with the finish and create a cloudy look. Floors that have a polyurethane finish do not need to be waxed. With a few simple products you can remove the hazy wax build up but it is a labor intensive four step process. Wax provides good protection for your floor if it is finished with a penetrating sealer and it can make polyurethane lacquer and shellac finishes.

In humid areas or if you have several layers of wax buildup you may need to repeat the process a couple of times to remove all of the layers.