Pros
- Environmentally sustainable renewable resource
- Low-maintenance
- High quality bamboo is as durable — or more so — than conventional wood flooring
Last Updated: September 10, 2021
Bamboo floors are durable but not indestructible — cleaning them the wrong way could end in disaster. Here’s how to clean bamboo floors the right way.
Bamboo floors are all the rage — they’re modern, eco-friendly, and durable. But if you don’t take care of them properly, you can easily damage them beyond repair, and your bamboo flooring experiment will end in tears.
We don’t like tears, so we’ve prepared this bamboo floor cleaning guide to help you take care of your bamboo floors the right way.
Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that matures in five years and self-regenerates — it doesn’t need to be replanted. Growing bamboo doesn’t require deforestation or other environmental destruction, and it requires very little water to grow.
Bamboo flooring is made out of this grass and comes in a variety of styles and colors, and it’s available in natural or engineered planks.
Give this short, eye-popping video a watch to see how — and how quickly — bamboo grows:
Love you some bamboo? We’ve got lots of products made with it — check out our 11 most-beloved bamboo products!
Grove Tip
While quality bamboo flooring is generally more water-resistant than typical hardwood floors, it’s not waterproof — and therefore not ideal for bathrooms and other wet, humid areas in your home.
For the most part, the only thing you need to clean your bamboo floors are a microfiber mop and a microfiber dust mop — and maybe a few spritzes of water.
Microfiber removes visible and microscopic debris from your floor, including bacteria, mold spores, dust mite parts, and other allergy- and illness-causing particles. Most conventional mops and dust mops just push dirt around.
Occasionally, you might need to deep clean your bamboo floors. In that case, use a hardwood floor cleaner that’s pH-neutral.
If your cleaner is too acidic (like vinegar) or too alkaline (like ammonia), it’ll damage your floor’s finish. The best bamboo floor cleaners are nontoxic and biodegradable.
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Some highly acidic cleaners slowly (or quickly!) eat away at the finish of your bamboo floors. Others leave behind residues that dull the shine or turn it milky — and make the floor very difficult to recoat down the road.
Never use these cleaners on bamboo:
No!
Murphy’s Oil Soap and other soap products can damage the protective coating on the floor and even cause it to peel off.
Nope!!
It’s best to spritz your microfiber mop head with a pH-neutral hardwood floor cleaner.
If you spray the cleaner directly on the floor, it can seep into the seams between boards and damage the floor over time.
Never!
The best way to destroy your bamboo floors is with steam — the wood will absorb the moisture, which may cause irreparable damage like swelling and warping.
Regular cleaning and maintenance will keep your bamboo floors in tip-top shape.
If the floor has lots of dirt and dust on it, use a soft-bristled broom to sweep it up, then do the microfiber dusting.
Remove the microfiber pad, soak it in warm water, wring out as much water as you can, replace the pad — and mop!
Follow the directions carefully — especially if it’s a concentrate.
We have natural floor cleaning products for every walk-on-able surface in your home — and our helpful guides for cleaning vinyl plank, tile, hardwood, travertine, and laminate floors show you how to clean them the right way.
Grove Tip
The best way to shine your bamboo floors is to damp-mop them with a microfiber mop, which — by its very nature — won’t cause streaks.
The best way to keep them streak-free and shiny is to avoid using waxes, silicones, soaps, and other products that leave streaks — and dull the finish over time.
If your floors are light-colored, scuff marks will probably look pretty obvious.
To remove them, apply a little hardwood floor cleaner to the corner of a microfiber cloth, rub them away, and buff the spot with a dry corner of the cloth.
If you spill anything on your floors, wipe it up right away with a soft, dry towel.
Then, get out your microfiber mop, dampen it, and thoroughly clean the area.
For some reason, mayonnaise sometimes works to remove or reduce discoloration or stains.
Schmear the stain with mayo, let it sit for 15 minutes, then wipe it off and polish the floor with a dry microfiber cloth.
Whether or not this remedy works for you depends on your floor and the type of stain you’re trying to remove. At any rate, it won’t make the stain worse.
Grove Tip
Engineered bamboo flooring is, in general, up to 30 percent weaker than natural, solid bamboo, which is a real tough dude.
This type of bamboo flooring is more susceptible than natural varieties to wear and tear, but cleaning it often with the same cleaners and methods you’d use on natural bamboo will help extend its life.
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