How to Clean Bamboo Floors (Best Way to Keep it Shining)

Bamboo is one of the more exotic flooring materials, but not many people know how to clean it.

If you want to keep your bamboo floor shining, hang some curtains and buff it regularly to prevent discoloration.

We also suggest using a thick broom to sweep away all the dirt you can, and a deep cleaning tool like a great steam mop to clean up spills and liquid messes right away.

Here is the best way to clean bamboo floors:

The Quick Rundown

We’ll start with one of the lesser known causes of damage to your bamboo flooring; sunlight.

If you leave your bamboo floor in sunlight, it can turn become brown and discolored like aging wood.

Also, here are our tips in a quick and listed format, in case you’re in a hurry or just spilled something on your bamboo floor yourself.

• For the first step, sweep your floor with a broom or vacuum. Bamboo floor tiles are resistant to scratching, though they aren’t immune, and may scuff if your vacuum’s wheels apply too much pressure.
• Wipe down your floor with a mop, hot water and a good cleaning product. Or, use a steam mop capable of pulling dirt and fibers that have sunk further into your floor than ordinary dust.
• Dry your floor off if you’ve used a powerful chemical like bleach, to prevent any warping in the wood or grain.
• Buff the bamboo tiles to remove any marks that may remain, and close your curtains if you’re not in the room to prevent direct sunlight from changing the color of your newly cleaned floor.

Harder Than Most Hardwoods

Your bamboo floor is tough enough to endure most forms of cleaning easily, from hard bristled brooms to rolling vacuums. The tradeoff is that bamboo flooring can be scuffed easily, so you should look to buff out marks immediately when they form.

Don’t try to use wax to prevent scuff marks though, because bamboo floor tiles are resistant to wax, which won’t sink in and create a smooth finish as intended.

In fact, be aware that  the biggest threat to your bamboo floor is scratching and puncturing. 

If you have a pet, consider trimming their nails to prevent claws digging holes into your floor.

If a family member wears spikes or other perforating shoe types, make sure they take them off before entering the room. Acute pressure is the easiest way to prematurely damage your bamboo floor.

Mop Vigorously

When you have to wash or mop your floor, most cleaner products will work fine.

Use hot water to soak your mop, and then your detergent of choice to remove stubborn stains or spills.

Avoid especially strong chemicals like bleach for your indoor flooring, unless necessary.

When you do use it, we recommend wiping down your floor afterwards to prevent the drying chemicals from forming a film on top of your bamboo.

If you want to do some deep cleaning without the use of a strong cleaner, we suggest using a steam mop. Bamboo flooring can take the heat of hot water or steam cleaning, so a steam mop can be an excellent answer to spills that have soaked into your floor’s surface.

Your damage resistant bamboo floor also allows you to use a washcloth for spot-cleaning and intense, area-specific scrubs that may require some elbow grease.

Don’t Wax It at All

There are different types of bamboo flooring, but we know of at least a few that can be refinished. If you’ve had your bamboo floor for a while and want to give it some renewed resilience, then buff out any marks that currently exist, then apply a new finish to restore vitality to the wood. You shouldn’t refinish your floor more than once or twice, but doing so at key times can add longevity to your floor’s lifespan.

Finally

Those are our tips on how to clean your bamboo floors.  Bamboo is an excellent type of flooring, resistant to tough cleaning methods like heavier bristled vacuums.  You can use powerful steam mops or bamboo friendly cleaning products to get out liquid stains easily. And if you’re cautious about direct sunlight and scuff marks, preventing discoloration and aging should be a snap.