Six top tips for cleaning wooden flooring

From solid timber to laminates and from mopping to vacuuming, here's your one-stop spring clean guide to hard floor maintenance

Most chemical cleaners leave a residue, and over time residue dulls the floor, adding a stubborn tack that attracts and holds even more dirt. Avoid broadcast sprays.

1. The vacuum and a dry dust with a mop should be your go-to. Spot clean with a well wrung-out soapy cloth, wipe with clean water and dry dust. Bona's mild, specially-formulated cleaner for oiled Floors (€17.50 for a litre bottle) can be deployed in a damp-mop technique but just occasionally, as needed.

2. Laminate wood flooring is not wood. It’s a synthetic composite of materials (basically high density fibre-board covered with melamine) with a digital print of wood plank grain and pattern on the top side. If you like wet mopping weekly and want a wood-look floor — go with laminate.