Should You Steam Clean Hardwood Flooring?

A variety of steam cleaners are available for use on flooring, and while some are marketed as being designed especially for hardwood, in reality, they can cause serious damage to your floors. A steam cleaner uses water heated to a very hot vapor to clean and disinfect the surface of a floor. This vapor can get down into cracks and crevices to kill germs and bacteria, but when used on a hardwood floor, the moisture can remain down in the cracks and crevices. Because hardwood is naturally a very absorbent material, and exposure to water can cause it to plump, warp, twist, and mold, this can potentially damage your flooring.

Steam Cleaners "Designed" for Hardwood

Several companies sell steam cleaning machines that are supposedly able to clean hardwood floors safely. The reason these claims are made is that these cleaners have a function that wipes up excess moisture as it moves along the floor, absorbing the water and supposedly leaving the floor dry. Product literature on these machines is careful to note, though, that floors must be properly sealed for the tools to be safe on them.

But despite the existence of these machines and the claims their manufacturers make, all of the major wood flooring associations agree that steam cleaning devices should not be used on any hardwood flooring surface. There are no major hardwood providers who recommend the use of these products on their materials.

• The National Wood Floor Association (NWFA) states that using steam or excessive water may damage a wood floor.
• The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) has a similar warning saying not to use excessive water when cleaning wood floors.

In addition, Consumer Reports magazine states that in an independent test of steam cleaning machines “all the tested models left residual moisture, some more than others.” The presence of lingering moisture is enough to cause damage to even the tiniest cracks in the surface seal of a hardwood flooring installation.

If You Do Use a Steam Cleaner

All steam cleaners come with a warning that you must make sure the floor seal is intact before using their machines on the hardwood.

To test the thickness and durability of the seal protecting your hardwood floor, drip a small amount of water onto its surface. If the water immediately beads up, then the seal is intact and the floor cannot be penetrated. But if the water spreads out or sinks into the wood, then the seal has been compromised and needs to be reapplied. The thicker and more durable the sealed finish is, the more resistant to steam damage it will be.

Potential Problems

There are many reasons to avoid steam cleaning on the hardwood, including:

Wood seams: Even if the wood itself is perfectly sealed against moisture penetration, the seams between the planks can be vulnerable. Although seams are initially sealed during the application of top sealers, as the wood creaks, shifts, or contracts with use and weather, the seal inevitably gets cracked, allowing moisture to penetrate down and attack the floor from below.

Impact of steam: The steam itself presents a unique problem with hardwood. Water is a relatively thick substance. Steam, by contrast, is very light and thin and can easily penetrate even hairline fractures on a surface. This allows it to move down the side of hardwood planks, or slip up from underneath, attacking the floor from every vulnerable angle. As the vapor cools and condenses back into liquid water, you are left with moisture that can damage wood fibers.

Using steam can void the flooring's warranty: Most hardwood flooring will come with a manufacturer’s or a retailer's warranty. This will outline how long the floor should last under normal usage and guarantees its replacement if the material fails due to structural problems. These warranties often come with explicit conditions about which acts will void their protection—read carefully to determine if steam cleaning is a protected action under your floor's explicitly stated warranty.

Using a Steam Mop

Different flooring calls for different cleaning methods and tools. Some types may be ok with a good steam clean while others will not.

Engineered Flooring

Engineered hardwood flooring is made by adhering a thin layer of real hardwood to a filler backing, with a clear wear layer placed over it for protection. It offers a durable, easy-to-clean surface that looks almost as nice as solid hardwood, but at a more affordable price.

Engineered hardwood flooring would be vulnerable to liquid steam due to the wear layer only protecting the top surface. The sides, seams, and bottom of the planks and tiles are also at risk. Additionally, the adhesives used in the bonding process can be degraded by steam, making the danger of damage even greater. It's best to stay away from steam cleaning engineered flooring.

Faux Hardwood Vinyl Flooring

Unlike hardwood and laminates, vinyl is a completely human-made material. Although it may accurately reproduce the appearance of hardwood, it is impervious to harm from moisture and can be easily treated with a steam cleaner without having to worry about harming the floor.

Laminate Flooring

The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) does not endorse the use of steam cleaning machines on any laminate flooring. This is because laminate floors are often made with compressed fiber/particleboard layers, which can be susceptible to swelling and warping when exposed to excess moisture. Therefore, it's recommended to use alternative cleaning methods that are less likely to cause damage to laminate surfaces.

Painted Flooring

It's important to note that steam mopping on painted flooring can be risky, even if the paint layer is sealed. The heat from the steam can create bubbles beneath the paint, which can eventually lead to peeling. No matter what type of paint is used or how well it's sealed, it's best to avoid steam mopping on all painted floor surfaces if you want them to last a long time.

Other Flooring Types

There are now ceramic and porcelain tile products designed to look remarkably like wood, and these are perfectly safe for the use of steam cleaners. The steam mop is a great tool to clean not only the surfaces but the grout as well.

How to Clean Hardwood Flooring

You can still keep your hardwood floors clean and shiny without risking the ill effects of a steam cleaner. Using a broom or microfiber dust mop daily will keep dirt, dust, and crumbs from scratching your floors. Vacuuming regularly with the correct brush attachment that is gentle to the surface will keep debris from accumulating.

Spot cleaning any spills as soon as they occur will prevent liquids from sitting too long and dulling the finish. Spills can be cleaned up quickly with a soft absorbent cloth or a damp paper towel followed by a dry buff. When a deep clean is necessary, a cleaning solution formulated for hardwood floors and a dry microfiber mop is recommended.