Key Takeaways
- To clean a parquet floor, sweep or vacuum with a soft brush first, then use a mop wrung out until barely damp, and dry the floor straight after.
- Water is what damages parquet. HDB names water absorption as a cause of discolouration, and water seepage as the cause of hollow, bulging strips.
- Never use a steam mop, vinegar, bleach, a soaking wet mop or abrasive pads on varnished parquet.
- A floor that stays dull after a proper clean has worn varnish. That needs re-varnishing, not more cleaning.
- Recurring home cleaning from Urban Company Singapore costs S$39 for a weekly 2-hour session, with the same trusted cleaner each time.
It’s a wet Sunday in a 1980s 5-room flat in Ang Mo Kio, and the bedrooms still have their original parquet. The floor feels slightly tacky, and last week’s mopping left grey streaks along the grain. You’re not sure whether to scrub harder or stop mopping altogether. Neither, as it turns out.
How Do You Clean a Parquet Floor?
Remove the grit dry, then mop with as little water as possible and dry the floor behind you. Parquet is wood under varnish, and neither likes water.
- Sweep or vacuum first, with a soft broom, microfibre dust mop or a vacuum’s hard-floor setting. A spinning brush bar scratches varnish.
- Mix a mild solution: a few drops of pH-neutral floor cleaner, or a cleaner made for varnished wood, in a bucket of water. NEA’s home-cleaning guidance says to prepare products according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, so follow the label.
- Wring the mop until it is barely damp. If it drips, it is too wet.
- Mop with the grain, working towards the door. NEA recommends mopping from one end of the room to the other without stepping from an unmopped area onto a clean one.
- Dry as you go. HDB’s maintenance advice for parquet is to dry the surface after mopping, ventilate rooms and avoid excessive dampness.
- Open the windows or run a fan until the floor feels dry underfoot.
Those grey streaks were most likely leftover cleaner drying on the surface. Use less product and they usually go.
Vinyl planks elsewhere in the flat need a different method: here’s how to clean vinyl flooring without damaging it.
Why Does Parquet Need Extra Care in Singapore?
Because the air is already wet. The Meteorological Service reports that Singapore’s mean annual relative humidity is around 82%, frequently reaching 100% during prolonged rain. Joints stay damp longer here, especially in the monsoon season.
- Use a drier mop than overseas guides suggest.
- Ventilate after mopping rather than shutting the room up.
- Watch the doorways. HDB suggests a floor mat on parquet next to the toilets to prevent dampness. Wet feet from the bathroom often cause the dark patch at the bedroom door.
What Should You Never Use on Parquet?
Anything that soaks, steams, strips or scratches.
| Product or tool | On varnished parquet? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Steam mop | No | Pushes heat and moisture into the joints, loosening the adhesive |
| Soaking wet mop | No | Standing water seeps between strips and darkens the wood |
| Vinegar | Avoid | An acid that dulls and wears down varnish with regular use |
| Bleach | No | Can discolour wood. Never mix it with vinegar or acidic cleaners, which releases toxic gas |
| Scouring pads or steel wool | No | Scratch the varnish, and scratches hold dirt |
| Wax or oil polish on varnish | No | Leaves a slippery film that attracts dust and complicates re-varnishing |
| Diluted pH-neutral cleaner on a microfibre mop | Yes | Lifts grime without attacking the finish |
To clean parquet naturally, warm water on a well-wrung microfibre mop handles most weekly dirt.
How Do You Remove Stains From Parquet?
Treat the surface of the varnish, and accept that some marks are in the wood itself.
- Sticky spills: hold a cloth dampened with mild solution on the spot for a minute, wipe, then dry.
- Black scuffs from shoes or chair legs: rub gently with a soft white eraser or a dry microfibre cloth.
- Crayon or marker: a little dish soap on a damp cloth, tested in a corner first.
- Pet accidents: blot straight away, wipe and dry. Left to sit, urine can darken the wood permanently.
- Dark patches that don’t move: water has gone through the varnish into the timber, where no cleaner reaches.
To test the varnish, drop water on a quiet corner. If it beads, the floor is sealed. If it soaks in, that area needs re-varnishing.
When Is It Not a Cleaning Problem?
When the floor is clean and still looks or sounds wrong. HDB’s Home Care Guide sets out 4 parquet problems, their causes and fixes:
| What you see | Cause, per HDB | Fix, per HDB |
|---|---|---|
| Dull surface across the floor | Worn varnish | Re-varnish |
| Discoloured patches | Prolonged water absorption or sunlight | Stop the water, use a window shade, re-varnish if needed |
| Gaps between strips | Prolonged dry conditions shrink the timber | Seal with matching putty, re-varnish if needed |
| Hollow or bulging strips | Water seeping underneath, loosening the adhesive | Find the water source, replace the strips |
Re-varnishing and replacing strips are jobs for a flooring specialist. Everything else in this article is a fair DIY job.
How Do You Keep Parquet Looking Good?
Keep grit off it and water away from it. Grit works like sandpaper, so frequent sweeping matters more than hard mopping. If a grey film comes back within days, here are the most common reasons a Singapore flat gets so dusty.
- Felt pads or rubber feet on furniture legs, as HDB recommends, and lift chairs rather than drag them.
- Rugs in busy spots, on a non-slip underlay. HealthHub lists slippery surfaces and unsecured rugs among the hazards behind falls at home. Here’s how to clean carpet and rugs at home.
- Curtains or blinds drawn against strong afternoon sun, which HDB lists as a cause of discolouration.
To fit floors into the rest of the flat, use this daily, weekly and monthly house cleaning checklist.
When Is It Worth Getting Help?
When the weekly sweep and mop keep slipping. Recurring home cleaning from Urban Company Singapore costs S$39 for a weekly 2-hour session, with the same trusted cleaner each time, so you explain the parquet once. See recurring home cleaning plans and book a cleaner in Singapore.
Before the first visit, prepare for the cleaner coming: leave out your floor cleaner and mention that the bedrooms are parquet. Re-varnishing is specialist work, and a whole-flat scrub is a deep clean. Here’s how deep cleaning and regular cleaning differ.
For more room-by-room routines, browse our home cleaning guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you mop a parquet floor with water?
Yes, but only with a mop wrung out until it is barely damp, never a wet one. Standing water seeps between the strips and into the wood, causing dark patches and lifting. Mop a small section at a time and dry it with a microfibre cloth before moving on.
Can I use vinegar on parquet floors?
It is best avoided. Vinegar is an acid, and used regularly it dulls and wears down the varnish that protects the wood, which then lets water in more easily. A few drops of pH-neutral floor cleaner, or a cleaner made for varnished wood, in a bucket of water is safer.
Can you use a steam mop on parquet?
No. A steam mop pushes heat and moisture into the joints between the strips, which can loosen the adhesive and make the wood swell. The result is the same hollow or bulging strips that water seepage causes. Stick to a dry sweep and a barely damp mop.
How often should you clean a parquet floor?
Sweep or vacuum with a soft brush 2 or 3 times a week, because grit is what scratches the varnish. Damp-mop once a week, or more often in a busy room. Wipe up spills straight away, before the water has time to soak into the joints.
How do you make a dull parquet floor shine again?
Clean it properly first, because a film of old cleaner often looks like dullness. If the whole floor still looks flat and worn, the varnish itself has worn away. HDB’s advice for that is to re-varnish the floor, which is a sanding and coating job for a flooring specialist.
Why is my parquet floor lifting or sounding hollow?
Usually because water has seeped underneath and the adhesive has let go. HDB’s guidance is to find the water source first, then replace the hollow strips where needed. Cleaning won’t fix it. Check for a leaking pipe, a wet bathroom doorway or a pot plant draining onto the floor.