Hi Maruthi, thanks for your question about cork floor cleaning products.

Cork Floor Benefits

Cork floors are a great fit for many sustainable building projects. They are rapidly renewable, durable, easy to install, reduce heat loss in rooms, reduce noise and vibration, are often made with mostly recycled content, and contain no VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

LEED Credits for Cork Flooring

Another benefit of cork flooring is that it can help to earn LEED credits.

Check with your cork flooring manufacturer to verify that their products qualify for these credits, but many cork floors can help achieve the following LEED New Construction and Major Renovations (NC+MR) credits:

• Materials and Resources Credit 4: Recycled Content
• Materials and Resources Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials
• Indoor Environmental Quality Credit 4.1: Low-Emitting Materials – Adhesives and Sealants
• Indoor Environmental Quality Credit 4.3: Low-Emitting Materials – Flooring Systems

Cleaning Cork Flooring

Cork floors are also very easy to clean. You simply need to vacuum or sweep off the surface. Then, use a damp mop with water mixed with a small amount of mild soap (liquid dish soap, like Joy or Dawn, will do just fine) to clean the surface of the floor. Follow that by wiping the floor again with a water-only, slightly damp mop to remove any soap residue.

Never use abrasives, ammonia, waxes, solvents, or oil-based cleaners on cork floors.

Cork Floor Finishes

Many cork floor manufacturers offer a polish or a top coat finish, which should be applied at least once a year. Check with your floor manufacturer to see what finishing products they recommend.

Globus Cork Flooring offers these cork cleaning and polishing products.

Wicanders also offers several cleaning and cork floor polishing products.

You should check with the manufacturer of your cork floor before applying any special cleaning or finishing products.

Related Advice:

• Cork Flooring and LEED: An Expert Review



• Rapidly Renewable Materials (LEED MR Credit 6): What are they?



• An Introduction to Green Cleaning