How to Clean and Maintain Your Internal Doors

When deep cleaning a home, the main things that come to mind are de-dusting the countertops, hoovering or mopping the floors, and changing the bedding. Internal doors often don’t get a second thought. We pass through them multiple times a day but we don’t tend to think about them when cleaning the home. This is primarily because our internal doors don’t require the same maintenance as the points listed above; however, it is important to give them a good clean every-so-often.

There are different cleaning methods and maintaining your internal doors that suit each style and material of the door. In this article, we’re going to discuss the types of materials that you can have for your internal doors and how to keep them clean during their lifespan.

What Are the Types of Internal Doors?

Aside from having a range of styles to choose from such as bifold, sliding, and French doors. You can also have your internal doors made from uPVC, wood, and aluminium, as well as having panels or glass inserts – yes, there’s that much choice!

The main material used for internal doors is wood. It’s lightweight, cost-effective, aesthetically-pleasing, and is very easy to customise. However, you can also go for a cheaper material, uPVC, or a more expensive material, aluminium.

As with anything that comes in different materials, there is a method for each that differs slightly from the others. Each material responds to things differently; for example, using water on a uPVC door is fine, but using it on untreated wood can damage the door and the frame, so it’s important that you learn about cleaning and maintaining your internal doors before you do it.

How Do I Clean and Maintain Internal Wooden Doors?

If you don’t have your wooden doors treated (not a huge deal as they’re not exposed to the elements), you’ll need to be careful about what products you use on the wood. For a thorough clean, use a damp cloth – ensure the cloth is completely ringed out to remove the chance of damaging the wood – and wipe the entire area. Follow with a clean, dry cloth or a paper towel to remove any excess water.

If your doors are treated or painted, you can be a little more relaxed with the cleaning of your internal doors. Add a bit of washing up liquid to your damp cloth or sponge to scrub away any stubborn dirt. You can also use polish and a dry cloth to give the door a dry clean; this is a great method if you haven’t got enough time to grab a bucket of water. Plus, you won’t need to dry the door after.

If you keep on top of your cleaning, maintaining wooden doors can be as simple as using a dry cloth to remove cobwebs and dust.

If cleaning your doors doesn’t quite restore them, adding a thin coat of paint will brighten them back up.

How Do I Clean and Maintain Internal uPVC Doors?

uPVC isn’t commonly used for internal doors; however, that doesn’t mean that they don’t exist.

uPVC is incredibly easy to clean: you can follow the same method as stated for wooden doors, or you can simply use a uPVC-friendly cleaning spray and either a dry cloth or paper towels.

Do not use any form of tough scraper or scouring pad as you may leave scratches on the door’s surface. uPVC is a little more forgiving than wood, but harsh chemicals and scouring pads can still damage the surface.

How Do I Clean and Maintain Internal Aluminium Doors?

For standard internal doors, aluminium isn’t typically used however, aluminium is a common material for internal bifold doors and internal sliding doors.

Although aluminium can’t become water damaged like wood can, it’s still less forgiving than uPVC.

When cleaning your aluminium internal doors you can use either a damp cloth and water or a cleaning product and a dry cloth. As aluminium is a form of metal, you must ensure that you aren’t using any harsh chemicals, so check the labels on your products before using them.

Using a scouring pad on aluminium will dull the shine of the metal, so it’s best to avoid these types of products; stick with a soft cloth, sponge, or paper towels. If you come across any stubborn dirt, use a soft-bristle toothbrush, and gently rub the dirt away.

How Can I Clean Internal Door Glass Inserts?

If your internal door has glass inserts, you can clean the glass in the exact same way as you would any other glass item.

You can use warm soapy water and a sponge or cloth to clean glass although this isn’t necessary for internal doors as they don’t get as dirty as external doors. For internal glass, spray a glass-friendly solution on the glass and use a dry cloth or paper towels to dry.