Few things match the beauty of hardwood flooring, and with simple proper maintenance, your hardwoods can retain the sheen, warmth and durability that make them a classic flooring choice. It is important to remember that in caring for your hardwood floors, you are actually caring for two separate surfaces – the finish, and the hardwood beneath.
Hardwood Floor Care
Don’t Damp Mop
Water and wood floors don’t mix! Use only recommended cleaning products on your hardwood floor.
Use Protective Matts At Exterior Entrances Inside
Rugs at exterior entrances can help keep dirt, stone and grit from being tracked onto the floors. Used with exterior mats they provide another level of protection for your hardwood floor.
Vacuum Regularly
Small stones, mud and gritty dirt tracked in from outside can play havoc on the wood floors finish. To help combat this, place long bristle welcome mats at all outside entrances for people to wipe their feet on before walking onto the floors. Also, vacuum using a soft bristle brush attachment.
Use the Proper Chair Glides
Narrow wheels, sharp wooden legs or metal furniture legs can scratch and dent hardwood floors. Any furniture that rests directly on top of a hardwood floor should have felt protectors, or furniture coasters under all it’s feet. For extremely heavy objects such as a piano, use wide, non-staining rubber cups. Purchasing floor protectors is cheap insurance for protecting your hardwood floor investment.
Protect from Direct Sunlight
Your wood floor may change color or fade due to exposure to direct sunlight. The sun’s UV rays accelerates the oxidation and aging of wood so periodically rearranging your furniture and closing the curtains during intense periods of sunlight can help avoid the problem.
Don’t Use Oil Soaps
There are many over the counter oil-based soaps and wax based cleaning products that may damage or dull the finish of your wood floor. The best suggestion is to only use the manufacturers recommended cleaning products on your hardwood flooring.
Never Wax a Urethane Wood Finish
If your hardwood floor has a polyurethane finish never use a paste wax on the floor’s surface. A paste wax may form a sticky film on your floor and allow tracked in dirt to stick to your wood finish. Polyurethane finishes will not adhere to any wax and adding a fresh coat of polyurethane to your floor will be very difficult.
Trim Pet’s Claws
Pet’s claws may scratch you floors finish. Regularly trim dog’s claws to help reduce scratching your floor’s finish.
Wipe Spills Immediately
When accidents happen and some liquid gets spilled on your hardwood floor, you should use a slightly damp white cloth, or paper towel to immediately clean up and dry the affected area. For more difficult spots, follow the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning procedures.
By following these few simple steps, your beautiful hardwood floors will be as satisfying in years to come as they were the day they were installed.
Of course, these are general cleaning suggestions only. Always refer to the manufacturer’s care and maintenance instructions and recommendations!
Still have questions about how to care for your floor? Just give us a call! We can advise you on the best practices for caring for your floors and can provide any specifics about the manufacturer’s recommendations to maintain your warranty.
