How To Care For Hardwood Floors

Hardwood flooring is a beautiful addition to any home but maintaining your flooring may not be the best for every type of household. Cleaning and maintenance may be more of a pain then a pleasure for some homeowners. However here are some tips to properly care and manage hardwood floors in your household. Learning how to care for your floors can extend the life of them as well as keeping them looking beautiful longer.

1. DAILY

Dusting daily is important to keep dust and dirt off the floor. This will help to prevent scratching and extend the beauty and life of your flooring. Daily dust-mopping also helps to reduce allergens found in the home. The best way to work on hardwood floors compared to traditional methods would be to use a microfiber material that uses static cling to attract more dust and allergens, such as a Swiffer Sweeper. These small fiber dusters help to reach into the pores of the floor to lift out dust and dirt more efficiently.

2. WEEKLY

To extend the life of your floors and keep them from damaging, a weekly clean is recommended. Look for pH-neutral, nontoxic and biodegradable soap formulas to clean your floors safely and effectively. Or do a simple at home mixture of vinegar and dilute it with water to clean your floors. While some debate about using vinegar, you can also use a steam cleaner to quickly clean and mop your floors safely and effectively without any harmful toxins or residue.

3. MONTHLY

Use water based wood polishes to restore the shine of your flooring every month or two. Polishes provide a protectant to avoid any stripping of your floor which may occur by regular cleaning. There are even durable polishes available to fill in any microscartches you may have in your flooring.

4. Tips

• Use felt protectors on the “feet” of furniture. Felt protectors allow chairs to move easily without scuffing. Clean and replace felt as needed.
• Never drag furniture over the floor, as this can result in serious damage. Always lift furniture or move it using floor protectors.
• Avoid walking across the floor in high heels as much as possible, and make sure all heel caps are in good repair.
• Place mats at exterior doors to trap sand and grit from incoming foot traffic.
• Use area rugs at floor transition areas: at the bottom of the stairway, in front of doorways, etc. Avoid area rugs which are rubber-backed and any other type of rug which will not allow the floor to breathe.
• Recoat the floor regularly. Recoating is preventative maintenance. When the floor begins to show wear, it is time to recoat. Do not wait until the finish has worn off and dirt and spills begin to penetrate the wood. If this happens, a far more intensive sanding procedure will be required to restore the floor’s finish.

*Written by Dave Carter from Carter Maintenance