Nothing is better than having beautiful hardwood floors in your home. Think about the times when you were in the process of purchasing a new home or renting a new apartment. Were you more attracted to the places with hardwood flooring or the ones with carpeting?
Hardwood floor is attractive, and you want to keep it that way. To ensure your hardwood floors stay shiny and healthy for years to come, you’ll need to understand hardwood floor maintenance. Taking care of your hardwood floors is a bit different than caring for tile or other types of hard surfaces.
Wood must be treated kindly and only certain products should be used on it. In this guide, you’ll learn everything there is to know about maintaining your hardwood floors. Continue reading below for everything you need to know!
Sweep and Vacuum Regularly
It’s important to sweep and vacuum your hardwood floors on a regular basis. Even if you don’t get must foot traffic in certain areas, you’ll want to ensure you’re cleaning them consistently. Any dirt, dust, or other debris can lead to scratches on the floors.
Even the smallest particles of dirt and dust can do this. When you step on the floors, you’re stepping on anything that’s on top of them, and that’s what causes the scratches. When you vacuum, however, be sure to place the vacuum on the hardwood-floor setting.
The setting for hardwood floors will stop the vacuum’s bristles from spinning and scratching your floor, so don’t forget this step.
This will prevent the vacuum from scratching the floors. You’ll want to use a broom with soft bristles as well to prevent the bristles from causing damage. Sweep daily and vacuum once a week for the best results.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
You want to sweep and vacuum more than you clean the floors with products. Try to avoid getting the floors damp at all costs. Wood will absorb any moisture that’s placed on it, and this can lead to swelling or warping of the boards.
There are times, however, when you do need to deep clean every so often. There are also times when a spill occurs or a sticky spot is found. These will require you to use cleaning products to get the wood cleaned.
Select the highest quality wood cleaning products or contact the manufacturer of your wood floors to ask about the best product to use on them. Only use cleaning products made for wood floors as other products have harsh chemicals that can ruin your floors.
You only need to use a small amount of cleaner on your hardwood flooring as well. Using too much cleaner could lead to excessive moisture.
Prevent Excessive Moisture
You want to prevent excessive moisture on your wood floors the best you can. Use should only use a damp mop with your cleaning products or a mop made specifically for hardwood floors. Never approach your hardwood floors with a mop and bucket.
The excessive amount of water will cause the wood to swell. You should also avoid using steam cleaners on your wood floors. Steam cleaners do a great job of getting floors clean, but it’s best to save those for your tile floors instead.
When a spill happens, be sure to wipe it up immediately. If you let the spill rest on the wood, the wood will absorb it.
Touch It Up and Refinish
If you notice a scratch or two on your floors, don’t panic. This is normal for wood floors. Scratches are going to happen eventually.
If you want to remove the scratches, you can touch them up using a stain marker. You can find these in touch-up kits for wood furniture. Once you notice the shine leaving your floors, you can refinish them to bring the shine back.
To do this, simply recoat the finish on the floors. You don’t need to go through the long process of sanding them down first and redoing the finish. You can just add another fresh coat on top of them.
Doing so will not only keep your floors shiny, but it’ll make them last longer as well. One of the greatest things about having wood floors is that you can always sand them down, repair them, and refinish them when needed.
Spot the Warning Signs
Wood reacts to elements other than water or moisture as well. Temperature and humidity in the air can also have a negative effect on your wood floors. This is why it’s essential to know the warning signs and spot them before it’s too late.
The wood floors will cup if there’s too much moisture. If you see this happening, try to locate and terminate the source of moisture. The floors will crack, split, or gap when the air is too dry.
If you see this happening, you can fix the problem by introducing a humidifier into your home. The humidifier will keep the floors happy and healthy without adding too much moisture to them.
Hardwood Floor Maintenance Is Easy Than You Think
Don’t let hardwood floors scare you away from installing them. Their beautiful and will last you a lifetime as long as you take care of them properly. If you once believed that caring for your hardwood floor and keeping up with hardwood floor maintenance was difficult, we hope this guide has proved otherwise.
With this guide in hand, you’ll be on the right track to long-lasting shiny wood floors!
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