Hardwood floors once thought of as “unfinished” flooring not many years ago, have made a huge comeback. Wood flooring can be an enormous asset to the home. In addition to enhancing the home’s beauty, wood floors increase the value of the home. Finished hardwood flooring comes in a variety of woods and different colors. This makes hardwood flooring the perfect accompaniment to any room and allows it to always blend in effortlessly with any decorating style you choose. Special hardwood finishes or treatments protect the wood from damage such as stains, moisture and everyday wear and tear, so taking care to properly clean the floors is a procedure well worth the time.
Solid hardwood floors look great. They have a look that spells quality and long life. And they will last long and look magnificent throughout if you take the effort to look after them. It’s not difficult, and the right kind of care will add years to your beautiful hardwood floor.
1. The worst enemies of your hardwood floor are grit, sand and dirt. These three act like sandpaper grinding, scraping and dulling the shiny surface until it becomes ugly. The most important cleaning tip for hardwood is cleaning your floors regularly and sweeping or vacuuming dirt and debris, you will save yourself a lot of time and expense in the long run. Use small mats near outside doors to prevent the dirt getting further into your house but avoid rubber backing or non-ventilated rugs.
2. When cleaning your floor with floor cleaner, lightly mist spray directly onto a damp sponge mop or onto a clean cloth. Always clean your wood floors with a professional quality wood floor cleaning product preferable one recommended by a wood flooring professional and/or the manufacturer of your particular hardwood floor product. When using a damp mop, first dampen the mop with water and wring as much water as possible out of mop prior to applying floor spray. This keeps excess moisture from seeping between the boards. Allow floor to air dry. No rinsing is necessary. For dry cleaning your hardwood floor use a good broom, a canister vacuum with a special bare floor attachment, a good dust mop or a swiffer which are really popular today. Warning: Vacuums with a beater bar or power rotary brush head can damage a wood floor and should never be used.
3. Water allowed to stand on any part of your hardwood floor can cause warping and discoloration. Be sure to wipe up any spills promptly.
4. Felt pads placed on the bottom surfaces of furniture will prevent scuffs, scratches, or dents. Re-arranging the furniture is fine, but lift it rather than dragging it. This will avoid scratches.
5. When walking on hardwood floors, it is best that you avoid walking on them with spiky shoes on, i.e., stilettos and gold shoes, as these can dig into the wood and cause deep scratches and gouges that can only be repaired by replacing the damaged floor board.
6. The sun can be strong and have much more power than you may think in mid summer. Direct sunlight can discolor a hardwood floor. Protect it with drapes, curtains or blinds.
7. If your floor does get a bad scratch in it, get a scratch filler kit of the right color at your local hardware store. Lightly sand and smooth the affected area first, (but be careful with the sanding as you may do more damage than good) then mix the solution to get the exact right color. When it has dried, lightly smooth with a fine grit sandpaper, then polish.
8. Pets are among your hardwood floor’s biggest enemies. They have claws and nails that scratch surfaces. Keep your pet’s nails well trimmed. Also, keep pet food containers off the floor surface. Pets always spill food around the containers, which will damage the floor over time. Use newspaper or something more durable to protect the floor.
Prevention is better than cure, so they say, and this adage also applies to your beautiful hardwood floors in order to keep them staying as smooth and shiny as the day they were installed. Wood floors can make your house look warm and cozy so protect your investment and keep them looking good.
This article is very well done! It brings me back to when I had to do the floors in our former home that had 10 out of 12 hardwood floors. It’s one of those projects that you can see the results and it’s worth all the blood, sweat, and tears.
Left by James Stratford on February 15th, 2009