7 Tips to Keep Your Hardwood Floor Looking Its Best
By Rob Buenaventura
Many people choose hardwood flooring because
it is easy to maintain and keep looking great. True, you will not have to worry
about hardwood staining if you spill grape juice on it, as you do with carpet.
However, there are a few things that you need to remember when you are dealing
with hardwood. Once you have spent a great deal of time and money on your
beautiful hardwood floor, you will want to keep it looking fantastic. Many
people choose hardwood flooring because it is easy to maintain and keep looking
great. True, you will not have to worry about hardwood staining if you spill
grape juice on it, as you do with carpet. However, there are a few things that
you need to remember when you are dealing with hardwood.
1) The most important cleaning tip for hardwood is preventative maintenance. By
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.
2) Wipe up any spills as soon as they occur. Although you will not have an
instant stain when you spill on hardwood floor as you do with carpet, you may
expose your hardwood to staining if you do not wipe up spills in a timely
fashion. Once stains have a chance to set into the hardwood you may have to
refinish the floor in order to get the stain out.
3) Sweep your floor everyday or as needed. It is important to sweep up any dirt
or debris off of your floor as necessary so that the dirt doesn't scratch the
wood. This will vary from house to house of course. If you have a high traffic
home, you may need to sweep a few times a day. Although, you may only need to
sweep every few days.
4) Use a hardwood cleaner once a week to keep your floor looking its best.
Hardwood floor cleaners are available at any home improvement center or at a
flooring center. They are quite easy to use, and with a little preventative
maintenance, you will thank yourself in the future. Simply spray the cleaner on
and use a cloth or hardwood broom to buff the floor gently.
5) Never use water and soap when cleaning your hardwood. Hardwood is not like
linoleum or even laminate flooring and you cannot use a bucket of sudsy, soapy
water to clean it. In fact, you can damage your floor if you try to mop it in a
traditional style. Because wood is susceptible to water damage, you want to
minimize the contact that your floor has with water. Water will seep into the
cracks of the boards and can cause swelling, discoloration and deformation of
the boards.
6) Protect your floor from furniture scratches and gouges. It is a very good
idea to place felt on the bottom of all of your furniture in order to protect it
from scratches. This is particularly important for furniture pieces that move a
great deal such as your kitchen chairs. But it is a good idea to protect all
pieces equally. You can purchase felt at the local hardware store, and cut it to
size to fit the bottom of every piece of furniture that you have.
7) Polish your floor regularly. If you have a hardwood floor with a wax finish,
you may want to wax it on a regular basis to keep it looking shiny and new. The
waxing process will also will also help buff any scratches out of your floor as
well. Every wax product is different so it is important to read the directions
carefully and also consult the manufactures guidelines of your flooring before
applying any wax product.
With a little bit of preventative maintenance and some common sense, you will be
able to keep your hardwood floor looking fabulous for many years. There are only
a few simple steps and rules to follow when dealing with hardwood flooring
because it is actually one of the easiest flooring types to care for.
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Rob Buenaventura invites you to HardwoodScene. Here we provide tips on
hardwood flooring and installation methods. For benefits on how to choose a
hardwood flooring vacuum, check out HardwoodScene.
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