Last updated on August 29th, 2022
Hardwood floor not just perks up the décor of your home, but makes it look more elegant, sophisticated, classy, and modish. The ambiance of naturally beautiful hardwood flooring is simply incomparable. Because of this, more and more homeowners are choosing it over other kinds of floor coverings.
Although wooden floor surfaces give the home décor an ethnic look, they are difficult to maintain. One wrong step will destroy the overall appearance of your floor forever. You would have to work hard to preserve their original sheen.
Hardwood Floor Care Tips
Here are a few useful hardwood floor care tips that will help you to prolong the life of your flooring. In case your hard floors are not clean for a long time, you may need to deep clean the hardwood floors. Proper take care of the wooden floors can ensure the floor are beautiful all the time and last longer.
Here are some of the tips for you:
Doormats and rugs – At each and every entry point, place a doormat or area rug. These items will collect dust, mud, and dirt and prevent them from acting as sandpaper and damaging the delicate surface of the floor. Make sure that the mats are not rubber-backed or non-ventilated types. Shake the mats often to remove all the accumulated dirt.
Brooms and vacuum cleaner – Buy a soft bristle broom to mop up the floor covering. Use a suitable hard floor vacuum cleaner to remove dust from areas that are hard to reach like the regions between the planks. Use a mild soap solution to finally clean the floor.
Conditioners and sealers – From time to time, use conditioners and sealers to enhance the appearance of the wooden floor. Before buying these products, ensure that they do not contain any harmful chemicals or dyes.
Water, oil, and ammonia – Avoid ammonia and oil-based cleaners, and never use large quantities of water to clean your floor covering. Wood has a tendency to expand when it is wet. Too much water will cause the floor surface to swell up, crack, and splinter. This is one of the most important hardwood floor care tips that should be remembered at all costs.
Window treatment and other protectors – Excessive exposure to sunlight causes the wood to age quickly. Hence, high-quality window blinds are essential. Table and chair legs should be guarded with protectors to prevent scuffing. All the sharp and pointed objects should be kept away from the hardwood floor.
Tips: Great methods to clean old hardwood floors faster!
Some more hardwood floor care tips
If your floor covering is excessively damaged, then screening and re-coating become crucial. In the process, the original polyurethane film is removed and a fresh coat is applied. This procedure will rejuvenate your wooden floor as well as enhance its durability and endurance.
If your floor surface is extensively damaged, then screening and recoating will not help. You would have to sand the floor until the bare wood is clearly visible. After that, you would have to re-stain and refinish the surface. It is advisable to hire an experienced professional for this process as it requires a bit of expertise.
Also, if your house is furnished with engineering wood floors (which are very popular nowadays), you also need to take care of it regularly. This article explains how to do it correctly.
Hardwood Floor Maintenance Tips
Following are a few maintenance tips that will help you to preserve the beauty of your hardwood floor covering forever. We divide them into daily, monthly, and yearly maintenance guides.
Daily maintenance
It is essential to clean the floor on a regular basis because, with each footstep, mud and dirt also come in and act against the floor surface.
To remove the dust, a soft bristle broom should be used. Before using the broom, test over a small portion. Replace it immediately, if it leaves scratches or damages the finish of the hardwood floor in any manner.
After cleaning the entire area properly, make a soap solution by mixing mild liquid soap in water. With the help of a small sponge mop, uniformly wipe the floor and allow it to dry. This hardwood floor maintenance procedure will prolong the life of your flooring.
Monthly maintenance
There are a number of hardwood floor maintenance products available that on the one hand, enhance the looks of the surface, and on the other hand, they add life to your floor. These conditioning products should be applied strictly according to the instructions.
It is advisable to clean the floor first through the above-mentioned procedure and then apply the conditioning product. This will remove all the foreign particles which have the potential to cause damage to the floor covering. Once the surface is absolutely clean, spread the conditioner evenly and wipe it with a soft sponge mop.
Yearly maintenance
To ensure that the beauty of your wooden floor remains intact, apply good quality sealer every year. Before buying the sealer, check its ingredients. It should be free from harmful chemicals and dyes. Clean the floor thoroughly as you do daily and then apply the sealer with the help of a soft mop. Allow it to dry and then burnish the area.
Use a clean, soft piece of cloth for burnishing, and make sure that you move the cloth in a circular manner. If done properly, this hardwood floor maintenance will restore the original good looks of your floor.
Conclusion
Hope that with the caring and maintenance tips outlined in this article, you can follow the tips to better maintain your hardwood floors. This definitely can add more durability to the material and also can maintain the shining floors for a longer time.
