With today’s advancements in wood flooring stains and finishes, cleaning wood floors has become much less of an arduous process. Regular maintenance requires little more than sweeping with a soft bristle broom and vacuuming with a soft floor attachment (if the floor has a beveled edge that could collect debris). To minimize maintenance and maintain the beauty of your wood floors, consider the following preventive maintenance tips:
- Don’t use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes can cause wood to become slippery and appear dull.
- Use throw rugs inside and outside doorways to help prevent grit, dirt and other debris from being tracked onto your wood floors.
- Don’t wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
- Place soft plastic or fabric-faced glides under furniture legs to prevent scuffing and scratching.
- Avoid walking on your wood floors with cleats, sports shoes and high heels. A 125-pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch. An exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000 pounds of pressure per square inch.
- When moving heavy furniture, completely pick it up instead of sliding it on the wood floor.
- Use a humidifier throughout the winter months to minimize gaps or cracks.
Unlike most floor covering options, wood is very forgiving when it comes to cosmetic damage. Most problems can be prevented with proper maintenance, but renewal and repair is usually possible for more serious issues.
To find a Diamond Certified hardwood floor company in your area, click on one of the links below.
Alameda County: www.diamondcertified.info/alameda-hardwood-floors
Contra Costa County: www.diamondcertified.info/contra-costa-hardwood-floors
Marin County: www.diamondcertified.info/marin-hardwood-floors
Monterey & San Benito Counties: www.diamondcertified.info/monterey-san-benito-hardwood-floors
San Francisco: www.diamondcertified.info/san-francisco-hardwood-floors
Santa Clara County: www.diamondcertified.info/santa-clara-hardwood-floors
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I like that you mentioned to make sure you use a humidifier in the winter to avoid cracks. It makes sense that dry air could be bad for the wood. I am going to have new hardwood floors installed, and I want to know how to care for them. These are great tips, I will have to keep them in mind.
Understand the difference and proper use of wax and restorers. A wax finish must use wax to rejuvenate it. A surface finish such as a shellac, varnish or polyurethane must not use wax to rejuvenate it. There are polishers and restorers that must be used only on particular polisher, you must use them accordingly.