How to Properly Care For Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood Flooring is a unique type of flooring. Although our product is durable, we still recommend caring for it properly to ensure it’s longevity. We’ll go over how to care for it while your home is still under construction or remodel, when you live in it, and how to clean it.
If you are undergoing a remodel or new construction, likely your hardwood flooring is going in as a finishing touch but likely not the last on your to do list. Many home owners still have a few things to finish inside the home, therefore it’s important to cover the new hardwood floors with ram board in high traffic areas. This will help protect against minor scratches, paint, and sliding furniture. We recommend rolling it out in needed areas, overlapping it and taping it to itself -NOT to the hardwood floor. Any high traffic areas or locations that are still being worked on will require this to protect your new floors. Feel free to ask us about this before we leave the job if needed. If any paint or other construction material happens to get on your floor, we recommend getting a professional construction cleaning. If further damage is done to your floor, please call us and we will be happy to assess and help restore your floors.
Now that your home is ready to move in, be sure not to drag any furniture, appliances, boxes or any heavy objects across the hardwood floors. To prevent deep scratches you can place new ram board in high traffic areas again to ensure movers don’t damage the flooring. We also HIGHLY recommend putting felt pads on the legs of all furniture- they can be found at almost any convenience store or online. Dining room chairs, bed frames and couches or lounge chairs often need these the most. When moving around furniture or heavy objects always be sure to lift and carry, never slide across your hardwood flooring. This will help keep the new look even longer- especially right after move in when you want to enjoy it the most!
You’re in your new home, admiring your new floors and suddenly someone spills a big glass of water- shattering the glass all over and drenching your floor! No need to panic, the floor is durable and can handle the broken glass. Don’t worry about if sweeping the glass up will create scratches- it more that likely will not. Soak the water up and make sure the area is dry. Hardwood floors absorb water. If you have areas in the home that are wet often, we recommend putting down rugs to absorb most of the water. Areas like under your kitchen sink, under the refrigerator (picking up any ice that falls out of ice dispenser), by bathroom sinks or bathtubs/showers (if you have hardwood floors in your bathroom) and possibly by your washing machine and dryer. Not immediately but overtime small amounts of water can case discoloration or swelling in the wood.
There are a few things you might not think could cause damage to your hardwood flooring, but overtime can. For instance, Dog water bowls are a big one! Place a small mat or rug under your doggy bowl to prevent those messy drinking splashes from ruining your flooring. House plants are another sly water holder that can slowly damage your flooring. If you have a plant saucer under your pot, it still may be holding water that your hardwood flooring is absorbing. To prevent this, set a cork mat under the pot and check frequently for water leaks. Follow these steps to prevent water damage from happening!
How to maintain and clean your hardwood flooring. When cleaning your hardwood floors there are a few tips to keep it in prime condition, simple things to follow that won’t add a burden to cleaning. When vacuuming, don’t turn on the moving bristles as these can, overtime, wear away on your hardwood flooring. Save the moving bristles for carpet and rugs. Also vacuum with the grain of the wood, same way as the boards lay, going against it can cause very minor damage that overtime will show up. There are also options instead of vacuuming, using a dry dust pad either from Bona or Swiffer that can remove dust before mopping. When mopping, avoid using a lot of water. We love using Bona Products to clean hardwood floors and have been using them for decades. Same rule applies when mopping, go with the grain of the wood and do not over soak with product, limit to two times per week maximum. Be sure to soak up liquid promptly and avoid getting your hardwood floors wet.
Although Hardwood Flooring is a little more upkeep than tile or laminate, the investment you make with hardwood flooring is one you won’t regret. Its uniqueness people will admire and it is a product that will last in your home for years adding value and character. If you have any further questions on maintaining your hardwood floors, feel free to comment below and we will respond with our professional tips. Thanks for reading!
