How can you maintain hardwood floors, extending their life without increasing your work load?
Cleaning Hardwood Floors
The best way to clean a hardwood floor is a broom or dry mop. Hardwood floors can be cleaned disposable floor cleaning systems only if the cleaner is safe for hardwood floors. Not all are, so check to see if the brand can be used on your hardwood floors before you risk warping or staining them. Do not use cleaners that have ammonia in them. Vacuuming is better than mopping for cleaning up large or wet/dry messes. However, these types of messes require particular care to get all of the material up before it affects the floor. You can use a wand attachment on a vacuum cleaner for getting in between the joints or in cracks in the floor.
Microfiber mops can be used on the whole floor as long as it isn’t too damp. You should rinse out a microfiber mop after each section of flooring is cleaned, then re-apply a light mist of the cleaner you are using.
Maintaining Hardwood Floors
Many people like to apply wax to hardwood floors to protect them from the air and give them a glossy shine. However, you should not use wax if the wood floor already has a urethane or similar glossy finish on it. Laminate floor cleaners can be used on standard wood floors.
Direct sunlight causes hardwood floors to fade. Cover windows with UV resistant film, blinds or drapes so that the sunlight doesn’t cause discoloration.
Rugs and mats are popular ways to reduce the wear and tear on hardwood floors. However, you need to move the floor coverings periodically so that the floor underneath them isn’t protected from the elements more than the rest. If that happens, the floor under the carpet will not change color as it ages at the same rate as the rest, and the section under the mat will now appear discolored compared to the rest of the wood floor. Move carpet coverings often.
You may want to remove your shoes at the front door so you don’t risk scraping the wood floors with them. This is a particular concern with stiletto heels and athletic shoes with cleats. Likewise, trim the nails of your pets so their nails don’t scratch the floor, and don’t let pets get in the habit of scratching at the floor, whether it is in the corner by the door or near their food bowls.
Always clean up spills immediately with a cloth or paper towels to remove it before it can affect the floor. Be careful to soak up liquid between the joints as well.
Mistakes to Avoid
Do not use wet mops to clean a hardwood floor. The risk of moisture getting into the seams and warping the boards is too high.
If you use a vacuum cleaner on a hardwood floor, ensure that the brushes intended to pull dirt up from deep in a thick carpet are retracted so that they don’t scratch up your hardwood floor.
If you have a steam mop to clean up messes like an animal’s accident, try not to use this on your hardwood floor unless you’re absolutely certain you can dry it fast enough not to warp the flooring. In general, don’t use steam mops, carpet steamers or similar devices on hard wood floors.
Be careful when moving furniture that you don’t drag the feet on the wood floor. You may gouge the relatively soft wood underneath.
Don’t use vinyl mats on a wood floor. These tend to trap water under them, causing the floor to warp or harbor mold.