5 Effective Ways to Take Care of Your Hardwood Floors
If a professional flooring firm has just installed your long-awaited, fresh and brand-new hardwood floors, don’t sit back, relax and enjoy them just yet. Learning how to fully protect your new flooring from furniture, scuff marks, messes and everyday foot traffic is the very next step you should take after hardwood floor installation – and one that will be worth your while in the long run, when the flooring you carefully chose and purchased is just as pristine as the day it was installed. Follow these five tips for properly taking care of your hardwood flooring:
1. Invest in area rugs.
While the visual of bare hardwood flooring is aesthetically pleasing, take a note from interior designers and purchase a couple of area rugs for the rooms throughout your home. Available in a variety of sizes – from 3×5 feet to 10×13 feet, and even larger – area rugs are a great way to keep an additional layer of protection between the furniture and feet that may otherwise damage your hardwood floors over time.
2. Apply furniture pads.
Even though area rugs are definitely a great way to create a substantial barrier between your hardwood floors and the dressers, chairs, desks and tables scattered throughout your house, furniture pads are a smart way to keep any and all pieces of furniture from scuffing up your floors. These pads come in either felt or cork material, depending on the brand you buy, and are made available in numerous sizes. The size you choose will be depend on the weight of your item of furniture. Once the pads are positioned onto the legs of the furniture, the weight is cushioned onto the floor, preventing any dents.
3. Maintain your hardwood floors.
Certified flooring professionals certainly know how to properly install hardwood flooring and get the job done right, but it’s up to the homeowner to maintain the flooring throughout the years to come. Aside from the best practices for protecting hardwood floors against furniture and foot traffic, those with hardwood flooring should constantly keep them clean, and recoat them as needed. Re-coating only needs to be done every 7 to 10 years, and creates a more solid layer to the hardwood flooring, which acts as a shield of protection.
4. Avoid certain cleaning products.
Cleaning your hardwood flooring at least once a week is necessary, as dust, mildew and other substances can create a messy buildup on the surface. However, it is crucial to note which cleaning products you should be using, and which ones you should completely avoid on your hardwood flooring altogether. Once you’ve vacuumed and dusted the hardwood flooring, steer clear of cleaners that contain ammonia, polish, vinegar and oil soaps. These products can dull a hardwood floor’s top coat and create issues if you ever refinish them. If you’re not sure which cleaners are safe for your hardwood floors, spray it on a window. Once it dries, check to see whether it has an oily film. If it does, don’t use it!
5. Be mindful of your lifestyle.
If you live in a home with kids and pets, accidental messes and “oops” moments are pretty much inevitable. You can, however, protect hardwood flooring from your rug rats – and beloved cat or dog – by becoming more mindful of their behavior and creating ways to avoid any potential mess or damage to the flooring. For instance, when your kiddos come inside from a hike or afternoon of playing outdoors, place a doormat at the entry of each doorway for them to get rid of the grime and dirt that has accumulated on their shoes. While not every shoe does damage to hardwood flooring, banning soccer cleats is a wise choice. If you’ve got a pup that loves to run atop your wood flooring – but can’t seem to stop leaving scratch marks on the floor – make sure that you get his or her nails clipped regularly, or encourage him or her to play in a carpeted space.
Protecting your hardwood floors requires a little attention, a bit of hard work and an overall desire to keep the surface looking clean and fresh. In addition to following these beneficial tips, contact Alite Flooring at 973-575-5005 for more guidance and advice. A North Jersey-based floor-covering firm with over 20 years of experience, we’ve assisted a countless number of customers with their hardwood floors, and we’d be more than happy to assist you as well.
