Unlike most floor coverings, wood floors are a long-term investment that, correctly maintained, will last the lifetime of your home. Fortunately for consumers, today's wood floors offer a wide spectrum of product options that are easy to maintain. Unlike times past, when you had to get down on your hands and knees to wax and buff floors, taking care of wood floors today requires little effort. The routine maintenance involves protecting the finish from scratches and moisture. If you avoid both of these things, you've got a good handle on most of your wood floor care. Regular MaintenanceWith today's advances in wood flooring stains and finishes, cleaning your wood floors has never been easier. Regular maintenance requires little more than sweeping with a soft bristle broom, and vacuuming with a soft floor attachment if your wood floor includes a beveled edge that could collect debris. You should also clean your floors periodically with a professional wood floor cleaning product recommended by your wood flooring professional at Blue Knight Hardwood Floors.
Preventive Maintenance
There are other steps you can take to minimize maintenance and maintain the beauty of your wood floors as well.
1. Do not use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self polishing acrylic waxes cause wood to become slippery and appear dull quickly.
2. Use throw rugs both inside and outside doorways to help prevent grit, dirt and other debris from being tracked onto your wood floors. This will prevent scratching.
3. Do not wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
4. Wipe up spills immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
5. Put floor protector pads on the bottom of all the legs of your furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
6. 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 per square inch. This kind of impact can dent any floor surface.
7. When moving heavy furniture, do not slide it on wood flooring. It is best to pick up the furniture completely to protect the wood flooring.
8. For wood flooring in the kitchen, place an area rug in front of the kitchen sink. Be especially attentive to potential spill areas, such as dishwashers, sinks, ice makers and stove tops.
9. Pet nails need to be trimmed regularly to prevent finish and wood damage.
10. You should expect that your floors will shrink and expand with the changes in humidity, sometimes leaving small cracks between boards. To minimize these changes (especially in the winter month's) it is recommended that you use a humidifier to keep movement and shrinkage to a minimum.
