Once you’ve invested in a hardwood floor for your house, you’ll want to keep it looking good. Spills and dirt are harder to take out from a carpeted floor than a hardwood floor. However, consistent maintenance is essential to keep your floors in excellent condition for several years to come. Here are five tips for maintaining your hardwood floor:
Clean Spills Immediately
Any spills on your hardwood floors will cause stains if they are not wiped as soon as they happen. Use a dry or damp piece of cloth to wipe off any spills. Avoid wet mops as they will ruin your floor over time. Moisture on the floor and in the air will make the wood to either swell or shrink. Make sure that wet shoes are left outdoors. If stains from spills set into your floor, you can only get it out by refinishing the floor.
Sweep Daily
You might think it’s a bit excessive to sweep or dust your hardwood floor every day, but it’s not. Whether your home has high traffic or not, dust forms everywhere. Sweeping your floor every day will stop the dust from settling between the timber floorboards or scratching the wood. If you have furry pets with constant shedding, you may have to sweep a couple of times a day with a rubber broom.
Use Rugs and Hall Runners
Prevention is better and cheaper than restoration. Protect your floors with rugs and hall runners, mainly in high traffic areas. They will keep your hardwood floors looking new while protecting them from dust, spills, and scratching. Get a waterproof rug with a woven back to limit exposure to moisture while promoting healthy airflow. Make sure to clean under the carpet at least weekly.
Use Protective Furniture Pads
You can’t control some of the dents and scratches on your hardwood floors, but you can control others. Using felt or furniture pads on the feet of your furniture’s legs is one of the best ways to prevent scratches. The various types of pads include:
- Slip-on pads – these fit snugly over the furniture leg
- Tap-on or nail-on pads – these work best for heavy furniture that you hardly move
- Stick-on pads – these stick on the bottom of the foot of your furniture and are available of most local hardware stores
Re-Finish After 3 Years
Your hardwood floors will start to dull over time. To give them back a clean and fresh look, you will have to apply a fresh coat of wood floor finish. Doing this after three years will keep the timber floorboards in good condition for generations to come. There’s no point in investing in an elegant hardwood floor and not take great care of it. Vacuuming your floor daily, using area rugs and runners, wiping spills as soon as possible and using protective furniture pads will keep your floor in good condition for a long time. Attending to any damages quickly will prevent total replacement of timber floorboards. After a couple of years, re-finish the floor with a new coat to restore its shine.
Read More:
Engineered Wood Vs Solid Wood
Colours to consider for your new engineered timber flooring