April 3, 2019 by Mulberry Maids
How To Keep Your Hardwood Floors Looking Like New
Aside from carpet, wood floors are one of the trickiest flooring materials to keep looking like new. If you have actual hardwood floors, you have to worry about things you don’t have to worry about with laminate or tile. You have to be concerned with things like wood warping, scratching, and dulling. This being said, maintaining hardwood floors takes thought and effort. Here are a few essential tips to help maintain your hardwood floors and keep them looking like new.
- Sweep Frequently
The first step in proper hardwood floor maintenance is to sweep your floors on a daily, or bi-daily basis. This helps take the edge off of dirt pile up and prevent surface level scratches. Rather than using a traditional broom, you can use a dust mop to quickly and safely take care of unwanted dirt.
- Vacuum At Least Once A Week
If your floors are swept/dusted, you won’t need to put too much effort into vacuuming; however, it still should be done at least once a week. It is best to use a vacuum that is designed to be gentle but effective on hardwood floors, some vacuums that are meant for carpeting have brushes that are designed to pull up dirt from your carpet, and these brushes will scratch your wood floors. Instead, go with a vacuum that either has soft brushes or can turn their brush rotation off when on hard surfaces. You can learn more about hardwood floor vacuums here.
- Clean With A Wood Floor Cleaner OR Vinegar/Water Mixture Once Per Month
This step is the key to keeping your wood floors looking shiny and new. It is not enough to remove dry debris from your floors by dusting and vacuuming, you have to clean and sanitize them as well. This step not only helps clean your wood floors, but the cleaning solution will help protect them as well. With wood floors, you can’t use very much liquid so be sure that when mopping your mop is damp, not wet. The moisture can seep into the floors causing them to swell and warp over time. Make sure you rink out your mop, and clean large areas at once so that one particular area isn’t saturated with the cleaner.
- Recoat Your Floors Every 3-5 Years
If you own your home, your wood floors are nothing short of an investment. If you don’t keep them looking new, your home value will lower over time. While daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance tasks can help, it doesn’t eliminate the need to resurface your floors every couple of years. Experts suggest recoating your floors every 3-5 years to prevent excess wear and tear and help extend the life of your hardwood flooring. When resurfacing the floors, make sure to use a coating that is either the same as its original coating or one that is approved for the style and material of wood specific to your floors.
Less Is More
Even though wood floors are more sensitive than other types of flooring, they don’t require as much maintenance to keep looking like new as other materials such as carpet. To properly maintain your hardwood floors, you simply need to sweep, vacuum, and mop on occasion, as well as plan on resurfacing them every couple of years. If you keep up with this maintenance schedule, you can almost guarantee that your floors will last for decades before needing to be replaced.