Here’s Exactly How to Maintain Wood Floors

Each season comes with new troubles for your wood floors. The rainy days of spring bring in more water and mud, the heat of summer adds on more chlorine, fall winds bring in more leaves and dirt, and the cold days of winter bring snow and ice. However, despite all the troubles in maintaining your wood floors, they are just too attractive to neglect! So, how exactly do you maintain the beauty of your wood floor? Is your home flaunting solid wood? Engineered? How about repurposed wood? Whatever your answer is, it doesn’t matter; the general routine maintenance for wood floors should be the same. Although the routine isn’t too stringent, subtle differences are still crucial for maintenance. Here’s how you should maintain your wood floors.

Use the right cleaning product to maintain wood floors.

There is no cast-iron rule when it comes to selecting a wood floor cleaning product that provides a deeper wash. There are different treatments for different finishes. At best, you should consider the product recommendations of flooring manufacturers. 

It’s safe to say there are cleaning products that don’t contain harsh chemicals, like the Fabuloso multi-purpose cleaner. Cleaning products with harsh chemicals will cause haze buildup on the finish and could potentially damage your wood floors.

Although you can safely use Fabuloso products on wood, it’s not really the most ideal choice for wood floor cleaning.

If you noticed your wood floors looked hazy, you might want to change your cleaning product. Use a microfiber cloth, dip it in warm water, and then squeeze out the excess water. Make sure the microfiber cloth is damp—not dripping wet—before wiping away the haze on the wood floor.

Vacuum regularly.

Dirt and grime buildup can easily become a major challenge when you clean wood floors. That is why it is advised to make vacuum cleaning a regular routine to help keep debris off the floor.

Plus, if you happen to walk across a piece of debris left on the wood floor, it can scratch the floor’s surface. A simple sweep, when done daily, can help prevent this from happening. You can follow it up with a dust mop to help pick up any remainder.

But, of course, when you’re busy, it would be impossible to sweep the whole house every day. At the very least, target the most used areas like the kitchen, hallways, and entryways as often as you can.

Keep the wood floors dry.

When you’ve found a good—if not the best—wood floor cleaner, use it with a damp mop. Bringing out a wet bucket could soak the wood floors, and this is a no-no since wood swells when they get wet.

On that account, a microfiber mop, which requires less water, is more ideal than a cotton mop. It practically won’t transform into a dripping wet mop as they just use about 20 times less water. Hence, they are the best mops for wood floor cleaning.

Touch up surface scratches immediately.

Some scratching on surfaces will always occur any time you have a wood floor. Though it hurts, it’s inevitable. It’s better to fix surface scratches immediately before it develops into further damage. It’s just a simple Do-It-Yourself project. Use a stain marker from a wood scratch restore kit.

While adding personality to your home, a rug or doormat could be the simplest way to protect your wood floors, especially in areas with high traffic, such as the entryway.

Look for warning signs.

When it comes to pristine and spotless wood flooring, knowing how to clean and maintain wood floors isn’t the only thing you need to learn. The physical home environment and weather changes are also contributing factors to their care and durability.

Temperature dramatically affects wood. Though it’s out of anyone’s control, it’s still important to be aware of these elements. Being vigilant of the red flags is the best line of defense in order to prevent further damage.

To prevent wood cupping and warping from occurring, remove the source or traces of water, especially stagnant water surrounding your wood floors.

Extremely dry conditions can cause wood splitting, gapping, cracking, and shrinking. In this condition, you should use a humidifier. A bit of moisture will help the wood floor to settle back down.

Recoat when needed

Eventually, the floor will start to wear down. That’s when you step in and recoat. You don’t have to do the sanding process. Just apply a fresh coat of finish to the surface of the wood floors in order to bring back its shine and gleam. Recoating can extend your wood floors’ lifespan. 

Conclusion

Maintaining your wood flooring is as simple as A, B, and C, if you follow the guide in this article. With proper care and maintenance, your wood floors will last for decades. Remember that excessive use of water is wood’s worst enemy. Use only a damp cloth or microfiber mop when cleaning to help keep your wood floors looking great without the risk of damage!

Photo by ASIA CULTURECENTER on Unsplash