Maintaining your hardwood flooring

Hardwood flooring can be a stylish addition to any home but it can also be an eyesore if not maintained properly. Here are some simple do’s and don'ts for maintaining the quality of your hardwood flooring.

Cleaning

• Clean, clean, clean. It’s as simple as that! Be consistent and on top of cleaning your wooden floors. You want to clean your floor with vacuuming and sweeping of any abrasions such as, dirt and materials that could potentially scratch the finish of your floor.
• Also, you should be expedient with liquid spills and clean them immediately so that unwanted stains don’t become permanent.

Protecting

• Invest in matting and place them by entrances such as backyard doors and front doors. This minimizes cleaning and attracts dirt brought in from outside.
• Also place mats by the kitchen sink in case of utensils dropping and scratching the floor surface.
• Use furniture guards to avoid scratching the hardwood surface in case of furniture accidentally or intentionally getting moved around.
• Avoid extraneous sunlight and artificial lighting hitting the floor. Over time, this could potentially change the colour of your flooring. This one is slightly unavoidable since sunlight and artificial lighting are more difficult to control.
• Moving your furniture around from time to time could control the light hitting particular areas for prolonged periods. A good set of curtains can also help.
• If you have children, be mindful of them and their toys, since things like remote control cars can scratch the surface of the floor.

Maintaining 

• Invest in varnishing your hardwood floors. This minimizes and eases the cleaning of dirt.

• Do not clean the floor with a wet mop, as this leaves behind water marks.
• Be careful of the cleaning products you are putting on the floor. Cleaners shouldn’t be directly poured onto it. Avoid cleaners such as floor wax and oil-based detergents that could ruin the finish of the floor.
• Avoid wearing high heels and sport shoes in the home as they can potentially scratch the surface of the floor

Maintaining the quality of your hardwood floors is a strenuous task for any homeowner, but a consistent routine of cleaning and mindfulness pays off as guests who come over take note of how great it looks. It also helps with the resell value of homes.