Your hardwood floors give your home a sense of richness, warmth and natural beauty. Van Metre wants to help you maintain that look and protect your investment. Here are some simple but necessary tips to protect and properly care for your hardwood floors and keep them beautiful for years to come.
DO’S:
- If using water to clean your hardwood floors, a slightly damp rag would be the best scenario. Preferable to water is a cleaning solution formulated specifically for hardwood care— different products can easily be located at Home Depot, Lowe's or Amazon. There are many different hardwood floor cleaners that have the potential to work well; they typically are chemical-based rather than water-based. Many times, these hardwood cleaners also keep a protective layer on the hardwood with an all-in-one process.
- But before you do any cleaning, make sure you go over your floor with a dry mop or duster.
- Use throw rugs at the doorways to help prevent debris from being tracked in and scratching the floor.
- Wipe up spills immediately with a slightly damp cloth.
- Put stick-on felt protectors under the legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching. Remember to replace them often!
- When moving furniture, carry it—don't slide it. Sliding leads to scratches and gouges in your floors.
- Use a humidifier in the winter months to minimize the gaps.
- If you dent or scratch your floor, never fear...there are remedies. Different types of touch-up kits exist and offer various solutions, whether it’s putty to fill a deep gouge or touch-up pens to camouflage a light scratch.
DON’TS:
- Stay away from saturating your hardwood floor: use as little water or cleaning solution as possible. The joints in your hardwood gather water with each stroke and over a period of time, which causes hardwood to buckle and warp.
- Stay away from the wet mop.
- Stay away from the steamer, especially a steam cleaner. While really convenient, they pump steam into the joints.
- Do not use vinyl or tile cleaning products.
- Do not walk on your hardwood floors in sports cleats or damaged high heels. The impact can dent the surface.