Hardwood floors can look classy and incredible in your home. They are also an eco-friendly choice as they can be refinished over and over again, and they will decompose naturally when you're done with them. One thing you might wonder, though, is how to best care for your hardwood floor once it is in place. Here are some key tips to help you in that regard.
Sweep the floor daily.
If you can manage, try to give your hardwood floors a quick sweep every day. This will remove any dust and dirt from the surface of the hardwood before it has a chance to either get caked on or scratch the wood. You can use a basic push broom. Look for one with soft fibers to avoid scratching the hardwood floor finish.
Wipe up spills immediately.
Homeowners often become very worried when they spill liquids on their hardwood floors. But as long as you wipe up the spill promptly, there's no reason to be concerned. Keep some absorbent cloths handy in the room where your hardwood floors are located. This way, you can reach for one the moment someone spills liquid.
Maintain a steady level of humidity inside your home.
Hardwood floors and fluctuating humidity levels do not mix well. The floors swell when it's humid and shrink when the air is dry. If you can keep your indoor humidity steady, your floor will remain in better condition. If you don't already have a humidifier and dehumidifier, have these pieces of equipment installed. Make sure you run your air conditioner in the summer, too. An AC unit will extract extra moisture from the air.
Put pads under furniture legs.
You can scratch your hardwood floor if you pull a chair or table across it. So, put furniture pads under all of your furniture. Small ones that stick on with simple adhesive are perfectly suitable.
Use a hardwood floor cleaner on occasion.
You don't need to clean your hardwood floor every week. Some people don't even need to do it every month if their floor only sees light use. But at least a couple of times per year, you'll want to remove everything from the room and use a specialized cleaner on the hardwood. This will ensure grime does not build up so much, and it will also nourish and moisten the floor.
With the tips above, you'll have the best-maintained hardwood floors in town!
For more information about hardwood flooring, contact a local company.
Choosing flooring can be quite a challenge, mainly because you have so many options. On the lower end of the cost spectrum, you have things like sheet vinyl and vinyl tile. On the higher end of the cost spectrum, you have stone and ceramic tile. Then, there's carpet. It's installed over a subfloor, but most people do consider it to be a separate type of flooring. You can read more about flooring on this blog, equipping yourself to make a better decision about the flooring that's right for your home. You'll then have a better idea of what questions to ask and what factors to consider as you choose a floor.