Maintaining Your Hardwood Floors

After you purchase a new floor it's important you use the proper floor maintenance so your floors look their best. Here are some general maintenance tips for maintaining a hardwood floor. Always read the manufacturer's maintenance guide for specific details on caring for your floor.

• Don't Damp Mop - Water and wood floors don't mix! Use only the manufacturer's recommended cleaning products on your hardwood floor.
• Vacuum Regularly - Small stones, mud, and gritty dirt tracked in from outside can play havoc on the wood floors finish. To help combat this use long bristle welcome mats placed at all outside entrances for people to wipe their feet on before entering onto the floors. Also, vacuum using a soft bristle brush attachment.
• Use the Proper Chair Glides - Narrow wheels and sharp wooden, or metal furniture legs can scratch and dent hardwood flooring, which can quickly turn a newly refinished floor into an old worn floor. Any furniture that rests directly on top of a hardwood floor should have felt protectors, or furniture coasters, under all it's feet. For extremely heavy objects such as a piano, use rubber cups. Purchasing chair glides is a very cheap insurance policy for your hardwood flooring.
• Don't Use Oil Soaps - There are many over the counter oil soap based or silicone and wax based cleaning products that can damage and dull the finish of your hardwood floor. The best suggestion is to only use the manufacturers recommended cleaning products on your hardwood flooring.
• Never Wax a Urethane Floor - If you have a polyurethane finish on your hardwood floors you should never use a wax on them. The wax will cause a sticky film to build up on your floor, allowing any dirt tracked onto it to stick.  This creates black traffic paths on your floor. Because polyurethane will not adhere to any wax it also makes the floor almost impossible to recoat later with a fresh coat of polyurethane.
• Wipe Spills Immediately - when accidents happen and some liquid gets spilled on your hardwood floor, you should use a slightly damp white cloth, or paper towel to immediately clean up and dry the effected area. For more difficult spots, follow the manufacturer's recommended cleaning procedures.

Cleaning Tip

With laminates, or vinyl floors avoid adding too much cleaner to your

water. Streaking is generally caused by overuse of the cleaning agent. If this happens wash your floor with ammonia and warm water to remove the excess cleaner.

Chair Glides