Hardwood Tips and Tricks

There’s nothing worse than finding that first scratch or dent in your brand new floor. While all floors will develop a patina over time with light scratches and dents, this list of DOs and DON’Ts should help maintain your floors and ease the transition. Wood floors are made from natural materials that are constantly affected by the environment. This includes everything from the weather to pets. A well maintained floor is an investment, and these tips should make it pretty easy to protect that investment.

DO keep a mat at the entrance to your home. This helps keeps dirt to a minimum. Debris on the soles of your shoes can act like sandpaper to the surface of the flooring.

DO vacuum and sweep the floor often to prevent dirt from building up and scratching the wood.

DON’T use the wrong vacuum attachments. Be sure to ask your dealer/manufacturer which vacuum attachments will work best for your floor in order to prevent any scratches or gouges.

DON’T use a steam mop or bucket of sudsy water to mop hardwood floors. This method is fine for linoleum and tile, but it could permanently damage wood floors. Water is a wood floor’s biggest enemy.

DO keep your pets’ nails trimmed. Hardwood is pet friendly, but your dog’s nails could ruin the finish and eventually your floors if they go untrimmed.

DON’T allow pet stains to remain untreated.  If kitty has an accident on your wood floor, be sure to address the issue immediately.  If the accident occurs on a rug, make sure to clean and dry both the rug and the flooring underneath it.

DON’T soak your floor with cleaning solutions. This could cause the wood to warp. Also, always wipe up any water or cleaner immediately to prevent permanent spots.

DO invest in furniture pads. Each time you sit down on the couch it slides a little bit which can cause wear and damage over time.

Courtesy: Homeservice Club of Canada