Hardwood Floor Care Tips

Tips for caring for your hardwood floor

• Solid hardwood floors are among the easiest flooring products to keep clean.
• Sweep – Brooms are fine; varieties with exploded ends trap dust and grit effectively.
• Wipe Spills Immediately – When accidents happen with liquids spilled onto your floor, use a slightly damp wet cloth or paper towel immediately to clean the affected area.
• Never Wet Mop – Water and wood floors don’t mix! Use only the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning products on your hardwood. Wood floors require a relative humidity similar to your personal comfort level to limit cracking and swelling over time. Minimizing excessive heat and moisture will ensure that you are satisfied over time with the quality of your hardwood floor.
• Dust Mop – Use it
• Vacuum Regularly – Vacuum with a brush attachment – don’t use vacuums with beater bars. one paper clip made to spin on your floor a few thousand times will cause damage
• Use Mats – 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 floor mats placed at all outside entrances to keep dirt and moisture from being tracked in.
• Use the Proper Chair Glides – Narrow wheels, sharp wooden legs and metal furniture legs can scratch and dent hardwood floors. Any furniture that rest directly on top of a hardwood floor should have cloth protectors under all the feet.
• Don’t Use Oil Soaps –OR Wax on today’s surface finish floors There are many over the counter oil-based soaps and wax based cleaning products that may damage or dull the finish of your wood floor. The best suggestion is to only use the manufacturers recommended cleaning products on your hardwood flooring. Or Just a well wrung out towel with a little dish soap works fine, contact me about Berger Seidal after care products
• Furniture – Lift the furniture to move it – avoid dragging. The legs of furniture should have felt on the bases to prevent scratching as the furniture moves with use. Take caution when moving heavy objects across hardwood floors; it is preferable not to drag things on the wood, but if one must then lay down a blanket or other item that will slide easily for the item to rest on.
• Shoe Marks – The biggest cause of floor damage is what is on one’s feet; make sure your shoes are not exceedingly dirty, be cautious of walking in high heels or cleats across hardwood, and black rubber soles can leave marks which will require friction to remove.
• Pets – The previous statement also applies to your house pets! Keep your pets nails trimmed so they do not scratch up the hardwood, We also recommend that your pets dishes sit on a nonslip rubber mat to keep the food and water off the floor.
• Sunlight – Direct sunlight will darken your floor over time. Window coverings, as well as a floor finish with UV protection can help prevent or slow this discoloration.

Tips for Maintenance You Can Do Yourself!

• – Keep furniture leg pads under legs of heavy pieces of furniture. This will help your hardwood floor from getting damaged by scratching.
• – Keep pets off of your hardwood floors while you are not around to supervise them. Pets can damage the floor with their nails over time. If you have a pet, especially a dog or cat, be sure to clean up their hair on the floor after they’ve shed it. The tiny hairs can get worked into the finish of your hardwood floor and may be difficult to remove.
• – Use a wood floor vacuum cleaner with an attachment that will reach under heavy furniture. Vacuuming your hardwood floors daily will help in maintenance a lot! It will also help reduce the amount of dust buildup on your flooring, which can cause discoloration.
• – If you have children, make sure they are not playing with marbles or other heavy toys on the floor. Over time, this will cause dark streaks to form in your hardwood floors. These are usually difficult to remove.
• – Use only coasters under hot items such as coffee mugs, water glasses, etc.
• – Use only felt pads under furniture legs. Do not use plastic or metal!