How to Maintain the Hardwood Floors in Your Home

blog_hardwoodYou selected hardwood for its rustic quality, and made sure you had a professional install, sand, and finish it. Yet, keeping up its appearance comes down to maintenance; particularly, hardwood requires daily and weekly care. Consider these tips:

Day to Day

Dirt and dust scratch and wear away the wood’s surface. As a result, your daily cleaning plan should include dusting and sweeping.

For this, make sure you have a broom and vacuum on hand for those larger particles. A dust mop made out of microfiber material helps when all you need to do is clean off a thin film.

Weekly

It’s not only dust and dirt that gradually ruin your hardwood floors. Wood loses its luster over time, and ensuring it continues to look its best involves the occasional thorough cleaning.

Experts recommend washing your floors at least weekly with a pH-neutral, biodegradable formula and a terrycloth mop. A compound that’s too acidic ends up eating away at the existing finish, degrading it over time.

As well, because natural hardwood floors warp easily, you should stay away from steam cleaners, water, soap-based products, string mops, and ammonia. Over time, these gradually damage the floor, cracking the wood and leaving a residue.

Long Term

Along with all factors above, high-level maintenance may be needed every couple of months to a few years:

  • Polish your floors. This not only keeps them looking good but also helps you avoid over-cleaning and stripping. As a recommendation, use a urethane-based polish, which helps get rid of scuffs and heel marks.
  • Make sure you add rugs in high-traffic areas and felt protectors on furniture. Doing so lessens the amount of scratches and scuffs your floors accumulate.
  • When the floors eventually look too worn, get a professional involved to screen and recoat, or to sand and refinish.

When your hardwood floors need this higher level of maintenance, get in contact with M. Brett. Our professionals handle a range of sanding, finishing, and varnishing jobs throughout Connecticut and Southern New England. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.