Hardwood flooring is a great option for a home. You will find that your home can have a great visual design flow when these are put down. But after you’ve moved in, and lived in your home for some time, you’ll find that wood flooring can become dirty, scuffed, scratched, and downright difficult to clean. If you don’t protect them from day one you may have a high-priced problem on your hands. With that in mind, take a few moments to consider a few tips that can help you clean and save your hardwood floors for the future.
The Area Rug Option
If you want to ensure that your flooring doesn’t buckle or get scratched in high traffic areas consider adding area rugs across different arenas. Your home’s going to have traffic in very specific areas and that may need to have a little protection which is where a runner, or an area rug could help you keep things looking great.
Dust and Clean Weekly
Regular cleaning should be done but you should work with dusting more often than you would do anything else. Hardwood solutions get dusty fast and you should focus on sweeping up that dust regularly. You don’t need to mop with regularity unless you see scuffs and stains. However, be careful that you don’t just use water, mop, and bucket. It’s imperative that you seek out hardwood cleaning solutions that aren’t going to cause damage to your flooring. Dusting, and cleaning with simplicity will keep your woods clear.
Clean Quickly
Whenever there’s a spill, make sure that you clean up fast. Whether it’s a water spill, food particles, or just about anything, don’t allow anything to settle into the wood fibers. You don’t need to use water, or heavy chemicals, but rather use a paper towel, or a microfiber cloth to help pick things up fast. Cleaning elements fast, will help your floor stay dry, and clean. Again, don’t use water, as that could send moisture into the planks, and cause damage. Clean fast and you’ll have flooring that lasts.
Lastly, make sure that you have furniture padding underneath everything that you put in place. Heavy furniture should also not be scooted, pushed, or pulled across the wood floors in your home. Instead, put padding underneath or lift completely to ensure that the weight is not positioned in set spaces on the wood flooring. If moving, use pads, and always protect your flooring from heavy impact and scrapes.