You have just moved into a beautiful new house with your family. As you walk through the front door you are so proud of all the work you have done. This house once had lime green peeling wallpaper, a leaky roof and carpet, oh that dirty carpet! In the last house you lived in, you learned your lesson.
There is nothing harder to clean than carpets, which is why this time you installed hardwood floors. But since you have spent all that money on your new hardwood floors you realize there are certain precautions you must take to keep them in pristine condition.
- The first precaution you must take is to place footpads on all your furniture. Hardwood easily scratches and you never know when one of your kids might accidentally bump into the dining room table! Because you know that hardwood floors scratch so easily, you also need to place carpets at each door in your house.
- The next thing you should do is put carpet runners where you and your family walk through a lot.
Many of you, who are consulting this article, are probably doing so because you have spilled something. In the future remember to clean up spills immediately. - If the spill has already leaked into the floor do not scrub it with a Brillo pad. Rather sand the stain out of the floor and then coat it with wood stain.
- Cleaning hardwood floors is an everyday thing. Each day after dinner or maybe in the morning, make sure to take your broom and dustpan out and gently brush the dirt off your floor.
- This will save you a lot of trouble in the future. In order to remove the dirt and dust that is especially pesky make sure to also give your floors a good vacuum once a week. In order to give your floor that fresh shine, make sure to use a damp, I repeat a damp not a wet mop to gently wash your floors.
- The biggest mistake most people make when cleaning their hardwood floors is scrubbing. By scrubbing you risk leaving scratches on your floor.
- If you have already scrubbed your floor make sure to apply a thin coat of wax onto the wood. Also make sure not to use Ammonia or Chlorine based cleaners they will destroy your floors.
Now that you have learned how to clean your hardwood floors it’s now time to talk about how to maintain them.
- The most recommended approach to maintaining the beauty of your floors is to use a humidifier. It is recommended that you stay around 50 percent. If you go to low around the 40 market your house will be much too dry. Your floors may crack and you’ll be running the kids to the doctors.
- Also if the humidity gets to high your floors may acquire mold and you’ll be bringing the kids to the doctors for a whole other set of problems.
This article was meant as a way to help you understand the necessary steps a person should take to maintain their hardwood floors. There is nothing more beautiful than glistening, stained wood floors.
Not only are hardwood floors much easier to maintain than a carpeted floor they also absorb more heat. Who doesn’t want warm floors in the winter or cool floors because of the fan in the house in the summer? Though it may seem like a big task to keep your hardwood floors clean it is well worth it. If you follow these steps you will be well on your way to enjoying your floor for many years to come.