Why did you get hardwood flooring? Chances are because it is easier to clean up and maintain right? But you do not want to ruin your hardwood flooring and you may worry about what specifics you should know to properly take care of your floors. Whether you have laminate or real hardwood, maintenance is key to a good looking floor that will look beautiful and impress.
Why is it important to clean my hardwood floors? Is it really necessary? The answer to this is a resounding yes. You have to clean you hardwood floors if you want them to continue to look good. If you do not clean your floors then the dirt can build up and can create unrepairable damage to the floors. Of course, the severity to which you need to clean your floors depends on how much dirt is generated in your home; this depends on number of occupants, pets and how many, where you live- beach, country, suburbs, city? So if you analyze those factors and it turns out you think you should clean your floors a lot, then you should go ahead and do that.
You want to protect your hardwood flooring because it is a big investment in your home. It is beautiful. Depending on how often you have to clean your floors, try to go around your home with a vacuum and clean up any loose dirt particles and/or pet hair. This can help keep the floor clean until you can spend some real time cleaning the floors.
Should I clean my floor a lot? This was mentioned above and the answer is, it depends on your home. To put it simply, however, clean your floor as often as you can. However, you do not always need to get down on your hands and knees and CLEAN your floors; you can use a vacuum, a quick and easy mopping device, or easy things like that. As long as you do not just let your floors collect dirt and stains, etc. your floors will not need to be super cleaned too often. Just try to do minor cleaning a few times a week or at least once a week, you should be okay.
When should I CLEAN my floors and polish? Try to really clean your floors and polish them every two to three months. As time goes on, the polish on your floors wears down as foot traffic wears on. People and pets walk through your house and eventually the polish on your floors does not shine quite as nicely as it once did. When you do polish and really clean your floors, try to wear protective eyewear and breathing masks as the fumes from the products can be irritants, especially if you have allergies or asthma. One thing you can do to protect the polish on your floors in high traffic areas is to use area rugs or runners when you have a lot of people over. Also, having mats in front of doors that lead to outside, especially ones that pets use, will help protect the polish and keep the floors cleaner from dirt better.
What should I not use to clean my floors? Try to avoid soap-based cleaners as they can leave a residue on the floors. Also, using water and vinegar solutions will dull the polish on the floor over time and require you to polish your floors more often than every few months. The right kind of cleaner depends on the kind of wood flooring you have but the ones I mentioned you should avoid are more universal no-no’s.
General hardwood flooring tips There are a few small things you can do to help protect your floors and keep them clean: Using felt protectors on furniture legs. Keep pet nails short and wipe their feet before letting them inside. Wipe up spills immediately & try to keep water out on wet days.