Hardwood Floors 101

For anyone who has recently installed or resurfaced the hardwood floors in their home, you know it is no easy or inexpensive task. But in high traffic areas—such as hallways, foyers and kitchens—hardwood floors are easily dirtied, dulled or, worse, damaged, by the wear and tear of life.

To keep your floors looking clean and shiny, you could spend thousands of dollars more covering every inch with throw rugs. Or, ask your friends and family to remove their shoes every time they walk through the door. But no need! Keeping your hardwood floors beautiful is actually not as hard as you think—you just need to heed the cleaning tips below and remember a few wood floor-care basics.

Before you determine the best way to tackle your floor, you first must determine its finish. How and with what was your wood sealed? If the answer to this question is urethane, polyurethane or polycyclic (aka surface seals), your clean-up is a breeze—sweep, and mop with hot soapy water and you’re all set! On the other hand, if your floors are sealed with a penetrating seal--lacquers, varnishes or shellacs—or have been oil-treated, your floors are much more delicate and must be cleaned with liquid or paste wax.

Hint: Unsure which type of finish you have? Just rub your finger across the floor—if you see a smudge mark, the floor has been treated with a penetrating seal, oil finish, shellac, varnish or lacquer, and then waxed. If not? It’s a surface seal.

As you can see, hard wood floors are actually very easy to clean! But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Keep the tips below in mind when caring for your floors.

• Wipe up all spills as they happen. Depending on the finish of your wood, moisture can stain and

ruin its finish.

• Gently remove dirt and grit. If not cleaned properly, dirt and grit can act like sandpaper on the

finish, causing scratches, dents and dulling.

• Avoid harsh cleaning products and oil soaps. The residue from these products can build up and

create problems when it’s time for a maintenance coat.

• Never drag furniture or other heavy objects to move them and use felt under the legs of any

furniture to help prevent scratches.

• When vacuuming, use a brush attachment to prevent dents.

• Occasionally reposition throw rugs and furniture and keep drapes drawn to prevent sun

damage, as UV rays can discolor your wood.

Sources
www.pioneerthinking.com
www.how-to-hardwood-floors.com
http://interiordec.about.com