Regular Maintenance:
With the advances in the finishes for your wood flooring, taking care of it has become much easier than in the past.
On a regular bases you should keep it swept up with a soft bristle broom and when necessary use a vacuum with the soft floor brush attachment or set it up to the wood floor setting.
Also, periodically you should cleanthe floors with a cleaner designed for wood floors and follow the directions on the bottle.
* See the links page for more information or you can contact a wood floor professional.*
Preventive Maintenance:
These are a few other things you can do to reduce your maintenance and prolong the beauty of your wood floor.
•Only use cleaning products designed for wood floors finish only.
•Use throw rugs where exterior doors are. Put them inside and outside. This will help keep the grit from making its way into the house. This will help prevent scratches in your wood floor. Also, if you have wood flooring in the kitchen it is recommended that you place a rug in front of the sink.
•When moping a wood floor, follow the directions on the bottle of cleaner. By putting too much water on your floor you can actually damage the finish or wood. Again follow the directions on the back of the wood floor cleaning product.
•When you spill something on the wood floor you should wipe it up right away with a very lightly damp cloth.
•Shoes with cleats on them such as high heels and sport shoes can dent the wood floors and should not be worn to walk on them.
•When moving any type of furniture it is recommended that furniture protectors be put on all the furniture. Make sure the protectors are designed for wood flooring.
•When your wood floors are starting to show a wear pattern or are dulling it is time to have them buffed and re-coated. Do not wait until you are down to bare wood because then you will need to re sand.
•The exposure to the sun and the UV rays it put’s off greatly accelerates the oxidation and aging of all materials. This causes the stain, finish ,or wood to fade and to change color. We recommend that you rearrange rugs and furniture periodically so the floor ages evenly. Most floor warranties do not cover damage from the sun and its UV rays.
•In the winter months when the heat is on it is actually drying out your wood floor and shrinking it up.This is a reason you see small gaps in your floor in the winter months.To help to compensate for that use a humidifier.