Maintain the natural beauty of your Hardwood flooring
Your Hardwood Floor will add warmth and beauty to your home for many years to come. In fact, many of the hardwoods on the market today are easier than ever to care for. Plus they can offer superior resistance to staining from all common household products such as bleach, coffee, shoe polish, lipstick, acetone, mustard, and more. A few simple maintenance steps, however, will help protect your investment and prolong the life of your beautiful hardwood floor.
For cleaning, make sure you...
- Use a damp cloth to blot spills and spots as soon as they happen. For tough spots, such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, tar, or cigarette marks, use acetone/nail polish remover on a clean white cloth, then wipe with a damp cloth. Always avoid allowing liquids to stand on your floor.
- Sweep, dust, or vacuum the floor regularly with the hard floor attachment (not the beater bar) to prevent accumulation of dirt or grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish.
- Occasionally wipe the floor with a damp mop or cloth.
- Periodically clean the floor with The Floor Store's hardwood care products.
For cleaning, make sure you DON'T...
- Do not use oil based, wax, polish, or strong ammoniated or abrasive cleaners.
- Do not use steel wool or scouring powder.
- Do not wash or wet-mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.
- Do not use any type of buffing machine.
Other routine care instructions:
- For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum, harden the spot with ice and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
For protecting your Hardwood flooring, make sure you...
Use protective mats
Good quality entry and exit mats will help collect the dirt, sand,
grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer
that can otherwise be tracked onto your flooring. Do not use rubber-
or foam-backed plastic mats as they may discolor the flooring. To
prevent slippage, use an approved vinyl rug underlayment.
Use floor protectors on furniture
Use floor protectors and wide-load bearing leg bases/rollers to
minimize indentations and scratches from heavy objects. As a rule,
the heavier the object, the wider the floor protector should be.
Maintain Relative humidity level
Maintain a normal indoor relative humidity level between 45% and
65% throughout the year to minimize the natural expansion and contraction
of wood.
- Heating Season (Dry): A humidifier is recommended to prevent excess shrinkage due to low humidity levels. Wood stove and electric heat tend to create very dry conditions.
- Non Heating Season (Wet): An air conditioner, dehumidifier or periodically turning on your heating system can maintain humidity during the summer months. Avoid excessive exposure to water during periods of inclement weather.
Avoid sharp objects
Although, hardwood floors are one of the most wear resistant floors
on the market, they are not impervious to damage, especially when
it comes to sharp or pointed objects.
Watch your feet
As we just mentioned hardwood floors are vulnerable to sharp, pointed
objects. Therefore, do not walk on your flooring with stiletto-style
heels, spiked golf shoes or cleats. They may cause indentations
in your flooring.
Watch your pet's feet
Whether you have a miniature pincher, a Saint Bernard, or fat Siamese
cat it is crucial that you keep your pet's nails trimmed to keep
them from scratching your flooring.
Rearrange your rugs and furniture
UV sunlight will soften the tone of different species of hardwood
to varying degrees. From time to time, rearrange your furniture
& area rugs. This way, your hardwood floor will age evenly.
Protect the floor when moving
Always use a dolly when moving heavy furniture or appliances. Never
slide or roll heavy objects across the floor as they may cause dents
or scratches.
