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Hardwood Floor Maintenance
Regular Maintenance
With today’s advances in wood flooring
stains and finishes, cleaning your wood
floors has never been easier. Regular
maintenance requires little more than
sweeping with a soft bristle broom, and
vacuuming with a soft floor attachment if
your wood floor includes a beveled edge that
could collect debris. You also should
clean your floors periodically with a
professional wood floor cleaning product. |
Preventive Maintenance
There are other steps you can take to minimize
maintenance and maintain the beauty of your wood
floors as well.
- Do not use sheet vinyl
or tile floor care products on wood floors.
Self-polishing acrylic waxes cause wood to
become slippery and appear dull quickly.
- Use throw rugs both
inside and outside doorways to help prevent
grit, dirt and other debris from being tracked
onto your wood floors. This will prevent
scratching.
- Do not wet-mop a wood
floor. Standing water can dull the finish,
damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
- Wipe up spills
immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
- Do not over-wax a wood
floor. If the floor dulls, try buffing instead.
Avoid wax buildup under furniture and other
light traffic areas by applying wax in these
spots every other waxing session.
- Put soft plastic or
fabric-faced glides under the legs of furniture
to prevent scuffing and scratching.
- Avoid walking on your
wood floors with cleats, sports shoes and high
heels. A 125-pound woman walking in high heels
has an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch.
An exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000
pounds per square inch. This kind of impact can
dent any floor surface.
- When moving heavy
furniture, do not slide it on wood flooring. It
is best to pick up the furniture completely to
protect the wood flooring.
- For wood flooring in
the kitchen, place an area rug in front of the
kitchen sink.
Use a humidifier throughout the winter months to
keep wood movement and shrinkage to a minimum.
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