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Hardwood floor care and maintenance

hardwood floor installed

How to extend hardwood floor longevity?

As any wood floor, hardwood floor requires proper and wise maintenance in order to extend its beauty and longevity. Homeowners should consult with hardwood floor installers or local home products retailers regarding special products for the floor treatments. They should always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for the proper use of these products or ask professionals to do this job instead. It is also very important to care properly about the hardwood floor in between treatments. There are various things homeowners can follow to protect and prevent hardwood floor from getting damaged, dull, aging and other happenings.

How to protect hardwood floor from scratches and dents?

It is necessary to realize that, unfortunately, there is no scratchproof hardwood floor and that’s why it is essential to provide a good care to your floor and follow some basic things in order to decrease possibilities of scratches and dents, such as:
- Place mats and throw rugs at the most vulnerable and heavy traffic areas in your house to prevent major scratches. It is also a good idea to place rugs under very heavy furniture to protect your hardwood floor from deep dents and/or grooves,
- Lift furniture or use special pads for moving it from place to place,
- Do not walk in with shoes and do not let others do it,
- Use only proper cleaning products for removing dirt and sand from hardwood floor,
- Examine the hardness of the broom bristle or vacuum cleaner before buying them for hardwood floor cleaning purposes,
- Keep pets away from the rooms with installed hardwood floor or trim their nails regularly.

How to protect hardwood floor from fading?

Hardwood floor can be easily discolored from exposure of direct sunlight on it. That’s why it is necessary to control sunlight in the room by putting window blinds or shades. Also some hardwood floor installers suggest covering all windows (especially where hardwood floor is installed) with sun protection films. However, even with controlling of a sunlight, the hardwood floor will fade a bit with a time anyway. That's why it is better to move area rugs from one place to another (if any) in order to prevent uneven floor fades.

How to care and maintain hardwood floor every day?

If you want to take care about your hardwood floor yourself, then prepare to clean a few times a week if not every day depending how big your daily traffic is. This includes, sweeping with a soft broom or vacuuming the hardwood floor and wash it with a proper cleaning product. You should start to clean backward toward any openings, such as doors or where hardwood floor meet any other floor coverings. However, you should remember that as any wood floor, hardwood floor can be seriously damaged with excessive water on it and in addition that can dull the finish. You should also remember that you cannot soak the floor with your cleaning solutions under any circumstances because you can do more harm than good to your hardwood floor. Therefore, you should always use the least amount of water for your regular cleaning. In addition, after washing it is sometimes a good idea to dry the floor with a clean and soft cloth or rag.

How to do monthly hardwood floor treatments?

Hardwood floor treatments are special cleaning products that with the careful use can give shine, beauty, and luster to your floor. They are not only clean hardwood floor but condition it as well. Normally before applying the conditioning products, you should still do your routine cleaning. After that cleaning is done and the hardwood floor is ready, you can apply the conditioning product evenly over the entire room by gently buffing the area and again approaching backwards towards the openings.

How to do annual hardwood floor sealing?

If you want to keep your hardwood floor a lifetime and preserve the finish, then you need to seal it every year. As for the monthly treatment, you should prepare and clean the hardwood floor from dirt and dust. After that you can apply a sealer on the floor and with a rag, paintbrush, or roller spread the sealer evenly over the area. Let the sealer stay until it is completely dry. Even though, it seems like many troubles and a lot of work, in fact, it is not. If you do it on a regular basis, you won't feel that it is too much compare to the home floor look that you will get.