After years of being frustrated by your home’s flooring, you took the giant leap of ripping out each and every tile (or carpet), called a contractor, and installed new cherry oak hardwood floors.
Good for you! It was about time you gave your home a much needed makeover. Now, your trouble is trying to keep your investment free from scratches, damage, and dirt. Don’t you worry. It isn’t as big of a chore as you might think.
Here are five tips for keeping your hardwood floor in great shape:
1. Read Instructions About Cleaning
When you go out and spend thousands of dollars on brand new hardwood flooring, it is important to read the instructions that come attached to your order, such as the materials used, where they come from, and, most importantly, how to properly clean your tiles.
Since you’re investing a large chunk of your capital on the new flooring, you want to ensure it lasts a long time in your home. And the only way to achieve this is to properly clean your floors.
Rather than winging it, you should find out what the manufacturers recommend, and then follow through with what they suggest.
2. Institute a No-Shoe Policy in Your Home
Shoes are the bane of your hardwood floor’s existence. From the boots that have been through the mud to the stiletto that place dents in your tiles, homeowners are frustrated when they see guests, as well as families, wear their shoes inside the home.
Have you thought about instituting a no-shoe policy in your home?
Well, that is one of the greatest lines of defense to keep your hardwood floors from becoming damaged.
3. Add Small Mats to Your Hardwood Floors
Do you know what is another tactic to use in your plight for great floors? Small mats!
That’s right. By adding small mats in heavy traffic areas of your home, you will protect one of your biggest investments from the harsh elements of children, guests, and pets.
Besides, you can get cheap mats from the dollar store, leaving more money in your wallet.
4. Sweep, Vacuum, Mop – Repeat
Cleaning your hardwood floors is a no-brainer and should be done without question.
The only difficulty that many homeowners face is knowing how and what to clean.
Well, again, it’s always a good idea to comb through the instructions.
Then, it is important to employ these three measures:
- Sweep either daily or every second day.
- Vacuum twice a week.
- Mop the floors weekly (unless there is heavy spillage or dirt).
And that is how you keep your hardwood floors clean and in tip-top shape all year long.
5. Clip Little Fido’s Nails
You come home, your golden retriever or gray and white tabby runs to the door to greet you (well, not so much your cat, but definitely your dog!). Unfortunately, as they rush to the front entrance and slide, they proceed to scratch the floor. Now the damage has been done!
How often do you clip your dog or cat’s nails? Once every two weeks? Well, if you wish to keep your hardwood floors in the best shape possible, you should clip their nails once a week.
While it can be tedious, and downright frustrating at times, keeping your pet’s nails short and clean can prevent your little fido from scratching your nails.
Remember, it’s nearly impossible to remove scratches from your hardwood floors. So, ensure that they have short – but comfortable – nails moving forward.
Years ago, carpets were all the rage, until most homeowners realized how impossible it was to keep clean. Today, hardwood floors are the main source of flooring for many property owners. And why not? They’re easy to maintain, they’re affordable, and they make your home look divine (you don’t need to worry about mould like carpets).
To change the complexion of your home, you’ll be forking over quite a bit of money. Don’t your investment go down the drain; make sure that you’re maintaining your hardwood floors, so you won’t need to make them great again.
