They add a natural beauty and soft shine to every room. Hardwood floors grace older homes, dress up new construction and put new style in renovations. As much as you love that special feel underfoot, it won’t last unless you really know how to maintain hardwood floors.
Could you use a comprehensive guide to cleaning and caring for one of your home’s most valuable assets?
We find that our customers really appreciate the tips we share when we’re on the job. That interest serves as our inspiration for this overview based on our experience as Chicago’s leading hardwood floor cleaning service.
Cleaning and Caring for Hardwood Floors: Your Ultimate Guide
You have to keep them clean, and you have to treat them right. Hardwood floors don’t hang on to dirt like carpet, but they look their best when you take care of them with appropriate tools and products. They don’t tear like vinyl, but their materials require sensible maintenance to prevent damage.
The following cleaning techniques and hardwood floor maintenance tips can help keep the floors in your home beautiful and wear-resistant for years to come.
How to Keep Hardwood Floors Clean: 5 Expert Techniques
1. Dust Them Often
When a hardwood floor gets dirty, you see it right away. Dust quickly becomes obvious, so dust it at least twice a week. Don’t sweep with a broom because it only pushes the fine stuff around. Use a microfiber mop to trap and pick up dust without scratching wood surfaces.
2. Vacuum Floors Carefully
This technique belongs in our hardwood floor care guide because it pulls out dirt from in between individual planks. It also reaches tight spaces where floors and baseboards meet. If your vacuum cleaner doesn’t have a setting for hardwood floors, invest in a model designed for safe use on wood surfaces.
3. Clean Spills Right Away
Spills can stain even freshly sealed hardwood floors, so always get them up as quickly as possible. Immediately take care of accidents with disposable wet cleaning pads made especially for wood floors. Thoroughly dry with a clean cloth, and spot polish if necessary.
4. Mop When You Have To
When you face a spill that’s too big for wet pads, tackle it with a hardwood floor mop. This cleaning tool features a microfiber head that works with products formulated for wood surfaces. Mop with the grain for best results.
5. Polish for Looks and Protection
We’re often asked how to maintain hardwood floors with polishes and sealers. Applying a quality polish or wax every two or three months nourishes the wood and protects it by filling in microscopic scratches. Unless you’re a dedicated DIY warrior, we recommend you leave sealing hardwood to flooring experts.
How to Maintain Hardwood Floors: Professional Power Tips
• Stop dirt in its tracks with doormats just inside all entrances to your home. This simple trick catches debris and fine grit that damages wood surfaces. It also reduces grimy buildup in carpets.
• Never let any kind of liquid stand on wood floors. Whether it’s a spilled cup of coffee or an inch of water from a ruptured pipe, take care of it right away to prevent planks from crowning and cupping.
• Carpet runners can be real floor savers especially in high-traffic areas. They protect hardwood floors, and they establish no-slip zones too. Runners are also stylish solutions for the patter of hard-nailed pet feet.
• Save wood floors from scratches and scuffs with glides and pads. Use felt glides on the bottom of chair legs and thick rubber pads trimmed to shape under heavier furniture.
• Stay prepared for emergency projects with a hardwood floor care kit. The all-in-one cleaning system includes pads, applicators, products and a mop that you can also use for weekly and monthly chores.
Professional Cleaning Services: Extra Care for Hardwood Floors
• By leaving hardwood floor cleaning to our professionals, you free up valuable time.
• Our technicians are industry trained and certified in the use of advanced equipment and products.
• We specialize in dust-free burnishing techniques that restore the shine to older hardwood floors.
• A regular schedule for floor cleaning can also include our full line of residential services.
• As Chicago’s largest emergency restoration company, we’re on call to handle fire- and water-damaged floors.
Whether you want us to tackle the heavy work or you need solid advice on DIY hardwood floor care, we’re happy to help. Our series of guides are designed to make your life a little easier around the house, so let us know how we’re doing by sharing your thoughts through our Comments Section.
Keeping your home beautiful is a big job, and we’re here when you need backup. Our hardwood floor cleaning services for Chicago and the suburbs are the best available. We take care of all types of residential cleaning, and we handle emergencies too. Just give us a call here at ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba.