Do’s and Don’ts for Maintaining Hardwood Floors

Do’s and Don’ts for Maintaining Hardwood Floors

The holidays are right around the corner and we want to give you some helpful Do’s and Don’t’s to do while you are hosting and enjoying the festivities of the season!

It’s always best to start with the Don’ts:

-Don’t use Oil Soaps, Waxes or furniture polishes. This will create a build up on your floors that will actually hold dirt rather than giving the look and feel of a clean floor.

-Don’t use vinegar and water or ammonia based products. These products break down the finish and will eventually damage the finish to the point where your flooring will have to be refinished.

-Don’t use steam mops. A steam mop pushes water down onto the floor. It is easy to cause the finish to bubble up when the water gets under the finish. If this happens you will have to refinish your floor to get the bubbles out.

-Don’t run your vacuum cleaner with the beater bar turning.

Do’s:

-Put mats at all entry doors and sinks. Use felt pads on the legs of all furniture and chairs. This is an easy way to catch dirt and avoid scratching your floor.

-Use a brand name hardwood cleaner, preferably one that made by a hardwood flooring manufacturer. Using this type of floor cleaner ensures that the manufacturer has done their research and knows what solution is best for hardwood. We recommend the Impressions Hardwood Floor Cleaning Kit.  Find out more about it here.

Key Points:

-Keep dust, dirt and debris off of the floor which acts as sand paper when walked on. Vacuum and sweep regularly. Use your Impressions Hardwood Cleaning kit often.

-When using your cleaner, less is more. Spray just enough cleaner on the pad that will allow the dust and dirt to adhere to the mop.

-Regular maintenance is the key to years of durable, beautiful enjoyment of your hardwood floors.