What is some preventative maintenance to reduce the wear on my hardwood floors
What is some preventative maintenance to reduce the wear on my hardwood floors?
- The use of walk off mats at exterior entrances help to prevent sand, grit and water from being walked onto the floor. Sand, grit and water are the floor’s worst enemy.
- Install proper floor protectors on furniture used on hardwood floors. Protectors will allow chairs to move over the floor without scuffing. Clean the protectors on a regular basis to remove any grit and sand that may have become imbedded in them.
- Sweep on a daily basis or as needed but do not use household dust treatments as this may cause your floor to become slick or dull the finish. Vacuum regularly. Clean the hardwood floor when the household carpets are being vacuumed. Brush attachments work well on hardwood floors, but do NOT use the beater.
- Since finishes are designed to protect the stain and face of the wood, they are not designed to protect against excessive water. Never WET-MOP a hardwood floor. Excessive water causes wood to expand, possibly damaging the flooring. Propriety hardwood floor cleaners such as the DuraSeal® Hardwood Floor Cleaner are the industry’s recommended method for cleaning floors.
- Keep high heel shoes in good repair. Heels that have lost or worn through their protective cap will expose the fastening nail. This will exert over 8,000 lbs. per square inch of pressure on a floor. This pressure will damage all types of wood floors.
