We might not realize it, but the floors are the most used as well as the most delicate component of the house. Most people tend to overlook this fact unless they notice the first scratch on the floor. They then think of the mistakes that they could have avoided when repairing the floor. People spend thousands on the installation and then the maintenance of the story only to learn that those thousand bucks could have been saved if they created and followed floor hygiene. So we decided to help them by creating a dos and don’ts checklist to ensure the durability of the beautiful floor of their house. This list does not cover all the possible points, but we have tried our best to add all the major points. Feel free to add any suggestions to this list. We are always open to that. So now, back to the topic. Here is a list of dos and don’ts on the wood flooring.
Things or activities you must DO to ensure a long life of your wood flooring
- Keep a mat at the entrance
Keeping a mat at the door helps a lot more than you would care to think. Your floor is always welcoming people. People carry a lot of dirt and grime on their shoes. So having a mat helps them to clean their shoes before they enter your house and step on the floor that you so dearly invested on. Also, imagine if a person with a piece of sandpaper or gum stuck to his shoes walking on your floor. You certainly would not want that as it would leave your floor with scratch marks and stickiness. Hence, to avoid such messy situations, you must always keep a cleaning mat at the entrance.
- Use protectors
The next step to ensure the long life of the floor; you must always use protectors like furniture pads. Furniture tends to leave a mark where they get placed. Also, the floor is prone to scratches and damage when moving furniture, so using a furniture pad is always recommendable on wood flooring.
- Clean regularly and gently
Make sure to clean the wood flooring regularly. This prevents the dirt build upon the floor. Also, use gentle methods to clean the floor. You don’t need to beat the floor to make it sparkly shining. You can clean it gently, and it would still shine.
- Keep sharp things away from the floor
Just because you are frustrated, do not stomp your heels on the floor. The floor gets hurt, although it might not speak, it shows through its scratches and bruises your high heels afflict on the wood floor. File and trim your pet’s nails also as your friendly buddy might also unknowingly leave the floor with some ugly scratches.
- Maintain a steady temperature
Changes in temperature affect the wood flooring a lot. It causes the wood to expand and contract. Mostly wood flooring expands when exposed to a lot of moisture and contracts in the absence of it. So when you face a dry temperature, use humidifiers to maintain the temperature.
Things or activities you DON’T do to ensure a long life of your wood flooring
- Leave wet clothes on the floor
Wet clothes on the floor expose it to the moisture, and the wood soaks up the water from them. This then causes the wood to swell up, and your floor gets cupped.
- Use hard beaters with vacuum
Using hard beaters with the vacuum cleaner might leave scratches on the floor. Instead, use gentle methods or use a dry mop to remove dirt from the floor. Make sure that you do not use wet mops as this would again expose the wood flooring to water.
- Use vinegar or citric acid on the floor
Vinegar and citrus fruits like lemon have an acidic base and are therefore not good for the wood flooring. Also, hot water is not suitable for your wood flooring as hot water takes away the shine and luster from your surface, giving it a very worn out and old look.
So this list comprises all the basic care routines for your wood flooring. You can refer to this list as a basic checklist to extend the durability of your flooring. Make sure to adapt these practices into your daily routine, and your wood flooring will last for a long time.
