Carlsbad, CA, November 04, 2022 – If you’re like most homeowners, you take pride in your home and want to do everything you can to protect your investment. One of the areas that require special attention is your flooring. Hardwood floors can be beautiful and add value to your home, but they require care and protection to keep them looking their best. Here are some tips on how to best protect your hardwood floors.
Do Not Clean With Water
As the hardest natural surface in your home, wood floors are susceptible to various types of damage, and water is one of the most damaging. Wood swells when it’s wet, and this swelling can actually cause the floorboards to separate and warp. This is why you’ll often see water damage on the bottom edges of hardwood floors—where it’s not protected by carpet or rugs—and not so much on the top. Hardwood floors are also organic products that need to be sealed and cared for like any other natural material. While it’s probably obvious that you shouldn’t use water when cleaning a wood floor, you might be surprised at other things you should avoid doing to your wood flooring.
Hardwood flooring experts advise against using any type of water on your hardwood flooring. Instead, use a soft-bristled broom and dustpan to clean your hardwood floors on a daily basis. Clean with a vacuum designed for hard flooring on a weekly basis.
Renew The Finish Of Hardwood Floors
The more time goes on, the more you’ll find that your hardwood floors might start to take a beating. The finish on the floors will begin to get worn down by foot traffic and may need to be renewed. This can be done through the refinishing process, which is a way of removing all of the finish from the floor, repairing any wood that is damaged, and then applying a new coat of finish. The purpose of this is to prevent the need for complete replacements.
If you live in an area where it gets cold outside and you have wood floors, you might want to consider having your hardwood floor specialists come out and evaluate whether or not there are any problems with your floors. It’s better to catch them early before there is any additional damage. You don’t want to be caught without any options, so taking care of your hardwood floors now can help prevent bigger problems later.
Keep Dirt Away From The Floors
One of the best aspects of hardwood floors is their beauty—and one of the worst aspects of hardwood floors is how easily they show dirt. It’s obvious when dust, dirt, and debris are tracked into your home on the soles of shoes, which can quickly create a huge mess. You can ask both residents and guests to remove their shoes when they enter the house. It is easier to enforce a “no shoes” rule in the home if they have a place to keep their shoes and boots where they can also change into socks or slippers.
What’s worse, many people who don’t work with their hands on a regular basis don’t consider how much damage can be done by tracking dirt in from outside. Many people have pets, and if your pet goes outside frequently, there will be plenty of opportunities for dirt and debris to track in. If you want your hardwood floors to last as long as possible, make sure everyone removes their shoes before entering the house.
For Pet Owners, Clip Their Nails
Whether you have a dog or cat, it’s important to keep an eye on their claws and make sure they aren’t getting too long. Dog nails grow faster than human nails—about a quarter inch every week —and cats’ nails are even more prolific. If left without regular manicures, these sharp claws can cause all sorts of damage.
A cat or dog’s nails are not only sharp but also grabby. They’re used for scratching, which is an important part of their behavior—a way of marking territory and expressing themselves. But if they scratch things around the house, it doesn’t just look bad; it can also be costly. Keeping pets’ nails trimmed will not only help them avoid damaging things around the house, but it’ll also help keep your floors from being gouged with deep scratches.
Recoating Hardwood Floors Is Important
When you live with a floor every day, it’s easy to take it for granted, but your hardwood floors are working hard to protect themselves from the wear and tear of daily use. It is critical to perform routine maintenance such as dusting, mopping, and vacuuming. Even with all of that effort, your wood floors will require some extra attention from time to time if you want them to look their best. You may notice that your wood floors have lost some of their lusters if you’ve spent a lot of time cleaning and maintaining them over the years. No matter how well you’ve taken care of them, the finish can begin to look dull and worn as scuffs and scratches accumulate.
You may not be able to prevent every mark from appearing or prevent the wood from becoming damaged over time, but recoating your wood floors is an excellent way to bring them back to life with renewed shine and luster. When it comes time to recoat your flooring, be sure to ask your wood floor specialists about the various options.
Now that you know how to protect your hardwood floors, it’s time to take action. Be sure to contact Silver Olas Carpet Tile Flood Cleaning for all of your floor cleaning needs. We provide top-notch services at an affordable price, and we’re here to help you keep your floors looking their best. Thanks for reading!
Silver Olas Carpet Tile Flood Cleaning