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Hardwood floors are a major investment, and if you want to protect them and ensure that they last a long time, you need to take some precautions. You have to be careful about how you clean your floors and about how you use them. Hardwood floors can last for decades, but they have to be properly maintained in order to have that kind of lifespan.
In this article, we’ll talk about how you can care for your hardwood floors and extend their lifespan.
Clean Regularly
If you want your hardwood floors to last for a long time, you have to keep them clean. When dirt and debris get on the floors, they create friction between your feet and the floors. That wears down the hardwood over time, even if there is a protective coating over it. So, it is important to keep the floors clean as much as possible. Clean up spills and dirt when you see them and make a regular habit of cleaning the floors.
You should consider hiring professionals for hardwood floor cleaning in Houston so that you can ensure the floors are cleaned properly. By having someone work on the floors that has a lot of cleaning experience, you will not have to worry about whether you’re using the right cleaning materials and causing damage to the floors.
Whether you hire someone to clean them or you clean them yourself, just make sure that your hardwood floors are cleaned at least once a week and then as often as necessary to keep them looking clean.
Keep Traffic to a Minimum
The simplest way to protect hardwood floors is to not use them very much. That may seem ridiculous, but it is worth keeping in mind. If you can limit foot traffic on the floors, they will last longer because they are undergoing less abuse.
You will have to replace hardwood floors sooner if they have a lot of foot traffic on them on a regular basis. There’s simply no way around it, and we do recommend you look for ways to limit foot traffic on your hardwood floors. You can do this by keeping the hardwood floors off limits when you have parties and other special events. This ensures that people who might not be very careful with the floors will be staying off of them.
You could also put a carpet over the floor so that the hardwood is protected. This limits foot traffic on the floor itself, though a carpet can still cause friction on the wood, if there’s dirt underneath the carpet.
Clean Spills Right Away
We talked about keeping the floors clean on a regular basis, but it’s also important to make sure no spills stay on your hardwood floor. One of the most damaging substances for hardwood is water or liquid of any kind. You want to be careful about how you clean your floor so that you don’t use a lot of water or leave any water on the floor. When cleaning with water, make sure it is dried up completely. If you have to, set up fans to blow on the hardwood floor to dry up the water faster.
When there is a liquid spill on the floor, dry it up completely. Use a wet cloth to wipe off sticky residue and a dry cloth to ensure that no moisture is left behind. This is vitally important for hardwood floors since water can seep into the floor and cause damage like warping, rippling, and rot.
The longer you allow spills to stay on your hardwood floors, the worse the damage will be and the harder it will be to get it out. If you see that a spill has caused warping in your wood, set up fans or use a handheld blow dryer to get rid of the water and dry out the boards on the floor completely.
Sand Conservatively
If you are sanding your floors, you want to make sure that you do not over-sand hardwood floors. This can damage them, make them weaker and less resistant to damage, and shorten their lifespan.
When sanding hardwood floors, start with a rough sanding method and progress to a smoother one. Make sure you use this progression and don’t skip ahead so that the floors are properly sanded. If you don’t feel confident in sanding your hardwood floors and not causing damage, hire a professional to do the work.
Protect the Floor with a Wax Finish
Applying a wax finish to your hardwood floor is a great way to ensure its longevity. This keeps dirt and grime from creating friction directly on the wood. It also acts as a water-tight seal, if you’re using high quality floor wax and applying it properly. That means that even if water pools on the floor, it’s very unlikely to get to the wood and damage it.
Floors that are polished and waxed well can last much longer than those that are not. You may have to refresh the wax from time to time, laying down a new coat to keep it in top shape and ensuring a seal over the floor.
Place a Barrier between Furniture and Floor
One of the most damaging things for hardwood floors is furniture that scrapes on the surface of the wood. You can protect the hardwood floors by putting furniture protectors on the base of the furniture where it comes into contact with the hardwood floor. Make sure these are firmly in place and check them periodically to ensure that they haven’t moved and that they don’t need to be reattached.
The furniture protector should be thick enough so that the weight of the furniture does not scrape on the floor even when furniture is being moved. When moving furniture across hardwood floors, it is best to lift it up completely off the floor and set it down in the new location. This limits contact with the floor and prevents scraping and scuffing.
