14 Tips to Preserve the Life of Your Hardwood Floors

You've spent a pretty penny on your hardwood floors. Make them last by taking proper care of them. With kids and pets and snow, they can get beat up pretty quickly. Here are some helpful tips to prolonging the life of your floor.

• Make sure you know information on the floor type and finish. Your manufacturer should have included recommendations for care. If you can't remember, visit a professional at a flooring store and they can help. Every floor is different and every finish is different.

• Sweep regularly. It will keep your floors clean from dirt, grit, or sand (or crumbs) that will scratch and dull the surface. 

• Use rugs in high traffic areas like entrances and hallways to prevent tracking in dirt, grit, or sand. Leaving your shoes at the door will help as well.

• Never wax a urethane floor. A majority of floors installed today have urethane finishes.

• Don't use oil soaps. They may cause build up and can dull the appearance of your floors. They can also make refinishing more difficult. 

• Put felt feet on your furniture so that if it moves around it doesn't create marks on the surface.

• Don't let your floor get wet, even minor spills. If you experience any kind of water loss, extract the water immediately. If it is a lot of water, call a restoration company who can bring in equipment to extract it quicker. Water is absorbed into the wood very quickly and can cause swelling and buckling. Buffalo has hardwood floor drying systems but depending on how long the floor has been wet, they may be ruined.

• Don't even wet mop your hardwood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, and as you heard above, damage the wood. Try using a dust mop.

• Put a rug in front of your kitchen sink to catch any excess water.

• Sun can discolor your floor so pay attention to where the light comes in and consider using blinds.

• Cleats, sports shoes and high heels  can put dents in your floor.  Be careful.

• Use a buffer on wax finish floors. You can rent them but if you have a lot of hardwood in your house, consider buying one for yourself.

• When using cleaners, make sure you're using them in the intended way. Don't use tile, linoleum or laminate cleaners on hardwood floors.

• To remove stains in wax finished floors, rub them gently with fine steel wool then reapply wax. 

More floor questions? Call a flooring expert. Buffalo Restoration can help answer questions about cleaning and water damaged hardwood floors. 

Resources: www.curbly.com,  www.woodfloorsonline.com