Although there are lots of modern types of flooring nowadays, hardwood flooring is a classic favorite of many. It has a natural appearance and feel to it that no other flooring has. Maintaining your hardwood floor is very easy and can be refinished several times, unlike engineered flooring or laminates.
To properly clean your hardwood flooring you should give consideration to a couple of things, since it is very easy to scratch if you are not careful with it. Dirt, stain and grit are the elements that kill this flooring type as they tend to harm it unless taken off right away. Moreover, if you live in a rather dusty area, it will exhibit more on hardwood than on other materials. This is the reason why one of the most important elements in caring for your hardwood floor is regular sweeping and dusting. You should do it once every week or if you see dirt built up before the week is over, do a sweeping again.
When you are dusting and sweeping be sure to use only products that have been explicitly approved by the manufacturer. If you just use a regular household cleaning product you could be at risk of damaging your floor instead of cleaning it. If you want to use vacuum, you could easily do that instead of sweeping as it is also a faster way of eliminating dirt and grime from the surface.
Depending on the hardwood type, you could have a floor with a glossy finish or with a matte finish. If it is glossy, it means it has been taken care with a water based urethane finish to provide it with protective layer over the actual hardwood. The matte finish has been protected with a coating of wax or oil, or a mixture of the two. Be careful not to use any regular detergent on any of the two types because it will easily destroy the protective layer over your hardwood.
If you use water for mopping, apply only a little, so the water does not penetrate the oil or wax layer. If your hardwood has a glossy finish, you can make use of some household hardwood cleaner provided that the finish does not contain oil or wax in it.
Avoid using ammonia on your flooring surface and also avert using wax if you have a glossy finish floor.
If you have any water marks on the flooring surface, first you have to remove the glossy finish or wax protective layer after which use fine grade steel wool to rub the water marks. And then clean the surface and refinish the hardwood.
When moving household furniture across the room, try to not drag it, instead lift it. This will keep your floor from various scratches and marks. Also avoid walking over the floor with high heel shoes and make sure to cut the nails of your pets.
