Hardwood floors can give a classic and beautiful look to your home's interior, but they also require special care and maintenance to keep them looking their best. Here are some tips to help you clean and maintain your hardwood floors.
Prevent Damage
One of the best ways to keep your hardwood floors looking their best is to clean them regularly to prevent damage. Damage can still occur from the claws of any pets in your home, accidentally dropping heavy or sharp items onto the floor, and scratches to the floor from sliding furniture, but regular cleaning can prevent additional damage.
When dirt and debris settles on your hardwood floors, walking across the debris can grind it into the floor and cause scratches to its surface. Over time, this will cause your wood floors to look dull and dingy-looking over areas of high traffic. It is recommended to sweep your hardwood floors once a day to keep them looking shiny. Then, mop them once a week to remove any build-up of grime and other residues.
It is also helpful to remove your shoes when you enter your home. This helps prevent dirt and debris from being tracked into your home, and prevents damage from high-heeled shoes and other hard-soled shoes and boots. If you have any indoor dogs, keep their nails trimmed regularly to prevent excessive scratches from occurring to the floor's surface.
Repair Scratches
Scuff marks from shoes and from sliding furniture can sometimes cause surface damage, and other times can remove the finish and damage the underlying wood. To repair a scuff mark, moisten a cloth and dip it in a bit of baking soda. Rub the cloth over the scuff mark to remove it from the finish.
If the finish has been damaged, you can repair it as well without having to refinish the entire floor. Apply some mineral spirits to a scouring pad and rub it over the surface of the scratch. Be sure to follow the grain of the wood floor so you don't cause any additional damage. This will remove the wood floor's finish so you can coat it with new protective finish. Last, brush a protective finish onto the area and allow it to dry.
Fill and Repair Dents
When a large or sharp object has fallen onto your hardwood floors, it can cause impact damage into the surface of your wood floors. As long as none of the wood has become chipped from the floor's surface, you can use a technique to lift a dent in your wood to restore its surface.
To repair a dent on a finished hardwood floor, use a piece of sandpaper to lightly sand over the dent. Then, apply water onto the dent and lay a wet wash cloth over the dent. Turn on your clothes iron onto high heat and rub it in circular motions onto the wet wash cloth applied onto the dent in your floor. Be sure to keep the wash cloth wet the entire time so you don't scorch the flooring. Continue this for several minutes, then check the dent in the floor. The hot moisture from the iron and the wash cloth will help the wood expand and restore the wood to correct the dent.
If there is a dent in your wood flooring that has had wood gouged and chipped from its surface, sand the dent and the area around it. Next, fill it with a wood filler to match the wood flooring, pressing it fully into the damage. Allow the filler to dry, then sand it smooth with fine-grit sand paper. With a small paint brush, apply new finish onto the repaired section, allowing it to dry before walking over it.
Use these tips to maintain your hardwood floors and keep them looking nice. For more information, contact companies like Costen Floors Inc.
Share28 August 2017
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