How to Care for Hardwood Flooring: Why it Pays to Take Care of Your Floors
Hardwood flooring is a highly desirable asset to have in your home. In fact, according to many real estate agents, it’s an aspect that can add significant value; as it really gives the property the ‘wow’ factor.
Whether you’ve got polished walnut floorboards, or a precision engineered oak finish, it’s likely that you’ve invested quite a lot of money into creating the effect, and as a result, it’s important to ensure that you keep it looking great.
Caring for Hardwood Flooring: What Happens if You Don’t?
Hardwood floors take some level of care in order to maintain their impressive visual impact. However, take comfort in the fact that this shouldn’t be any harder than looking after a carpet, and it is certainly worth the extra amount of effort.
Whilst hardwood flooring is well known for its durability, without the proper level of care, it is likely to start looking a little grimy and dusty. No matter how expertly engineered your floorboards are, there will be some gaps in between them, which are natural traps for dirt and crumbs of food. Also, over time, the surface itself is likely start to lose its natural sheen and appear dull and sticky.
How to Care for Hardwood Flooring: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Know how to treat your flooring. Hardwood floorboards look beautiful, but they are prone to scratching and scuffing. This is particularly noticeable if the surface is very smooth and polished. Avoid damaging the wood by encouraging the family to treat the floor with respect. Lift furniture rather than dragging it, place rugs in any ‘high traffic’ areas, and have a ‘no stiletto’ rule, as heels can mark wood badly.
- Protect from the sun. Wood naturally bleaches in the sunlight, and if your floor is exposed to the sun (for example, next to patio doors or a large window), this can alter the color of your floorboards. As we live in a State that gets a lot of sunshine, it’s worth investing in some suitable blinds to keep them well protected.
- Avoid water damage. Water is incredibly damaging to floorboards, as wood naturally absorbs water, causing it to expand and warp. However, it’s likely that you’ll need to mop your floor from time to time, to clean up sticky patches and freshen up the surface. Use water sparingly, and open any doors afterwards, to help the area to dry as swiftly as possible.
- Sweep regularly. Use a soft broom to sweep the area regularly, in order to avoid any build-up of dirt and dust.
- Use a vacuum cleaner. Every so often, get your vacuum cleaner and focus on any areas where dust might accumulate; such as in the gaps between the floorboards and at the skirting boards and corners.
Expert Care for Hardwood Flooring: Getting the Professional Touch…
There is much that you can do to protect your hardwood floor; however, the most effective way to ensure you maintain a great finish is to hire in an expert floor cleaning company in Florida, such as Gator Cleaning. They use a high-tech cleaning process to eliminate dirt and grime; which really does make the difference when it comes to creating the right impact. To find out more, call 813-929-1122 to arrange a free, no obligations quote.
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