6 Tips To Protect Hardwood Floors

 

 

Hardwood flooring can be one of the most elegant flooring styles available to homeowners. However, keeping hardwood floors looking good can be a challenge.

 

This is because hardwood flooring is easy to scratch, stain, and warp. This makes the flooring style difficult to protect. Once a hardwood floor loses its luster due to not being protected properly, it will never look the same.

 

If you are determined to keep your hardwood flooring looking great, try protecting your floor with these tips:

 

1. Protective pads on furniture legs

 

Simple yet effective, you need to make sure you place protective padding on the bottom of all your furniture’s’ legs. This will eliminate any scratching that could happen due to sliding items across the floor. Check these every year because they can wear down over time.

 

2. Trim pet nails

 

You love your furry friends, but you love your hardwood floor as well. Make sure to continually keep your pet’s nails short. Animals love to have fun and sometimes this leads to a dog needing to dig in to stop him or herself before they crash into a door or a table. If your puppy has long nails this can result in scratched floors.

 

3. Avoid harsh chemicals 

 

While it can be tempting to use harsh cleaners to clean the grit and grime off your hardwood floors, you must avoid the temptation. Any cleaners like ammonia, pledge, or silicone-based items could leave permanent stains on your hardwood flooring.

 

4. Keep it clean

 

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to keep your hardwood flooring looking great is to keep it clean. Sweep your floors often. Then, make sure to utilize rugs and mats in certain areas to make your life easier.  Also, vacuum often. Vacuuming sucks up dirt from wood grains and seams that sweeping may not catch.

 

5. Rearranging furniture 

 

You will want to rearrange furniture that sits on your hardwood flooring periodically. This is for a couple reasons. First, if you can rearrange your furniture in a way that redirects the foot traffic in your home, floors will wear more evenly. Next, the sun and UV rays have an effect on your flooring as well. Changing the furniture around can be a great way to change which part of your floor gets sun and which parts do not.

 

6. Maintain humidity levels

 

Lastly, you will want to maintain healthy humidity levels in your home. Your best bet to prevent warping is to keep the humidity levels in your home around 35-55%. This practice will help ensure the health of your hardwood floors for years to come.