Most homeowners can agree that hardwood looks great in a lot of rooms, but keeping them clean all the time may prove to be a bit of a hassle.  Believe it or not, the secrets for a great hardwood floor are not extensive, and can be achieved with minimal effort.  Read on to find out what they are!

As with any other types of flooring, you need to pay attention to two categories to keep it in great shape: prevention and regular cleaning.  Prevention deals with damage to the floor, and also ways to prevent large buildups of dirt from accumulating.  On the other hand, the cleaning end of the spectrum is rather self-explanatory.  However, the golden rule here is that consistency is key.

For hardwood floors, prevention goes a little bit further than it would with carpet, as there are many things that can potentially damage your floor.  Take chairs and high heels, for example, as both of them can scratch and leave divots in your floor.  An easy way to bolster up your defenses is to use throw rugs wherever appropriate, especially by doorways.  These provide guests a nice place to wipe off their feet, making it less likely that they will track in a rock or some other object that can leave dents in your floor.

In addition, paying attention to the climate in your home is also important for maintaining a proper wood floor.  Ideally, there should be between 35%-55% humidity in your home, which can be a little difficult to achieve in the winter.  However, investing in a simple humidifier will make it much less likely that the wood planks will shrink due to a lack of moisture.

Now, onto the cleaning end of things.  Cleaning a hardwood floor should be approached differently than cleaning a carpet.  For example, you should always try to spot clean your hardwood floor, as to minimize the amount of water that is left on its surface.  In addition, as opposed to vacuuming, you should be sweeping your floor often.  Vacuums may scratch up your floor due to their wheels, whereas the soft bristles of a broom should not leave anything behind except for a clean wood floor.  Although, like with carpet, you should always try to clean up wet spills as soon as you can, before it leaves a stain on the finish, or worse, seeps into the wood itself.

Keeping a hardwood floor great doesn’t need a whole lot of effort—just the right tactics and you’re good to go.  Although, if you ever need advice or help, know that we here at Bayside Carpet Cleaning are here to help.

Give us a call today for a free estimate!