Hardwood Floor Maintenance

After a homeowner goes to the expense and disruption of having a hardwood floor installed, the last thing he or she wants to do is allow damage or excess wear to mar its beauty and style. Families, especially with children and pets, can be quite hard on any type of flooring. While hardwood floors hold up to use well and can last more than a lifetime, proper wood floor maintenance is essential to keep it looking its best for as long as possible.

Abita Wood Floors recommends that for the best hardwood floor maintenance results possible, you will need to use the proper tools. Keep in mind, there are several household products on the shelves that promise the best end result, but forget to mention that over time the ingredients used in most products may cause dulling and sometimes damage to the finish application to the wood ( we are looking at you, steamers!!). We recommend a mixture of warm water and liquid dish soap, and a soft microfiber cleaning pad.

Many of the things that help prevent damage or wear to a hardwood floor focus on minimizing the effects of regular traffic. Every room has common walkways that get more use than other parts. These should be protected and treated with proper wood floor maintenance solutions regularly.

Avoid these worst offenders when it comes to maintaining hardwood floors:

• Hard-soled shoes, especially high heels
• Water and other liquid spills
• Moving furniture or other heavy objects by dragging them across the hardwood floor
• Using steamers, which will damage the finish and the wood over long periods of time.
• Use area rugs at entrances and in high traffic areas like near kitchen sinks. This helps prevent wear and allows dirt and debris to get caught for someone tracks it across the parquet.
• Using cleaners for vinyl and tile floor cleaning solutions on wooden boards or planks.
• Not using felt pads on every table and chair leg in the room.