11July2010
How to Maintain Your Hardwood Floors
If you have thought about changing your flooring and have decided on hardwood flooring then you have made a great choice, but your hardwood floors will need to be maintained. Flooring that is hardwood is made using mature trees, it is then treated and finished. But hardwood will absorb moisture and also scratch if something is dragged across it.
It is not a good idea to leave a pool of water on your hardwood floors. The cracks in between the hardwood will absorb the moisture and swell. If this happens in even a little spot it will still be noticeable. If there happens to be any liquid at all spilt on the hardwood floor you need to clean it up immediately. When you clean your hardwood floor you can use a damp mop but only damp. You may want to use a floor cleaner for hardwood, like new floors usually. Either way only a damp mop should be used.
Dents and aslo scratches happen to hardwood floors often. High heels are torture to hardwood floors. Over a long perios of time furniture legs cause dents and scratches also. You can choose to put area rugs under the furniture to protect the floors or you can put felts on the bottoms of the furniture legs. This can be the same as old furniture to many people. Also you could add some area rugs to the highly traveled areas in your home such as kitchens, hallways, in front of the couch.
There are some people that feel that the scratches and the dents give their hardwood floors character. If you have a lot of dents and scratches then it is an option to have your hardwood floors refinished. If you have your hardwood floors refinished every decade or so and keep on top of protecting your hardwood floors, they will look the best, just like old furniture usually. Moving anything across your hardwood floors to letting your dog run in the house can cause scratches and dents.