What Is The Best Thing To Use To Clean Hardwood Floors?

Like everything else in your home, it's best to clean hardwood floors well and often. Following a few simple maintenance steps, will help protect your investment and keep your floor like new.

• Use a damp cloth to blot up spills and spots as soon as they happen. For tough spots such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, tar or cigarette marks, use acetone/nail polish remover then wipe with a damp cloth. Always avoid allowing liquids to stand on your floor.
• Regularly vacuum, (using the hard floor attachment not the beater bar), dust mop  or sweep the floor to prevent sand or abrasive dust from accumulating and  scratching the finish.

• Periodically clean the floor with us or approved hardwood floor cleaner, which are specially formulated for the finish.
• Do not use oil based, wax, polish, or strong ammoniated or abrasive cleaners, steel wool or scouring powder to clean the floor.
• Do not wash or wet-mop the floor with soap, water, oil soap detergent or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling warping, delaminating and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.
• DO NOT use any type of polisher.

Hardwood floors are also prone to damage due to time, weather, and accumulated wear and tear. This potential for damage is enhanced even more by the fact that hardwood is an organic material. So knowing how to protect them is also important. Here are a few tips for you.

•  Sweep, dust or vacuum the floor regularly to prevent accumulation of dirt or grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish.

•  Use floor protectors and wide bearing leg bases/rollers to minimize indentations and scratches from heavy objects. As a rule of thumb, the heavier the object, the wider the floor protector should be.

•  Do not use rubber or foam backed plastic mats as they may discolour the floor. To prevent slippage use an approved vinyl rug underlayment.

•  Maintain a normal indoor relative humidity level between 40% and 55% throughout the year, to minimize the natural expansion and contraction of wood. Failure to provide adequate relative humidity in the home by the use of a humidifier or a dehumidifier will void the warranty.

•  Avoid gouges or cuts in your floor from sharp objects. While your floor is one of the most wear resistant floors on the market, sharp or pointed objects can nevertheless damage it.

•  Don’t walk on your floor with stiletto-style heels, spiked golf shoes or cleats; they may cause indentations in your floor.

•  Rearrange area rugs and furniture periodically so the floor ages evenly. UV sunlight will soften or darken the tone of different species of hardwood to varying degrees

•  Use a dolly when moving heavy furniture or appliances. But first, put down a sheet of quarter inch plywood or Masonite to protect the floor. Never try to slide or roll heavy objects across the floor.

•  Keep pet’s nails trimmed or consider “booties” available at pet stores.