Wood Floor Care &
Maintenance

 Regular Maintenance -  [Close]

When it comes to keeping hardwood floors clean, little more than regular sweeping or vacuuming is required. Use either a broom with a soft bristle or a vacuum with a soft floor attachment to pick up dust & debris. Follow these additional preventative maintenance tips to ensure that your floors stay healthy & beautiful for life.

1. Never use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors, they can cause the wood to become slippery & appear dull.
2. Use throw rugs at doorways to help keep dirt & other abrasive debris from scratching your floors.
3. Never wet mop a wood floor since standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood & discolor the surface. Be sure to also wipe up any spills immediately.
4. For wax floors, be careful not to over wax a wood floor; try buffing instead to liven up dull spots.
5. Place soft plastic or fabric-covered glides under furniture legs to prevent scuffing & scratching.
6. Remove cleats, sports shoes & high heels before walking on your wood floors to prevent damage.

 The Right Products -  [Close]

We recommend & offer Bona brand cleaners for both pre-finished & unfinished wood floors.

• Surface Finishes - Floors with a surface finish should be cleaned periodically using a cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. When cleaning no longer restores the shine, don't use wax. Instead, recoat the floor with a surface finish. How often you'll need to do this will depend on the amount of traffic the floor sees.
• Wax finishes - Floors with wax finishes should be buffed periodically to restore the shine. But when buffing no longer works, waxing may be necessary. Use a cleaner and liquid wax designed especially for wood flooring, and make sure it is solvent rather than water based. Depending on traffic, a properly maintained wood floor with a wax finish should only need waxing once or twice a year.
• Shellac & Varnish Finishes - Only floors that haven't been professionally serviced since the mid-1960s will still bear a shellac or varnish finish, & if you've got one there's very little cleaning that can be done besides sweeping & dustmopping. To restore the beauty & warmth you crave, the floors will require a full sanding & refinishing.