There’s nothing that looks better in your home than a nice and shiny hardwood floor. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to keep the floor looking that shiny all the time. With all of the foot traffic on a daily basis, especially if you have pets, a hardwood floor can turn from shiny to dull in no time.
Busy schedules can prevent us from keeping a regular weekly cleaning schedule, but by spending just a few minutes daily or weekly, hardwood floors can maintain their shine for a long time.
Preventing Dull Hardwood Floors
Preventative maintenance is one of the best ways that you can keep your hardwood floors shiny for years to come. And the great thing about it is that you can reduce your actual cleaning time by doing these simple things:
Set up rugs or mats outside and inside each entryway. This will prompt you to wipe off your feet before you enter, so you can keep out extra dirt and debris. Just remember to clean the rugs every once in a while!
Take off your shoes when you step on the rug. It’s impossible to get all of the dust and dirt off of your shoes just by wiping them on a rug. Instead, take them off all together and make it a point to not walk on the hardwood floor with your shoes on.
Place larger rugs in high traffic common areas or places where kids or pets play. This will help prevent the hardwood floor from getting scratched up.
Install floor protectors on your furniture so it won’t scratch the floor when it moves. The constant movement of furniture will eventually begin to scratch the surface if it’s not protected.
Quick Methods to Clean Hardwood Floors
One of the best investments you can make for your hardwood floors is a hardwood floor vacuum. They are designed not to scratch the floors and are usually lightweight enough to get out for quick clean ups.
If you don’t want to drag out the vacuum every week, then you can also make a pass with a mop or broom every other day. No matter how careful you are, dust and dirt will get on the floor. The longer you wait to clean it up, the more likely it is that the floor will get scratched.
Even if you decide to do a deeper clean, the dust from the surface could scratch the floors when you run the mop or cloth over it.
Getting A Deeper Clean
Even if you are diligent about dusting and vacuuming your hardwood floors, dirt and grime will still build up. Weekly or even daily quick cleans still won’t pick up everything, but it will reduce the amount of times that you have to do a deep clean.
Make sure you have dusted or vacuumed first to get the loose particles out of the way. Invest in a wood-cleaning product that is designed for hardwood floors. You will want to be sure that you are working with a damp cloth or mop, and not a completely saturated one.
Leaving any amount of standing water on the floors could damage the wood. A damp cloth won’t leave behind much standing water. Follow the instructions on the wood cleaning product you bought, but always remember to dry the floors as quickly as possible. You may consider turning on the ceiling fans to help speed up the drying process.
Keep Your Floors Clean
The best way to keep your hardwood floors clean and shiny is to take measures to prevent them from getting dirty in the first place. It is obviously impossible to keep a spotless house at all times, but doing the simple things like placing a rug at entryways or taking your shoes off before entering the home will help tremendously.
The great thing about hardwood floors is that they look a lot classier than most carpets. The bad thing is that if you don’t take proper care of the hardwood floors, then they could slowly start looking bad. They may require a little more maintenance and care than carpet, but your efforts are well worth it when you walk in to a house with shiny hardwood floors!
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