The beauty and appeal of hardwood floors are indisputable. That is why they are a popular choice in many custom built homes. When you chose your floors, you likely spent a lot of time considering quality, colour and even design. Now that the hardwoods are in place, it’s time to consider how to keep them beautiful and help them to last for years to come. The professional team at Alair Homes Nanaimo offers this advice.
Remove Shoes
The first step in keeping your floors looking great is a simple one. When you walk in the door, take your shoes off. If you have a mudroom in your custom home, take advantage of it, and leave your shoes there. If not, consider adding a shelf near the front door, or use a hall closet for easy storage of footwear. If your feet get cold when bare, wear soft soled slippers or cozy socks inside. Ask all your family and friends to follow this rule. It’ll keep your floors cleaner and help you to avoid many scuffs and scrapes.
Throw Rugs
Your floors are so beautiful, and you probably don’t want to cover them up. However, strategically placing rugs, especially in high traffic areas, can help preserve the beauty of your floors. Throw rugs help to provide warm spots to stand on during cold winter evenings, and they also add pops of colour throughout your home. Prime areas for throw rugs include the entryway, kitchen, living room and dining room.
Clean Your Floors the Right Way
Maintaining your hardwood floors isn’t too difficult, but you have to use the right equipment and cleaners. A simple broom and dustpan will do the trick most days. When you need to, use a vacuum, but never use the beater bar. A microfiber mop is also a great thing to have on hand. You can use it dry to collect dust and clean up spillage. When you need to use a cleaner, spray it on your floors and wipe it up with our mop. However, make sure it’s one that the manufacturer recommends, and carefully follow their cleaning instructions.
Water isn’t Your Friend
If there’s one thing that can ruin your hardwood floors quickly it’s a puddle of water. Never use a mop and bucket to clean your floors, and if you spill liquid, clean it up as quickly as possible. Water can cause your floors to warp and buckle. This not only affects their aesthetic quality but their longevity too. It can also make it necessary to sand and refinish your floors much quicker than you normally would have to. Keep the water away to keep your floors safe.
You invested a lot in your custom built home, so make sure to take care of the many features that make it all your own. This includes your hardwood floors. Use this guide as a starting place, and be sure to direct any questions to your project manager. At Alair Homes Nanaimo, we’re always here to help. Contact us if you need more advice about how to keep your floors looking their best.