Installing wood floors is a great way to increase the value of your property and add a touch of personality to your custom built home. In addition to being eye-catching, wooden floors are also extremely durable as long as you properly care for them. Here is a quick look at some tips and tricks that you can use to keep your floors pristine and prevent unnecessary damage.
Take Your Shoes Off
Removing your shoes every time that you get home might seem like a hassle, but that habit will extend the life of your floors. Your shoes are going to bring in pebbles, dust, and other debris that might end up scuffing or scratching the wood panels. If you don’t feel like removing your shoes when you get home, then you should make sure that you thoroughly wipe them on a doormat before you step inside.
Sweep and Use a Dust Mop as Often as Possible
Areas like Red Deer might not have a lot of dust, but your floors are still going to trap quite a bit of grime. When that grime isn’t removed, you will push it into the floor every time that you walk around. Over the course of a few years, that could result in deep scratches, stains, and splintering wood. At least once or twice a week, try to sweep the entire house. You can also use a dust mop to get up any lingering debris that you missed with the broom.
Deep Clean Once a Month
How often you need to deep clean your floors depends on a few different factors including where your home is located and how many people live in your home. As a general rule, wood floors should be thoroughly cleaned once every month or two. After you have swept the floor, use a wood cleaning product to polish the panels. You might also need to use a soft brush to dislodge any grime that is in the gaps between the panels in areas like your custom kitchen.
Don’t Ignore Any Spills
Your floor is most likely sealed with some kind of finishing product, but it can still be damaged by liquid. When left overnight, a few drops of liquid might stain or tarnish the floor. The best way to clean up most liquids is with a tack cloth and a little bit of warm water. For bigger spills and sticky substances, you might need to use a mixture of warm water and white vinegar. That mixture is completely non-toxic and safe to use on almost all types of flooring.
Regularly Reseal Your Floors
When your floor is first installed, you should spend some time familiarizing yourself with how it is sealed. Contact your Alair Homes Red Deer project manager with any questions. Surface-sealed floors are covered in a thick layer of urethane, polyacrylic, or polyurethane. Those floors can easily be cleaned with a mop and warm water. Seal-treated and oil-treated floors must never be cleaned with a mop. Those floors should only be swept, and they usually need to be resealed once every few months with a penetrating sealer or an oil finish.
Keeping your wood floors in good health isn’t difficult. Simply following these general rules will help. Take the time to take care of your floors and you’ll be rewarded with a lifetime of beauty and durability.