Cleaning and Maintaining Hardwood Floors

Here are some maintenance and cleaning suggestions:

Daily or every-other-day sweeping keeps your wood floors free of visible dust and debris.  This is not only to keep a tidy look, but also to prevent damage to the floors.  Even small grains of dirt and sand can scratch your floors.  Use a soft broom.

Vacuuming once a week will take care of any dirt and sand missed by the broom.  If your vacuum comes with different brush attachments, use the softest one available to avoid unnecessary abrasions.

Be careful of water on your flooring.  Take care of any spill as soon as possible and squeeze out as much water as you can from your mop before running it over the floor.  Water can accumulate in the seams and small crevices and eventually cause the wood to warp or the finish to dull and peel.

Keep the humidity in your house constant and tolerable.  Just like water spilled directly onto the floor, the amount of moisture in the air can cause your wood floors to expand (with high humidity) and shrink (with low).

Leave the shoes at the door.  High heels, work boots, and other heavy footwear can leave dings and dents in your wood.

Lay down mats, area rugs, and runners in the highest traffic areas.  Like a trail in a forest, your frequent walking paths can cause serious wear and tear.  You don't want a trail of scuffs from the kitchen to the TV room.

Purchase a few gliding furniture pads for when you need to move the couch, dining room table, or any other heavy piece of furniture.  Never drag furniture across the floor.  For chairs and other frequently moved pieces, try some felt pads.  They have a light adhesive so they stay on, but can be easily removed down the road.

Consult the flooring manufacturer's recommendations as far maintaining the finish.  Different finishes require different methods.  A polyurethane (or surface) finish, for example, requires a no-wax cleaner, while a wax finish may necessitate buffing and re-waxing from time to time, depending on the level of traffic.

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