DIY Hardwood Flooring Care

If hardwood is the most desirable flooring on the market, then it is equally important that homeowners know how to protect their investment! 

The key is routine DIY maintenance. 

You don’t have to wait until your hardwood floor needs repair. All you have to remember is that prolonging the life of your hardwood requires constant cleaning, protective measures, and filling in minor scratches. And most importantly, the steps we’re going to outline are all do-it-yourself measures that will protect your hardwood! So, read on to find out how you can care for your hardwood flooring so it not only lasts but retains its beauty.

How To Care For Your Hardwood Floors

Here’s the best way to regularly care for your hardwood floors.

• Daily Sweeping

The best thing you can do for any flooring is to sweep away debris daily, sans for carpet that requires vacuuming. Sweeping keeps debris out of floorboard creases, which in turn reduces allergens, and protects your hardwood from scratches.

• Whisk Away Messes Immediately

The next step to maintaining your floors from needing hardwood flooring repair is to remove messes as they happen. Letting water, mud, or spills settle on hardwood means it will seep into the floors and the cracks, all of which threaten the integrity and longevity of your floors. Hence, whisk away a mess as it happens and then, with a damp mop, go over the spill site to finish cleaning.

• Weekly Dust Mopping

As with sweeping, you should use a dust mop weekly for a deeper clean. This will tackle dust bunnies and pet hair buildup and will reduce household allergens as it traps particles before they go airborne.

• Monthly Cleaning

A monthly deep clean is the final step to maintaining and protecting your hardwood floors. Although a dust mop does wonders for reducing debris, your floors require a monthly mop with hardwood-specific cleaner.

The trick to mopping is lightly dampening the mop head with hardwood cleaner and mopping with the grain. If your floors are overrun with dirt, frequently rinse the mop head and wring out the excess water.

How To Protect Your Hardwood Floors

These are some effective methods you can do yourself to keep your hardwood looking as good as new:

• Always use furniture pads to prevent furniture from scratching the floors
• Use entryway mats and rugs in high-traffic areas 
• Ensure the indoor humidity remains consistent between 30-50%
• If you have pets, keep their nails trimmed
• Use hardwood finishes 
• Know when to contact a flooring expert to sand and refinish your floors

How To Fill Minor Scratches

Over time, your hardwood will inevitably encounter scratches. The key to protecting your flooring is to fix minor scratches before hiring a professional contractor for some hardwood flooring repair. These are a few DIY methods to remove scratches:

• Try a small amount of olive oil on the scratch. Allow it to sit for five minutes before wiping it off.
• Apply beeswax to the scratch, then buff it.
• You can momentarily put on a wood stain that matches your hardwood, then whisk away.
• Use a crayon, the colour of your hardwood, to fill in the scratch.
• If all else fails or the scratch is too deep, you’ll have to call a professional flooring contractor to do hardwood flooring repair.

Final Thoughts On Caring For Your Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring may be the most desirable option for homeowners, but it requires constant upkeep to prolong its life. The good news is that you can regularly use many DIY options to maintain and care for your hardwood before hiring a professional flooring contractor to sand or refinish your floors. For instance, you can use routine cleaning like dust mopping, flooring protective measures like mats, and filling in minor scratches with beeswax before they compromise your floorboards.

If you’re new to hardwood or considering installing it but need some advice, give us the Brothers Flooring a call today for a free consultation. With over 20 years of experience as trusted flooring contractors, we are confident we can help you answer any of your flooring-related questions!