Since your wood floors may be one of the priciest investment in your home, it’s well worth the time and effort to keep them taken care of. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to properly care for their wood floors and they end up damaging the expensive flooring. At Silver Tree Wood Refinishing, we’ve compiled our best tips to help you prevent wood floor damage and keep your investment looking fabulous and staying durable!
1. Clean up spills ASAP
Don’t ignore the food and liquid spills that happen on your wood floor! Clean accidents up as soon as they happen and never let messes remain on your floor for an extended period of time. If you have kids in your home, encourage them to help clean up!
2. Use furniture pads
No matter what type of furniture you have in your home— barstools, couches, tables, chairs, etc.— they should all have furniture pads on the bottom of their legs. Whenever you move your furniture, little scratches and scuffs are bound to happen, but furniture pads can help prevent this damage from happening. Furniture pads normally come in felt and rubber materials, and you can choose the size that best fits your furniture.
3. Strategically arrange your rugs
Like furniture pads, area rugs can provide a barrier between your furniture and your wood floor. We recommend placing rugs underneath your furniture for added protection and for a nice home decoration touch! You can also put rugs in high foot traffic areas like entryways and hallways to prevent shoe scuffs and scratches…which leads us to our next tip…
4. Make it a habit to not wear shoes in your home
Some families swear by not wearing shoes in their home and others are more relaxed about this practice. However, we have to side with the no-shoes-in-the-home advocates when it comes to protecting your wood floors! High heels, sneakers, and other shoes can easily scratch the surface of your flooring and make it appear dirtier. If you’re not ready to change this habit just yet, stick to our tip above about using rugs in high foot traffic areas!
5. Trim your pets’ nails
Your pets’ nails are also a common source of floor damage. Keep their nails regularly clipped to avoid large scratches on your wood floors!
6. Don’t use vinegar or harsh cleaners
People love trying DIY floor cleaning solutions, but these often cause more harm than good when the ingredients include vinegar. Vinegar is acidic, so it works great for cleaning other surfaces but not your wood floor! It can wear down the shiny, protective finish on your flooring. Similarly, harsh, storebought cleaners that are not intended for wood floors can also cause your flooring to become dull. Be sure to look for cleaning solutions that are specifically designed for wood floors, and always test a small portion of your floor first before cleaning the rest.
7. Never resort to steam cleaning
Some people use steam cleaning to get rid of the dirt and grime on their wood floors, but we would not recommend this method. This can cause water damage and buckled floors, so stick to low-moisture cleaning methods!
8. Schedule a wood refinishing appointment
8. Schedule a wood refinishing appointmentProfessional wood floor refinishing repairs surface damage that has accumulated over the years, and it gives you the chance to completely upgrade or change the current finish of your floors. Our wood floor refinishing in Sandy, UT and the entire Salt Lake Valley area will help you fall in love with your wood floors once again. Our highly trained technicians help you every step of the way while selecting a new finish, and before any work begins, we take you through our process.
We hope you follow these tips to prevent wood floor damage in your home! Give us a call at 385-261-4027 or contact us online to take advantage of our wood floor refinishing in Sandy, UT.
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