How do I clean and care for my wood floors

Three basic steps for regularly cleaning your floor

• Use a soft brush attachment on your vacuum to remove dirt and grit.
• Use a safe cleaner, such as the one we offer, to lightly mist floor (avoid saturating the floor)
• With a very lightly dampened (well rung-out) soft cloth or microfiber pad, wipe up cleaner.

A more detailed list of things you should do

• Vacuum up grit and sand. Sand can act as an abrasive and scratch the finish. This is especially true right after you've had your hardwood floors finished. The polyurethane will still be curing (hardening) for some time after the job is done, so extra care is needed at this time. Environmental conditions and types of finish greatly effect curing time, but the first week or so after having your hardwood floors finished, I would be particularly careful.
• Wipe up spills as soon as possible. Some substances (especially animal messes) can do a surprising amount of damage over time if they are not promptly cleaned.
• Using place mats and area rugs can reduce tracking in grit and sand
• You can use protective pads, sometimes made out of felt, on the bottoms of your furniture
• when you start to see your floors wear down a bit, call a hardwood floor professional, he may be able to do a re-coat (cheaper than a complete refinish job). this is possible only if you've never used wax on your floor and certain cleaners that contain a wax-like ingredient. A re-coat (sometimes called a "screen job") consists of having the floors lightly abraded, usually with a buffer type machine, and then another coat of polyurethane is put down.
• Try to maintain a consistent humidity level throughout the house year round. This is true even before you have the floors installed (if that's something you have control over). From the moment wood floors are installed, drastic changes in humidity can cause the floor to swell, shrink, cup or do other nasty things. Old, damp basements can sometimes cause problems with the floors above. humidifiers and dehumidifiers (depending on your situation) may be able to help.

A few things to avoid

• You want to avoid excessive dirt and sand on the floor
• You should NOT damp mop your floor! Too much water can cause some of the same problems that humidity changes cause. If you have any kind of leaks in your home that make there way to your hardwood floor, try to remedy it quickly.
• High heels can cause much damage to your hardwood floors, especially if the heel is damaged.
• Pets nails can also scratch hardwood floors. Proper claw trimming may help