9 Mistakes That Hurt Your Hardwood Floor
With their durability, wood floors can easily last for decades. However, failing to take care of them properly will drastically cut short that lifespan, forcing you to have them replaced. Here are issues you should avoid in order to keep your floor in optimal condition.
- Vacuuming with the beater bar or brush on
While vacuuming is an integral part of the floor cleaning, you want to ensure that you’re doing it right. The beater bar or brushes that are typically used when cleaning the carpet will cause there to be scratches or marks on the wood floor. Ensure that you vacuum with an attachment that is safe for the hard surface floors. At the very least, ensure that the beater bar or rotating brush has been turned off as you vacuum.
- Setting up the wrong area rugs
Area rugs serve two critical roles: adding to the decor of the space, and minimising wear effects on the underlying floor – which is why they are placed in those high traffic areas. However, choosing the wrong type of area trug will be detrimental to your floor. This is especially with the kind of rug backing used, which can lead to staining or discolouration of the floor, while others will trap gases that either ruin the finish or contribute to the floor getting warped. When getting an area rug for your floor, ensure that you select one that has been particularly made to be safe on wood floors.
- Effects of pet nails
Your furry friend running around the premises can easily scratch up your floor. Those claws dig into the surface to give the pet traction – which is not what you want for your installation. The pet’s nails need to be trimmed regularly to protect the floor.
- Harmful footwear
There’s already the threat that comes with dirt being grinded at the bottom of people’s shoes as they walk around the building. However, some specific types of shoes can directly harm the floor – such as high heels and soccer cleats. These increase the strain to the wood surface. For instance, with the high heeled stilettoes, loads of pressure get exerted through a tiny area on the surface, which causes indentations to form.
- Sliding furniture on the floor
This will have immediate ramifications. From those dining chairs to the heavy sofa sets, dragging them on the floor surface brings out the risk of scratches being formed. The heavier the unit, the higher the chances of digging a gouge into the floor surface. This ruins the aesthetic appeal of the floor, while also shortening the period in between subsequent renovations, since the floor will need to be refinished much sooner. All furniture should be lifted and carried, instead of sliding it across the floor.
- Using abrasive cleaning tools
The equipment used for the floor cleaning is a huge factor in determining the longevity of the installation. Some are particularly harmful – such as scouring pads and steel wire, as these scratch the surface and ruin the finish. You should stick with more gentle options, such as microfibre pads and soft-bristled brushes that will deliver the desired cleaning action without damaging the floor in the process.
- Working with the wrong cleaning solutions
The chemicals themselves are an important consideration as well. Here, you want to use formulations whose pH won’t end up damaging the structure. For wood floor cleaning, stick to products with a neutral or mild pH. In fact, you should only use formulations that have been particularly developed for use on wood floors. These formulations – from reputable brands, will be able to break down the dirt and grime without posing a risk to the wood floor.
The kind of finish coats that have been applied on the floor will also determine the cleaning solution used. Usually, the manufacturer of the finish will have indicated compatible cleaners that can be used on the surface. This is to avoid situations where the finish ends up becoming dull or deteriorating due to reacting with the wrong cleaner.
Common chemicals used for home cleaning tasks that are a threat to the wood floor include ammonia, vinegar, and lemon juice solutions which can weaken the finish and even break down the wood tissue, wax cleansers which end up leaving behind a filmy residue on the surface, as well as oil soaps.
As your installer may have told you, wood and water don’t mix. Sure, water is the “universal cleaning solvent”, but using it inappropriately on this kind of floor will lead to water damage. This is because the wood will absorb the excess water from its environment, leading to cupping, warping or other kinds of damage. Even a simple oversight like allowing water to drip from that potted plant over time leads to a water stain forming on your floor. So, whether it is during the routine floor cleaning, dealing with the occasional spills, or you have a situation where a pet’s drinking bowl is posing a threat to the floor – proper measures need to be put in place to address the underlying issue before it ends up ruining the installation.
For the floor cleaning, wring out the mop that you’re working with. Damp mopping is preferred here. Alternatively, you can work with equipment like microfibre mops, which reduce the amount of liquids required during the floor cleaning. Spray mops are particularly beneficial in giving you more control, since just a little of the cleaning solution gets misted onto the floor surface at a time.
- Ignoring renovation needs
Every wood floor will eventually need to be refinished sooner or later. The existing protective coats that have been applied wear off with time. The number of resanding and refinishing cycles that can be carried out will depend on facts such as the thickness of the wear layer, and whether it is solid hardwood or engineered flooring, all through to the level of deterioration that is witnessed. For this, it is recommended that you engage the services of a professional floor sanding and refinishing contractor. They have the gear and personnel needed to handle the job – which is one of the largest maintenance tasks to be undertaken in the building.
