When talking about cleaning hardwood floors, there are a few points if followed would give your hardwood floorings longer life span.

It is recommended to set aside three schedules: daily cleaning, quarterly care and preventive measures.

Daily cleaning

It is important to know that every day some amount of dirt and grit is brought into your home by the shoes. For bigger families more dirt will be accumulated. More often than not the dirt is seen deposited at the main entrance and in the kitchen.

It is best to sweep the floor with a soft broom to get rid of the dirt and sand. If the dirt is not swept away it will scratch the floors and eventually dull the surface finish. Do this on a daily basis or on alternate days. For best results a hardwood vacuum floor cleaner should be used. Nevertheless be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use the appropriate bristles or accessories.

Water is the worst enemy of hardwood flooring. Any liquid that is not cleaned away promptly will seep through the flooring and this will cause warping.

3-monthly cleaning

Daily cleaning would not effectively remove the accumulated grease. You should clean the flooring with commercially available chemical cleaner once every three months.

As always, be sure to read the labels of the chosen cleaner products and follow the prescribed instructions too. Cleaning with regular detergents or vinegar solution is NOT advisable because these solutions will strip and dull the surface finishing of the wood floors if used for a long time.

Nowadays many wood floors are coated with polyurethane finish which is shiny in nature. In this case you might need to wax the floors. Here the same rule applies: follow the vendor’s recommended procedures.

Preventive measures

In order to protect the hardwood floors from major damage, prevention is important:

1. Never drag furniture or objects on the floorings

2. Using protective pads under the furniture is therefore recommended to prevent scratch marks on floors

3. Certain shoes for example, high heels or shoes with spikes should not be worn when inside the house

4. Always place carpet runners, floor mats or rug in the kitchen and at the entrance

5. Make it a habit to wipe off spills the moment they occur

In conclusion your hardwood floorings will last a long time if you do day-to-day cleaning, quarterly cleaning and observe some preventive measures.