When you first glimpse a solid hardwood floor, you sense richness, warmth and natural beauty. Gradually, you get to know its distinct personality and to enjoy its unique visual harmonies offering a glimpse into the traces of its natural history in the forest as it is brought into your home.

After your hardwood flooring is installed, simple steps can be taken to maintain its beautiful appearance. Tips for hardwood floor care are listed below.

1. Pick up a broom you like, you will use it often

2. Consider and angled broom or one designed specifically for indoor use (FULLER Angle Broom or FULLER Household Broom)

3. You will also need a dustpan. Choose one that is easy to use and doesn’t cause too much stress on your back. (FULLER Upright Dustpan)

4. Sweep often, daily if needed

5. Canister vacuums with special bare floor attachments are the surest way to get rid of all the dirt and dust

6. Rugs should be used to cover high-traffic areas

7. Enact a no-shoe policy to reduce dirt being tracked in

8. Keep windows and doors closed during windy or dusty days

9. Create a no-beverage rule to cut down on wet spills

10. Mop up wet spills as soon as possible

11. Consider purchasing either a spatter mop or sponge mop (FULLER Spatter Mop or a FULLER Sponge Mop)

12. Never wet mop any hardwood floor. Standing water can damage the wood

13. Regularly clean wood floor with hardwood flooring cleaners (FULLER Wood Floor Cleaner & Polish)

14. Never use oil based soap on unfinished or unsealed hardwood floors

15. Install floor protectors on furniture legs to prevent scratches

16. Lift furniture to move it

17. Never drag furniture across the floor

18. Avoid cleats, stiletto heals or any footwear in need of repair

19. Maintain proper humidity levels within your home if at all possible

20. Move rugs periodically if area is exposed to regular sunlight (to avoid discoloring of the floor underneath)

21. Use a specialized cleaner (FULLER Wood Floor Easy Clean Mist) and steel wool to clean water marks, heel marks, cigarette burns, ink stains and dark spots

22. To remove chewing gum and wax, apply a zipper-sealed bag filled with ice for 20 minutes, then break off deposits. Follow-up wood cleaner (FULLER Wood Floor Easy Clean Mist) and steel wool treatment

23. Keep shades or blinds closed as often as possible to avoid discoloration

24. Apply liquid wax, powdered soap, talcum powder or powdered graphite between floor boards that are rubbing together to stop squeaks

25. Difficult squeaks may require that you drive two-inch finishing nails through pilot holes on both edges of the board then hide the hole with matching color putty or wax

26. Alcohol drips can be removed by rubbing the spot with liquid or paste wax

27. Polish your floor as the finish looks dull with a polisher, like the D.C. Polisher

28. Small scratches can be spot sanded, stained and refinished. Larger scratches may need more extensive re-work

29. Never use ammonia to clean hardwood floors

30. If your hardwood floor looks old and you cannot restore the luster with deep cleaning or by polishing, you may want to apply a maintenance coat