Your initial glimpse of hardwood flooring will probably reveal a sense or richness, natural beauty, and warmth. Nevertheless, recognizing how to care for these floors is extremely important.
You’ll discover that even fine dirt, for instance soil from indoor plants could mark and scratch the floor if prompt removal doesn’t occur. This guide will show you how to exercise care for hardwood flooring in your rental.
Basic Care
You can accelerate the cleaning process by initially dusting your floor with a mop that you’ve treated with a dusting agent to pick up dirt, pet hair, and dust that might leave scratches on the floor surface.
If you wish to conduct biweekly or weekly cleaning, ensure you vacuum with an electric broom or vacuum cleaner with a floor-brush attachment. For rapid dusting, use electrostatic cloths that are disposable.
You can access these cloths at discount and grocery stores and if you’re keen on saving money, use both sides of the cloths.
It’s important to note that most hardwood floors age gradually when you don’t cover them. Therefore, it’s advisable to rearrange furniture and rugs periodically, allowing the floor to age evenly.
Preventive Maintenance
You can decrease cleaning time by adopting preventive measures. For instance, ensure you position mats inside and outside exterior doors to reduce tracked-in dirt.
Another preventive measure involves the inclusion of a boot removal spot to prevent damage from de-icers and water during rainy or snowy weather.
You can also avoid marks by placing floor protectors under furniture and using rugs in play zones to avoid scratches from children’s toys. Other preventive tips include:
- Trim your pets’ nails and keep their paws clean. Bear in mind that pets can track in materials that leave stains and scratches
- Use a humidifier throughout heating seasons to help decrease humidity and wood shrinkage between 35% and 55%
- Consider using ice to harden tough stuff such as chewing gum or wax and then scrape with a credit card or plastic scraper gently. However, take care not to leave scratches and wipe the area using a soft and slightly damp cloth.
- Wipe spots and spills immediately
Removing Marks
It’s important you consider your floor’s finish before you try to remove a mark. If you discover a stain on the surface, it’s likely the floor has a hard finish, for instance urethane.
However, if it has penetrated through the wood, the floor’s finish is perhaps soft oiled. This is common in older homes that haven’t been resealed and refinished.
If you discover stains on a hard finish, wipe the surface using a soft and clean cloth. Never use steel wool, harsh chemicals, or sandpaper on such surfaces because they can cause permanent damage on the finish.
Cleaning Hardwood Floors
Dirt, grime, and oil accumulate over time and don’t undergo complete removal by dust mopping it weekly. For the occasional deep cleaning, use a diluted wood-cleaning product according to the instructions on the label. Other cleaning tips for hardwood floors include:
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Guarding high-traffic spots using area rugs
Walking across a zone numerous times daily ultimately wears down the finish on your floor. Nevertheless, you can easily decrease the tear with beautiful throw rags. However, ensure they don’t have rubber or vinyl backing, which trap humidity and could damage or stain the wood.
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Recognizing the rules about restorers and waxes
You can revive a wax finish using additional wax. However, never use wax on surface finishes such as varnish or shellac. The floor will not only become too slippery but will also interfere with succeeding finishes.
It’s important you maintain hardwood flooring in top conditioning to facilitate its care and maintenance. Remember, the appropriate care will result in a lifetime of value, so use this guide.
For more information on how to maintain the hardwood floors in your rental, please contact us at Apartment Agents or leave other suggestions.