Hardwood floors are great, and offer a home many different advantages. They attract less dust and allergens, they last for a very long time, and just look great. If you take care of your hardwood floors, they’ll take care of you.
Healthy hardwood floors provide a natural sheen that gives any room a special glow. So don’t you want to give your hardwood floors the best care you can?
Maybe you are trying to take care of your hardwood floors and just coming up short. If you’ve tried mopping but were left with streaky, dull results, this is the right article for you. Today we are going to talk about how to get back the shine your hardwood floors first had.
Hardwood floors with a vibrant sheen light up a home. Learn how to prevent your floors from becoming dull!
Even though hardwood floors are beautiful and add value to a home, many people are concerned about hardwood floor’s reputation for being high maintenance. One of the biggest reasons people worry about this is because expensive, shiny hardwood can become dull and dingy. Then it doesn’t seem so fabulous.
Bu there are a couple reasons your hardwood floors could lose their shine that you should be aware of.
Refinishing Your Hardwood Floors
First, your hardwood’s finish might be worn. The finish on the hardwood is not permanent, and can’t be revived with mopping. It may be entirely possible that steady traffic has completely worn away the sheen finish that shined up your floors before. In this case, you could just refinish your floors.
A quick check is to see how your floor reacts to water. If water beads up on the surface of your floor, your finish is still intact in that place. If the floor absorbs the water, your finish may need attention.
If you have to refinish your floors, you’ll want to make sure that it lasts. There are a couple of ways to extend the life of the finish.
Clean The Floors Before Mopping
Don’t mop without sweeping first. And if you sweep, use a dust mop to avoid damaging the finish.
Dust, dirt, and other residue on the floor mixed with mop water will actually only create a bigger problem. So make sure you remove anything loose from the floor that can be removed without applying moisture first.
No Shoes To Extend The Life Of Your Hardwood Floors
The bottom of shoes are not friendly to finish. They bring in harmful dirt and oils from outside. Shoes walking across the same areas scuff up and wear down the finish in regularly trafficked areas. Heels cut and chip directly. Running children steadily grind it down.
Take Care Of Pets To Preserve Your Hardwood Floor’s Finish
That’s right, your pets! By regularly bathing and brushing your pets, you are helping out your floors. Especially if you have pets like dogs that are in and out.
Just like shoes, pets who go outside come back in with some of the elements from outside. This can be dirt, dust, oil, and if it rains, water. Over time, enough of these influences can impact the longevity of your hardwood’s sheen.
Another pet-related trick your hardwood floors will thank you for is trimming nails. Pets can have a tough time getting traction on hardwood floors, and they can compensate by driving with their nails, damaging your floor’s finish.
Don’t Overdo The Wax
If you wax your floor frequently, you might have dulled your hardwood floor’s finish. The recommended number of waxes is one to two per year. It is common for people who want to preserve their floors to mistakenly overdo it with the waxing.
In this case, you may need to strip the wax off your hardwood. There are commercial products available to help you remove wax from your hardwood floor.
No One Can Completely Stop Finish Wear
No matter what precautions you employ, your hardwood floor will eventually need refinishing. These tricks will just extend the life of your finish, not totally prevent wear down.
The best practice is to keep your floors clean, swept, and dry. Don’t go crazy with cleaners or similar products that will also wear down your hardwood floor’s sheen.
