Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips for Homeowners: Everything You Need To Know

TL;DR: To maintain the beauty and longevity of your hardwood floors, it’s essential to follow proper cleaning practices. Daily sweeping, immediate spill cleanup, and strategic use of rugs and furniture pads are key. A weekly cleaning routine involving dry dusting, mopping with a dedicated solution, and spot cleaning is also recommended. Expert tips include trimming pet nails, avoiding moisture, and regularly cleaning area rugs. For deep scratches, fading, or worn-out finishes, professional intervention may be necessary. Regular maintenance, preventive measures, and occasional professional cleaning can extend the lifespan of your hardwood floors and keep them looking pristine for years to come.

If you want your hardwood floor to sparkle in all its beauty, you’ll need to be mindful of how you clean it and what cleaning products you use. You want not just the optimal frequency of cleaning but also the proper choice of tools and assorted cleaning agents. As a homeowner, you need to have a working understanding of the best practices for cleaning hardwood floors, so you can extend their longevity while keeping them in optimal condition. 

Our goal today is to share some hardwood floor cleaning tips for homeowners from experts in the field to help you clean and maintain your hardwood floors like a pro. Proper cleaning is crucial to keep hardwood floors free of particles like dirt and debris, so you might as well ensure you’re doing it right and avoid scratching or damaging the finish. 

Daily Maintenance Tips for Hardwood Floors

Let’s start with a set of recommendations that you should employ daily to keep your hardwood floors shiny and clean. The following tips are easy to do each day and do not require any specialized equipment: 

Regular Sweeping and Dusting 

The more you remove dirt and debris off your hardwood floor, the less it will pile and damage it, not to mention threaten your health. All you need is a broom, preferably a soft-bristle one, and a mop. If you truly want to get into it, you can also use a vacuum cleaner, but make sure to use the dedicated hardwood floor attachment. 

Clean Spills Immediately

Let’s face it, you will spill stuff on your hardwood floor. It is not a big deal as long as you don’t let the spill linger. Otherwise, you run the risk of moisture penetrating the wood and causing serious, sometimes irreparable, damage. Equipment-wise, all you need is a soft cloth, but even a paper towel will do. 

Strategic Use of Rugs and Mats

To protect your hardwood floors from excessive wear and tear, physically protect them in the areas with the highest amount of foot traffic. This means covering up hardwood floors in hallways, at entry points, and anywhere moisture is present, like sinks. 

Use Felt Pads on Furniture

When moving furniture across your hardwood floors, the friction between the furniture and the floor can cause scratches. To prevent this, use felt pads to turn the hard bottom surface of furniture legs into a hardwood floor-friendly one. Felt pads provide a cushion, reduce the risk of scratches, and are super easy to set up.

A Weekly Cleaning Routine for Hardwood Floors

Daily care of your hardwood floors is not enough, at least not if you want them to be pristine. Extending your daily care by adding a weekly cleaning and polishing session is a must, both for removing deep seeded particles and prolonging the lifespan of your floors: 

• Dry dust the floors: Start by dry dusting the floors using any type of soft mop or broom. Make sure to really dust the corners and parts you might miss during your daily maintenance. 
• Mop up with a dedicated solution: After the hardwood floor is primed by dry dusting, you need to switch to mopping. Once again, any soft cloth will do, as long as you damp it with the right cleaning agent. Filling a spray bottle with a dedicated hardwood floor solution is the easiest. You can even opt for a homemade vinegar solution instead. 
• Dry the floors: Remember that lingering moisture is not good for your hardwood floor so dry the floors thoroughly after damp mopping to prevent water damage. The goal is to remove any standing liquid from the floor’s surface. 
• Spot clean as needed: If you encounter any stubborn stains or spills, use a soft cloth or sponge, together with the appropriate hardwood floor cleaner, and spot clean until you resolve it. Keep in mind that applying excessive force may damage the finish, so gently scrub the stain until it comes off. 

Expert Tips to Keep Hardwood Floors Clean Longer

While a dedicated cleaning schedule is best, sometimes you can’t find the time for daily cleaning, or you might even skip a weekly session here and there. Luckily, experts from the field weighed in with key tips to ensure your floor stays looking spotless for an extended period:   

Trim Pet Nails 

If you have pets, you know their nails are a hardwood floor’s worst nightmare, particularly with dogs. Regular trimming is not just good for your pets but also for keeping the surface of your hardwood floors scratch-free. 

Be Wary of Moisture 

Hardwood floors and moisture are a bad combination. The drier you keep your hardwood floor, the better shape it will be in. It is not just structural floor damage that is the issue with moisture, but it also creates the perfect environment for mold and mildew, turning the floor into a potential health hazard.

Regularly Trim and Clean Area Rugs 

If you have area rugs on top of your hardwood floors, make sure to trim and clean them regularly. Over time, dirt and debris can sneak underneath the rug turning it into a jaded surface that damages the floor every time someone steps on it.

Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips for Homeowners: When to Call the Cavalry

Unfortunately, there is a limit to the things you can do to keep your hardwood floors in pristine condition. Every now and again, you’ll need to call in the cavalry and let professional cleaning services take the floor care to the next level. If you are facing one of the following instances, you likely require a professional intervention:

Deep Scratches or Gouges

If your hardwood floors have deep scratches or gouges that cannot be repaired by simple cleaning or spot treatments, it may be necessary to consult a professional. They will note the extent of the damage and draw up an action plan to resolve it, even resorting to sanding and refinishing if needed. 

Fading or Discoloration

Over time, sunlight exposure causes hardwood floors to fade or become discolored. If regular cleaning and maintenance fail to restore the original color, professional refinishing service is what you need to bring your floors back to life.

Worn-Out Finish

If the finish on your hardwood floors is worn out or no longer provides adequate protection, it may be time to consider professional refinishing. Refinishing will remove the old finish and apply a new one, rejuvenating your floors and enhancing their durability.

Hardwood Floor Cleaning by Certified Clean Care 

Implementing these small but crucial hardwood floor cleaning tips for homeowners can help you maintain your hardwood floors easily and extend their lifespan significantly.  Regular cleaning, proper maintenance, and preventive measures are crucial to keeping your floors looking their best for years to come.

A clean and well-maintained hardwood floor is important not only from an aesthetic standpoint. Hardwood floors add a distinct value to any property containing them and contribute to the easier elimination of floor-related health hazards. All you need to do is give your hardwood floor some love and attention, preferably daily.

Do not forget that professional hardwood cleaning and maintenance services exist to give your efforts an expert boost, so do not hesitate to reach out to us today and schedule an assessment and further restorative action!