Maintaining Your Hardwood Flooring
Summer may be coming early this year, and it is a great time to let your hardwood flooring shine. Unlike our winter months here in the Reno/Tahoe area – when we have to take precautions against water, mud and snow being tracked onto our hardwood floors – Spring and Summer are times when dust and grit can dull the shine of our hardwood flooring. With a few simple tips and a very little labor, you can let your hardwood flooring shine all season long.
Solution One: A Broom or Dust Mop and a Damp Mop
Everyone knows that one of the best parts of owning a hardwood floor is how easy it is to keep clean. The oldest tradition in hardwood floor care is still one of the best; lightly sweep the dust and grime into a dustpan and throw it away. Follow that up with a lightly damp mop and your basic cleaning maintenance is complete.
Solution Two: Modern Wet-jet Dust Mops
Without mentioning any specific brand names, we all know that there are a number of very efficient combination broom/dust–mop tools available on the market. Whether they use electrostatic pads which you can throw in the laundry, or disposable scrubbing pads that work in conjunction with wet jets, all the options available seem to work wonderfully. The ability to combine your mopping with your sweeping in your hardwood floor care routine seems to cut your total labor time in half, too.
Solution Three: Mop Waxing
Once your hardwood flooring is clean and dry, the simplest method to return a bright shine is to apply any commercially available hardwood flooring wax with a sponge mop. As with the wet-jet dust mops, the number of excellent commercial brands available to mop wax your hardwood flooring can go without saying.
Solution Four: Complete Stripping and Re-Waxing
Over time, the wax we apply to our hardwood floors can tend to build up and become less clear. At that point, additional waxing might only serve to make things worse. The simplest solution to that problem is once again any commercially available wax stripping product. Please read the labels and warnings completely. Exercise all safety precautions and recommendations the manufacturer puts forth. If you exercise common sense and follow the directions, removing the wax buildup from your hardwood flooring is a fairly straightforward endeavor.
Once the wax has been removed and your floors are clean and dry, simply apply a recommended hardwood floor shine product and enjoy the sparkling gleam.
Artisan Hardwood Floors Has Answers
If you have any specific concerns about your own hardwood floor care, the best practices or the products we recommend, please call me right away and I will be happy to answer your questions. We are never too busy to make a new friend or help out in any way we can.
Sorin Giurca
Craftsman, Owner, Artist
775-831-1379