Floor Care

Advance finish technology and innovative products make wood one of the most easy-care flooring materials today. A few preventative measures can preserve a beautiful finish and keep maintenance to a minimum.

 

Floor Cleaning:

Your floors worst enemies are water, wax, dirt and grit.  All you need is a damp cloth and floor care products recommended by the manufacturer. Do not use a wet mop or commercial soaps. Sweep or vacuum regularly.

 

How to clean your wood floors:

  • Sweep or vacuum regularly to remove dirt and grit that can scratch the surface of your floors.
  • For General Cleaning, use a Bona Hardwood Floor Mop, Cleaning Pads and Floor Cleaner and follow cleaning instructions provided
  • Or, mix some white vinegar with warm water.
  • Use a Flat-Head Microfiber mop.
  • Use only a slightly dampened mop on the floor.
  • Use a small rag with some washing liquid directly on more stubborn or greasy spots if required.

 

Hardwood floors can be cared for with minimal effort:

  • Never use a soaking wet mop, use only a damp cloth or slightly dampened mop, we recommend a Bona Hardwood Floor Mop and Cleaning Kit or a Flat-Head Microfiber mop.
  • Use only manufacturer recommended cleaning products, e.g. Bona cleaning products (available at most Floor Supply outlets, major hardware stores or online).
  • Very simply, we actually recommend warm water with a little white vinegar to clean your floor.
  • Never use bleach or ammonia.
  • Never use wax-based cleaning products on a polyurethane finish.
  • Never use Murphy’s Oil cleaning products as these can cause the finish to appear dull and they leave a residue on the wood floor that can only be sanded out.
  • Never let water pool on the floor.

 

 

Floor Maintenance:

 

Tips to maintain the beauty of your floors:

  • Sweep or vacuum regularly.
  • Place mats or rugs at doorway exteriors and interiors to help prevent the tracking of grit, dirt and sand.
  • Never wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
  • Wipe up food and other spills immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
  • Put soft plastic or fabric-faced glides under the legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
  • Keep temperature constant year-round.
  • Keep humidity at around 35% if possible.
  • Remember that cleats, sports shoes and high heels can dent any floor surface. When a 125 lb woman takes a step in high heels she exerts approximately 2,000 psi (pounds per square inch). An exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000 psi.
  • When moving heavy furniture, completely pick up the furniture and carry, rather than slide, to best protect the wood flooring.
  • For wood flooring in the Kitchen, place a protective mat at wet areas, i.e. Kitchen Sink or other areas where leaks, pills regularly occur to protect the floors.
  • Use a humidifier in the home throughout the winter months to keep all wood movement and shrinkage to a minimum.
  • Never use linoleum or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes cause wood to become slippery and appear dull quickly. The only remedy in this situation is to sand and refinish the floor.
  • Never use waxed based products on a polyurethane floor.
  • Never use petroleum based cleaners on a water based finish.
  • Do not over-wax a wood floor. If the floor dulls, try buffing instead. Avoid wax build-up under furniture and other light traffic areas by applying wax in these spots every other waxing session.
  • When the floor begins to lose its luster, you should contact us to refinish your floor and restore it to its original beauty.

 

Do: Place protector pads on ALL furniture legs on the wood floor.
Do: Perform routine maintenance as per the above Cleaning Guidelines, i.e. sweeping, vacuuming and/or dust mopping to remove dirt and grit. Keep this as a regularly scheduled event, and stick to it. Always perform this process before and after a major event that involves a high volume of traffic on the floor.

 

Do Not: Allow high heel shoes to be worn on the floor.
Do Not: Use WET mops
Do Not: Use ammonia
Do Not: Use dust cleaners
Do Not: Track dirt over the floors, clean immediately
Do Not: Use other floor cleaning products
NEVER: Wax a urethane finish.

 

Chewing Gum, Crayon, Candle Wax:

Apply a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the stain until it is brittle enough to crumble off. Clean the area with a product made for urethane finishes.

 

Cigarette Burns:
Most common burns can be treated with a touch-up kit made for urethane finishes. Rub with sandpaper, stain and refinish. For burns that reach deep into the wood, individual plank or parquet boards may need to be replaced.

 

Food, Water, Dark Spots, Pet Spots:
Use a cleaner developed specifically for urethane finishes to remove the spot or stain. More stubborn spots may require additional scrubbing with the cleaner and a wood flooring scrub pad made for urethane floors.

 

Oil & Grease Stains:
Rub the area with a cleaner developed for urethane.

 

Scratches:

Repair with a touch-up kit made for urethane finishes available from any wood flooring retailer.