Tag Archives: wood

Tips for Protecting Your Hardwood Floor

If you want to preserve the beauty of your hardwood floor so that they gleam for many years then there are several simple things that you can do.  The reason you want to protect your floors as well as you can is because you want to avoid refinishing them. Every time you refinish a floor the wood is ground down a little more which can cause it to degrade more and more.

 

Here are some suggestions for protecting your hardwood floors.

 

  1. Protect those floors with throw rugs or hall rugs. Areas of high traffic get worn down first so it is essential that you cover them so this part of your hardwood flooring does not age before the flooring in the rest of the house. It does not take long for a high traffic area of the home to look quite beat up.

 

  1. Water stains the floor so be sure to place carpets or rubber mats around bathroom or sing areas so that water can’t warp or stain the floor.

 

  1. If you live in a humid climate or a basement with wood floors be sure to have a dehumidifier in action all of the time. This sucks the moisture out of the air so that there is less of a tendency for the floors to become too warped. Close the bathroom door when you have a steamy shower so the water can’t escape.

 

  1. Make sure there are rubber mats at all entrances and exists so that dirt and small pebbles cannot be tracked into the home and scratch the surface of the floor.  Make sure there is a rubber mat near any kitty litter as litter can also be tracked across the home and scratch the floors.

 

  1. Be careful wearing high heels or golf shoes around the house as this can also scratch the floor.

 

  1. Trim the nails of your cat or dog to prevent them from scratching the floor. If you can hear the nails clicking it meanest hey are too long.

 

  1. Always use soft floor protectors under your furniture legs. If you have to move furniture lift it instead of dragging it across the floor, which of course, scratches the hardwood.

 

 

Always remember that your hardwood floor is a precious investment that needs to be cared for if it is to be valuable for years to come.

 

 

Strategies for Cleaning Different Surfaces

Here are some recommendations for cleaning up different types of spills on different services.

 

Carpet – Soak up as much of the stain as you can with paper towels. Do not press on the spill too hard with the towels or the spill could seep into the underpadding of the carpet. You can also try using powder or flakes sprinkled on the carpet to absorb the spill. Vacuum this up and if necessary try to use a mild enzymatic cleaner on the area and then let the carpet air-dry.

 

Concrete – Unfortunately concrete does absorb odors, especially from pets. To prevent damage to the floor clean it up as soon as possible. Then ay paper towels soaked in an enzymatic cleaner on the concrete and leave it there for an hour or two to absorb any odors.

 

Cork floors are very absorbent but will remain in good shape if you can clean up the spill fast. Use an enzymatic cleaner to help lift a bacteria out of the cork layers. Citrus cleaners and Windex can also work well on a cork floor. Never use bleach as it will eventually degrade the floor or stain it.

 

Stone floors are usually uneven and filled with holes or seams that can harbour bacteria or mold that produces smells. Saturate the area with cleaner and mop up any exces. Do not use bleach or peroxide on these floors.

 

Tile floors usually clean up quite well with any type of cleaner. If it is a dark stain use a cleaner with a bit of bleach in it. Be aware that some enzymatic cleaners can yellow tile or floors.

 

Cleaning a wood floor is the most difficult. If the floor is heavily varnished it is sometimes just as easy to clean a wood floor as it is a tile floor. However if the floor is is old with a lot of cracks and seams or a parquet floor then the spills and stains can reach deep beneath the floorboards and cause odors to prevail.  The result will be a lingering mold or ammonia smell combined with rotting wood.

 

Upholster or fabric really does tend to retain stains and smells from spills or pet accidents.  The trick is to blot up as much of the spill as possible as soon as you can. Enzymatic cleaners work best for combatting this type of problem as well. No matter what kind of cleaner you are using on fabric upholstery be sure to do a test patch first or the colors of your fabric may run.