Whether you’ve recently installed new hardwood floors or are looking to rejuvenate your existing ones, ensuring their beauty and integrity remain intact is crucial. Hardwood floors add warmth, value, and natural elegance to any space, but they require proper care to maintain their allure.
For those just beginning their journey with new hardwood installations, understanding the essentials of daily upkeep and protection is key. Likewise, for homeowners aiming to breathe new life into their current hardwood floors, there’s a myriad of ways to restore their original lustre.
What is the life expectancy of hardwood floors? What is the best way to take care of wood floors? Let’s find out.
Unsure how to clean engineered wood floors? Many of the standard wood floor care tips apply to engineered materials. But below, we break down 10 of the most important hardwood floor care tips for keeping your flooring in premium condition.
Even the most hard-wearing floor requires regular cleaning. To keep your engineered wood flooring looking its best, sweep away dust and other debris regularly. This is one of the most important wood floor care tips you can adhere to. If you prefer to clean manually, use a soft-bristle broom or brush. If you’d rather use a vacuum cleaner, make sure you’re using a suitable attachment that won’t damage the veneer of your engineered wood flooring.
How often you undertake a deep clean ultimately depends on how often an interior is used. Areas of the home that experience a lot of footfall, such as hallways and entranceways, may require thorough cleaning more frequently. To get rid of stubborn stains and blemishes, use a specialist wood cleaner that’s suitable for use on hardwood veneers. It’s also a good idea to invest in a high-quality microfibre mop. These cleaning essentials will allow you to cut through grease and grime with ease without exposing your engineered wood flooring to too much moisture.
One of the advantages of engineered wood flooring is that it’s particularly resilient against spills and moisture. However, you’ll want to ensure you’re cleaning away spills as soon as they occur. Even the most durable engineered wood flooring can warp if exposed to pools of liquid for long enough. If left unattended for long enough, you run the risk of discolouration or slight warping. So if spills do occur, using a Floor Stain Remover Kit will remove all stains on interior wood.
In an attempt to save time, many people turn to cleaning equipment like steam mops to speed up household chores. While these can be very handy for cleaning laminate flooring and tiled surfaces, they should never be used on wood flooring. The massive amounts of moisture generated from steam mops can penetrate the surface veneer of engineered wood flooring. Over time, this can lead to warping and discoloured finishes.
Always opt for cleaning products that have been specially formulated for use on wooden floors, such as our All Natural Wood Cleaner. Generally speaking, these cleaning products will have a neutral pH level. Avoid anything even slightly acidic, as this will damage surfaces. You should also avoid polishes designed for use on wooden furniture. Even if these cleaning supplies are designed for use on wooden surfaces, they can create a slip hazard that can lead to injury.
Even the most minimalist home needs furniture. Even the sturdiest items will shift in place over time, raising the risk of scratches or scuffs. If your furniture isn’t kitted out with protector pads, it’s worth getting them. Felt protector pads can be attached to furniture legs and the underside of cabinets without damaging the furniture itself.
If you want your wood flooring to look its best for as long as possible, think about making your home a shoe-free one. At the very least, make a rule to keep outdoor footwear away from your interiors. Buy some doormats and gravel trays to prevent outside debris and moisture from entering your home. You can also furnish your hallway with some stylish footwear storage to ensure everyone is sticking to your shoes-off rule.
Engineered wood flooring is usually treated to protect against UV exposure. However, consider the areas of your home that are exposed to natural light. If a large section of a room is flooded with light, think about incorporating a rug into your floor plan to limit exposure and minimise fading.
If you’ve invested in high-quality engineered wood flooring, you don’t need to worry about humidity when thinking about hardwood floor care tips. However, it’s worth monitoring humidity levels within your home, especially in rooms that experience significant temperature extremes. Humidity levels of around 50% are ideal.
Premium wood flooring requires little maintenance. For pre-finished floors, you should avoid using any products until your flooring requires significant attention, as unnecessary applications of finishing oils, wax and similar products can cause irreparable damage. Use a high-quality universal maintenance oil to refresh and maintain the protection of your wood.
This may seem obvious, but even a modest piece of furniture can cause deep scratches and scuffs when dragged across a hardwood floor. Improper handling of heavier items can lead to dents and more significant damage that will be almost impossible to remove. To make life simple, always lift and carry items across rooms rather than drag them.
When considering the longevity of hardwood floors, it’s essential to recognize that their life expectancy isn’t just a matter of inherent durability but also how they are cared for and maintained. The lifespan of hardwood floors, which can easily exceed 20 years with proper attention, is significantly influenced by factors such as the wood’s type and thickness, the quality of its installation, and, importantly, the level of ongoing maintenance it receives.
By adhering to hardwood care tips such as the above and periodic refinishing every 7 to 10 years, homeowners can play a crucial role in prolonging the life of their hardwood floors. Additionally, minimizing exposure to moisture and reducing wear from heavy foot traffic and pets are key strategies for maintaining the floors’ integrity over the years.
If your home is in desperate need of a makeover, it’s high time to think about investing in premium engineered wood flooring. At Wood Flooring Ireland, we specialise in bespoke flooring solutions for every interior. Planning a long-overdue refurbishment of your property? Undertaking a challenging new build project? An engineered wood floor is the perfect finishing touch.
Ready to make your design dreams a reality? Browse our selection, visualise your room and order your free samples today!
