Wood floors can be a great addition to any home. Not only are they beautiful, they add value to your home. However, that value will diminish abruptly if you do not maintain and care for your wood flooring properly. Here are some great tips for both cleaning and protecting your wood flooring.

1. Clean spills right away. Water is the number one enemy of wood floors. Not only will water warp the wood, excessive water repeated over time can actually cause the wood to crack and split, forcing you to replace it.

2. Lay down area rugs or runners in high traffic areas. These should have skid proof padding on the bottom. Don’t forget to clean them regularly and the floor beneath them, or you will ruin your wood flooring with scratches from the trapped dirt.

3. Make everyone take off their shoes upon entering the house whenever possible. Heavy shoes or healed shoes can cause major scratches or even gashes in the wood flooring. If you cannot get visitors to take off their shoes, lay down those runners from the door to the room where you take your company.

4. Do not drag furniture on your hard wood flooring. In fact, you should put coasters or furniture gliders on all of your furniture that may be moved on the wood floors. This will minimize the possibility of scratching or gouging in the wood.

5. Sweep your floors often with a soft bristled broom. Dust mops or dry rope mops are great for this. You should avoid using hard bristled brooms on the wood, as it could cause scratches.

6. Mop your wood floors occasionally with an extremely damp, almost dry, mop. Too much water will cause the wood to warp and even split or crack over time. If you have an especially stubborn spot of dirt or gunk, you will need to make sure that you use a non abrasive cleaner and as little water as possible.

7. There are often particles of dirt or sand left on the floor after sweeping. The best way to clean the flooring of these particles is to vacuum your floors once or twice per week. Use the soft brush attachment on your cleaner, however, to prevent scratching the floor with the vacuum wheels.

8. Be sure to check with your manufacturer to find out if waxing or buffing is required. Typically these measures are only necessary for parquet wood floors. If it is not deemed necessary by the manufacturer, you should avoid waxing or buffing the floors, as this can actually cause damage to the wood if not needed.

9. Follow all manufacturer instructions if you do happen to get any scratches or discoloration in your wood flooring. Do not try to clean them with abrasive cleaners, never use bleach, and only sand and refinish if it is recommended.

In the end, having beautiful wood flooring can add great value to your home and give it a warm and welcoming feeling. Your friends, family, and other visitors will be impressed with the style and beauty of your home. And all of this will remain to be true for generations as long as you care for your wood floors properly.