Whether your house came fully equipped with hardwood floors, or you’re installing new ones, knowing how to protect hardwood floors will be key to maintaining the beauty and integrity of the wood.

While it might seem like a grand undertaking, it’s not as overwhelming as it sounds. Establishing a maintenance routine early on will help reduce buildup and keep your hardwoods looking like new.

How to Protect Hardwood Floors

If you don’t know how to protect hardwood floors, it will eventually require repairs, and those can be expensive. Moisture, dirt, grit, and salt can all come together in your most high-traffic areas and wreak havoc on your beautiful floors. Here are some tips to help keep your hardwood floors looking like new. 

Clean Regularly

This is an easy one, but it frequently gets overlooked by homeowners. Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule in your home should definitely include your hardwood floors.  Especially if shoes are worn in the house.  Sweeping or vacuuming once a day will do wonders for reducing everyday wear and tear, while working to stop grime buildup in its tracks.

With this being said, daily sweeping won’t be enough. It helps to curb grime buildup, but despite your best efforts there will always be dirt, grime, that manages to sneak its way onto your floors. A VERY thorough cleaning is recommended every couple of months in order to keep your floors looking their best.  A professional Deep Clean should be done every 1 year for wax oil finishes, and every 2-3 years for Urethane Floors.

Choose the Right Products

The products you use on your hardwoods are just as important as the frequency with which you use them. Do your research when it comes to the right cleaning solutions for your floors. 

Likewise, be wary of trendy or popular methods when it comes to cleaning. These aren’t necessarily friends to your hardwood and can spell disaster for your floors. Diluted vinegar,  Murphy’s Oil, steam cleaning, and soap-based cleansers are all not meant for hardwood and will end up costing you.

Instead, get products specifically formulated for the type of finish that is applied on hardwood floors. If you do your due diligence, your products should work to extend the life of your hardwood, not damage it. 

Final Thoughts on How to Protect Hardwood Floors

More than anything else, improper maintenance, or waiting too long to have it maintained can do a lot of damage to your hardwood floors. Knowing how to protect hardwood floors and keeping up with regular maintenance will help you to maintain and extend the life of your beautiful hardwoods.