How to care for your wooden flooring

A few simple tips to keep in mind on cleaning, caring and protecting your wooden floors

It doesn’t matter what kind of wooden flooring you’ve installed in your home, we’ve taken the guesswork out of maintaining them correctly. Follow these handy hints and you can’t go wrong.

First let’s begin by listing the various kinds of wooden flooring available in the market: The most obvious choices are solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, bamboo, laminate, vinyl plank, wood-look tile, and finally cork flooring. Of these, the most popular choices for various reasons are laminate flooring and hardwood flooring.

Besides beautifying a home, these two are also very functional. Some folks consider hardwood to be superior to laminate, but the latter has several advantages. When it comes to cleaning, and caring for them, though, they require the same simple approach.

Cautionary notes:

•    Always remember that both laminate and hardwood flooring are not recommended for wet locations so don’t install either in bathrooms, saunas,
     or even areas such as an enclosed porch or veranda
•    If an area needs mopping or will have large amounts of water standing for long periods of time, laminate is not a great choice as water causes
     unsightly warping or swelling
•    Laminate flooring is relatively fade-resistant and scratch-resistant compared to solid hardwood flooring

How to clean a laminate floor:

•          Wipe down gently with a dry dust mop
•          Vacuum using the soft brush attachment that comes with the vacuum cleaner
•          Occasionally, you can wring a damp (never wet or dripping) cloth or mop for extremely dirty floors
•          Use a clean, soft, dry piece of cloth, sponge, or even paper towel for taking care of spills
 

What to avoid:

•    Soap-based detergents
•    Abrasive cleaners such as steel wool or other scouring pads
•    Any type of wax or polish
•    Steam cleaners or chemicals

Handy hints to keep in mind:

•    In the case of the rare spot or stain that is proving to be stubborn, simply dab some nail polish remover or acetone gently before wiping it clean
     with a damp cloth
•    Prevent trouble before it begins by having a doormat outside the house, it will trap the moisture and dirt before it gets on your floors and cause
     damage

•    Ensure your carpets don’t run colour, protect furniture legs with felt pads or castors, and don’t drag heavy objects across the floor