If you have pets and kids traipsing across your floors day in and day out, you know that your hardwoods can take a beating. Stay ahead of the chaos and extend the life of your floors by committing to a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule.

How to Clean Wood Floors

Create a Consistent Routine

Taking the time to sweep or vacuum your hardwoods once a day helps your floors stay in their best shape. Here are some of the most useful tricks for how to clean wood floors and keep them sparkling.

Prevent Dirt Build Up Before It Happens

A regular once-over with a broom or vacuum will do wonders for keeping your floors clean and extending the life of your hardwood. Dirt, grime, dust, and salt will build up on your hardwoods over the long term and cause damage if you’re not consistently removing it.

Deep Clean Regularly

Even if you’re regularly sweeping, vacuuming or mopping your floors, that won’t be enough to stop grime buildup from doing damage to your hardwoods. Deep cleaning high traffic areas two or three times a year will work wonders when it comes to keeping your hardwoods lustrous and long-lasting.

Invest in cleaning  products designed and formulated specifically for wood floors with a wax/oil finish.

Do Your Research 

Due diligence is important when deciding what products to use on your floors. One of the most crucial factors to remember when learning how to clean wood floors is doing the proper research on the products you’re using.

With a million products on the market, it’s easy to get caught up in gimmicks and smart marketing. Instead of rushing into product purchasing, or buying the first thing you see online or at the hardware store, take your time. When you’re learning how to clean wood floors, you won’t regret putting the extra time and effort into finding the product that gives your hardwood floors their best results.

In addition to research, ask around. If you’re buying a house with hardwoods already installed that look good as new, ask the sellers or their broker how they keep up with maintenance. Finding the best products available will be worth it when you have hardwood floors that last you and your family a lifetime. 

Final Thoughts on How to Clean Wood Floors

Learning how to clean wood floors requires consistent upkeep and maintenance. They aren’t an aspect of your house that you can ‘set and forget.’ However, there are an endless number of options at your disposal that will help you keep your wood floors as clean as possible during the life of your home.

Use these tips to help you stay ahead of dirt and grime buildup, while getting the best and most long-lasting life out of your floors!