If you have hardwood flooring in your home, you appreciate the beauty, durability and value it adds to your home. Whether it was in your home when you purchased it or you've added the flooring to your home, you want to keep it looking as great as you possibly can. Hardwood flooring can add a lot of value to a home and it will last forever if it's taken care of properly. Not only does this flooring add a lot to your home décor, but it can also take a lot in terms of wear and tear. If you have a large family and possibly pets, hardwood flooring is the right floor to deal with all this wear and tear.



Unfortunately, too many people steer clear of hardwood floors because they mistakenly believe they are expensive and high maintenance. They don't require any more maintenance than carpeting, linoleum, or tiles. They all require care and regular cleaning. The difference with hardwood flooring is that it will enhance the beauty of your home, increase the value and literally last forever. Keeping your hardwood flooring clean and looking great is simple and very inexpensive.

Simple Cleaning Equals Beauty

You may have heard that keeping your hardwood floor clean is a huge undertaking requiring a lot of work and money. Nothing could be further from the truth. A simple soft broom is all that's required for your regular or daily cleaning. You don't need expensive cleaning tools for regular cleaning. A soft broom will easily pick up all the dirt and dust that may accumulate each day. Carpeting hides the dirt, dust and pet hair, causing ruined carpeting, odors or allergies. Hardwood floors allow you to see the dirt so it can be swept up easily so your floor will always look great. If you have a vacuum cleaner that's either designed for hardwood flooring or one that you can adjust accordingly, these also work great, especially with pet hair.

Protective Coatings

Many homeowners protect their hardwood flooring with a polyurethane coating or some sort of shellac to give it a glossy or semi-glossy finish. If your flooring has a coating such as this, your cleaning will be even easier. All your floor will need to keep it clean and looking great is a damp mop. It is important to remember that excess water is a hardwood floors worst enemy so make sure no water is left standing on the floor. Your mop should only be slightly damp. If you do have spots or stains that are not removed with a mop, a cleaning rag with water or cleaning solvent for hardwood flooring works great. There are several different cleaning solutions that come in spray bottles for situations such as this. They're relatively inexpensive and last a long time because they are only used for those rare times when a mop doesn't get it all.

Preventative Cleaning

The best way to ensure your floor is always clean is to prevent the dirt and grime from ever landing on your floor but this is not always going to be possible. Throw rugs and designer rugs are great for protecting your floor. They are also very much in style with hardwood floors. Rugs should always be by all exterior doors so shoes can be wiped off when they enter the home. With rugs being so popular today, you can find throw rugs that coordinate with your large area rug, giving your home a great look while protecting your hardwood floors.

Copyright (c) 2009 Wes Fernley