Floors by George endorses the National Wood Flooring Association recommended schedule for caring for your solid hardwood floors, assuming proper care.
- Daily: sweep or dust mop
- Weekly: vacuum using bare floor setting (i.e., no brush movement)
- Monthly: clean with recommended wood flooring cleaner
- Every 3 – 5 years: maintenance screen and coat
- Every few decades: sand and refinish
These are approximate time frames, which depend largely on the type of finish used and the amount and type of traffic the floors get.
Maintaining long-term floorboard dimensional integrity:
The biggest concern for a solid hardwood floor is extremes in ambient temperature and humidity, especially the large fluctuations that can occur from season to season.
Ideally, you should aim to keep your house between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 to 50 percent relative humidity year round.
You can monitor these ranges with a simple hygrometer, also called a humidity monitor.
A properly programed thermostat will take care of the temperature whereas the use of humidifiers and dehumidifiers will maintain the right humidity.
Never let water or other liquid spills sit on your solid hardwood floors. Never wet mop your solid hardwood floors.
If your solid hardwood floors are flooded, immediately call Floors by George or another trusted water mitigation company.
To prevent scratches and dents:
Use doormats (no rubber backing) to catch dirt and grime before entering house.
Use felt pads underneath furniture.
Avoid walking on floor while wearing cleats or high heel shoes.
Avoid sliding furniture across floor.
To maintain the finish:
Never wet-mop or steam clean wood floors.
Don’t clean wood floors with tile or vinyl cleaners or self-polishing acrylic wax.
For monthly cleaning, we recommend using Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner, available at your local hardware and home improvement store.