Hardwood Floor Care Do's-and-Don'ts

By following a few simple rules today, you can minimize the need for repair and refinishing tomorrow:

Dirt, grit and sand act like sandpaper to scratch, dent and dull hardwood floors. Place floor mats at entrances to trap dirt. Sweep, vacuum or dust mop at least weekly.

• SWEEPING - Brooms with fine, exploded ends trap dust and grit effectively.
  
  
• VACUUMING - Use a brush attachment. Do not a vacuum with beater bars because this can cause dents in your floor's finish. Canister vacuums with special bare floor attachments are the surest way to get rid of all the dirt and dust.
  
  
• DUST MOPPING- Use a dust mop with a 12-to-18-inch cotton head. Check with the flooring manufacturer if a mop treatment is to be used.
  
  
• WATER and other standing liquids can damage a floor's finish. Standing water can warp a finished floor. Starting at the edge and working toward the center, wipe up spills, pet accidents and other mishaps when they happen.
  
  
• FURNITURE should be moved by lifting, not dragging. Felt contacts under furniture legs are a good idea to help prevent scratches in routine use.
  
  
• SUNLIGHT can cause discoloration over time. Close curtains and blinds or add sheer drapes to protect a hardwood floor from intense UV rays.
  
  
• SHOES with exposed nails and heel supports will dent any floor.

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An Ounce of Prevention
Advanced finish technology and innovative products make wood one of the most easy-care flooring materials today. A few preventive measures can preserve a beautiful finish and keep maintenance to a minimum.

1. Never use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self polishing acrylic waxes cause wood to become slippery and appear dull quickly. The only remedy in this situation is to sand and refinish the floor.
   
   
2. Place mats and throw rugs at doorway exteriors and interiors to help prevent the tracking of grit, dirt and sand.
   
   
3. Never wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
   
   
4. Wipe up food and other spills immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
   
   
5. Do not over-wax a wood floor. If the floor dulls, try buffing instead. Avoid wax buildup under furniture and other light traffic areas by applying wax in these spots every other waxing session.
   
   
6. Put soft plastic or fabric-faced glides under the legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
   
   
7. Remember that cleats, sports shoes and high heels can dent any floor surface. When a 125 pound woman takes a step in high heels she exerts 2,000 psi (pounds per square inch). An exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000 psi.
   
   
8. When moving heavy furniture, completely pick up the furniture and carry rather than slide to best protect the wood flooring.
   
   
9. For wood flooring in the kitchen, place an area rug in front of the kitchen sink.
   
   
10. Use a humidifier in the home throughout the winter months to keep all wood movement and shrinkage to a minimum

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Hot Tips on Floor Maintenance

Maintaining a Surface Finish
Dust mop, sweep or vacuum regularly. Clean with a manufacturer's recommended cleaner. Recoat the floor with a surface finish when cleaning no longer restores shine. The frequency of recoating depends on the amount of traffic. A surface finished floor should never be waxed.

Maintaining a Penetrating Stain or Wax Finish
Dust mop or vacuum regularly. Buff to restore shine. Waxing may be necessary when buffing no longer restores shine. Apply a cleaner and liquid wax specifically for wood floors. Apply the wax evenly, allow the floor to dry and buff to the desired luster.
If the wood floor has dirt build up or the wax is discolored, use a combination liquid cleaner/wax made specifically for wood flooring. Make sure it is solvent rather than water base. Spread the liquid cleaner/wax with a cloth or fine steel wool and rub gently to remove grime and old wax. Wipe the floor clean, let it dry for about 20 minutes and buff.
Depending on the traffic, a properly maintained wood floor should need waxing once or twice a year.
Remember, it is extremely important to always use the floor manufacturer's cleaning and finish products and recommendations when known.

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Repairing Scratches and Removing Stains
Unlike most other floor coverings, wood is very forgiving. Most problems can be prevented by keeping the floors vacuumed and waxed (if you have a wax finished floor) and by wiping up spills immediately.
If the wood flooring is damaged, first determine whether the scratches or stains are in the wood or in the top coat finish.

First Aid for Penetrating Stained and Waxed Floors
If the scratches or stains are in the wood, the finish is probably a penetrating stain and wax.

Scratches:
Repair by waxing the area. Dried milk or food stains: Gently rub with damp cloth. Rub dry and wax. When removing stains from any wood floor always begin at the outer edge of the stain and work toward the middle.

Water stains or white spots: Rub spot with #000 steel wool and wax. If this fails, lightly sand with fine sandpaper and clean the area using #00 steel wool and mineral spirits or a wood floor cleaner. Allow the floor to dry. Stain, wax and hand buff.

Heel marks:
Rub in small amount of wax with fine steel wool and hand buff to a shine. Mold: Rub with a wood cleaner.

Chewing gum, crayon, candle wax:
Apply a plastic bag filled with ice until the deposit is brittle enough to crumble off. Crayon or candle wax can be removed by placing an ink blotter on the wax and applying a hot pressing iron to the top of the blotter. Solvent-based wax can also be applied around the area to loosen the deposit.

Oil and grease stains:
First rub area with kitchen soap having a high lye content or saturate cotton with hydrogen peroxide and place over the stain. Then saturate a second layer of cotton with ammonia and place over the first. Repeat until stain is removed. Let the area dry and then hand buff.
Dark spots (dog spots) and ink stains:
Try the water spots treatment. If the spot remains, apply a household bleach or vinegar and allow it to soak for an hour. Rinse with a damp cloth, wipe dry and smooth with fine sandpaper. Stain, wax and hand buff.

Cigarette burns:
If the burn is not very deep, rub the area with fine sandpaper or steel wool. Moisten the steel wool with wax for better results. If the burn is deep, scrape the area with a pen knife to remove charred fibers. Rub the area with fine sandpaper. Stain, wax and hand buff.

Wax build up:
Strip the old wax away with odorless mineral spirits or a wood floor product made for stripping wax. Use cloths and fine steel wool to remove all residue. After the floor is dry, wax and buff.

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First Aid for Surface Finished Floors
If the scratches or stains are in the finish (superficial), the finish is probably a surface finish.

Scratches:
Repair with a touch-up kit made for urethane finishes which are available from any wood flooring retailer.

Food, water or dark spots (dog spots):
Use a cleaner developed specifically for urethane finishes to remove the spot or stain. More stubborn spots may require additional scrubbing with the cleaner and a wood flooring scrub pad made for urethane floors.

Greasy spots:
Rub the grease, lipstick, crayon or oil with a cleaner developed for urethane.

Cigarette burns:
Most common burns can be treated with a touch-up kit made for urethane finishes (rub with sandpaper, stain and refinish). For burns that reach deep into the wood, individual plank or parquet boards may need to be replaced.

Chewing gum, crayon, wax:
Apply a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the deposit until it is brittle enough to crumble off. Clean area with a product made for urethane finishes. Again, always use the wood flooring manufacturer's cleaning, repair and finish products when known.

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Special Tips for Polyurethane-Finished Hardwood Floors

With urethane-finished floors, it's particularly important to get grit off the floor before it can be ground in. Dust mop or vacuum regularly and keep doormats clean. Wipe up spills promptly with a dry cloth. Use a slightly dampened cloth for sticky spills.

If you are unsure whether your floor has a urethane finish, use this test on an inconspicuous area: a urethane finish will bubble when you apply a small amount of paint remover to the floor's surface; a penetrating finish will not.

CLEANING

For routine cleaning, use pH neutral cleaners made specifically for the type of finish on your wood floor.

When damp mopping a polyurethaned floor, wet the mop and wring so it is about half-dry. Mop and then dip the mop into clean water, wring it as dry as you can and mop again. Immediately towel dry the floor and mop in sections to prevent standing water.

The only time you should wax a polyurethane floor is when the original finish is in poor shape and you do not plan to re-coat your floor with polyurethane in the future.

MINOR REPAIRS

Repairing a urethane finish may be beyond the scope of do-it-yourselfers. If you want to try, use steel wool or sandpaper to remove one or two complete layers of finish where damage has occurred. Then, after thoroughly removing all dust, apply the same type of finish that was removed. Be careful not to build additional layers of finish on top of adjoining boards. The new finish probably will not blend well if the adjoining finish is more than three years old.

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