Hardwood flooring is an enduring classic and with good reason. It’s beautiful, strong, and capable of a long lifespan in your home with the proper care and maintenance.

What, you ask, is the proper care and maintenance for hardwood floor?

Glad you asked!

The Basics

Hardwood is not a waterproof flooring material. While it’s easy to care for, it does need to be handled differently than a vinyl or a porcelain tile. Hardwood is natural, from trees (duh) or, in the case of bamboo, from grass, and therefore is subject to the same expansion and contraction from moisture. You can use the same cleaning procedures for an engineered hardwood floor and a solid hardwood floor.

The Process

At least once a week give your hardwood once-over with a dry duster like a Swiffer to pick up dust, pet dander, or debris that could scratch your floor. If you prefer to vacuum, be sure to use one without a beater bar. The frequency with which you do this depends on your lifestyle and your home’s inhabitants: a single person living alone will be fine dusting their floors once a week, but someone with pets and children may need to do it more frequently. For a more intense clean, switch from the dry method to a damp method. You’ll need a liquid cleanser like Murphy’s Oil Soap and a damp rag or mop. The key here is damp, not wet; dip your implement into your cleaning solution but be sure to thoroughly wring it out before putting it on the floor. Rinse your mop the repeat this procedure with clean water. It’s important to note that you should always be sure to check the flooring manufacturer’s website or instruction manual to see how they recommend cleaning your hardwood floors. Always follow their instructions!

The Varieties

If you’re interested in a green cleaning method, why not try a spot of tea? Boil a pot of water and steep two black tea bags. Then, damp-clean your hardwood like you would with any other solution. Black tea’s natural tannic acid brings a great shine to hardwood.

Curious about more green cleaning? We’ve got a whole post about it here.

The Conclusion

Caring for your hardwood floors doesn’t have to be difficult, expensive, or time-consuming! All it takes is a little bit of regular maintenance to keep your floors beautiful for life.

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