Hardwood floors are not low maintenance by any stretch of the imagination. They require regular sweeping and cleaning to prevent surface damage and to keep them looking nice. And you need to clean them with products that won't damage the finish, and be extra careful with water.
Hardwood floors are resilient and long-lasting. With proper maintenance and care, they can last centuries. The greatest advantage of hardwood flooring is that it is easy to clean and maintain. While spills and stains on a light-colored carpet can be a disaster, on a hardwood floor you can simply wipe them away.
Your cleaner should be easy to use. All you have to do is mist the floor and wipe with a microfiber cloth or terry rag with most cleaners. The right wood floor cleaner should not harm your floors or leave a filmy or sticky residue. The keyword here is damp; you do not want to use a wet mop.
Not Resistant to Humidty: Wood can be damaged by spills, standing liquids, and humidity which is why wood floors are not recommend for areas of high moisture and humidity such as full bathrooms.
Hardwood. PROS – Hardwood is the real deal; it is gorgeous and, depending on the type of wood, can add considerable value to your home. CONS – Hardwood is susceptible to scratching, can get damaged from excessive moisture and will show wear, especially in heavily trafficked areas.
On average, a hardwood flooring finish lasts approximately ten years. But with proper care and maintenance, it can last much longer.
Although it may be tempting to deep clean your hardwood floors with a steam mop, don't. “Drastic temperature changes and moisture may warp the wood,” says Steve Stocki, manager of marketing and merchandising at Lumber Liquidators. That's true whether you have solid or engineered wood floors, and for bamboo, too.
Any vacuum can clean hardwood floors—this is the simplest possible task for a vacuum cleaner. You don't need anything special to get dust, hair, crumbs, or anything else off your wood, tile, or laminate floors.
Wood Flooring will scratch. Being a natural product there is truly no way of getting away from this fact. Scratches however need not necessarily be looked at as a bad thing with wooden flooring. Many believe that these markings very much add to the character of the flooring - taking away from the pristine nature.
People love older homes because they have hardwood floors and because hardwood floors connotate a coziness that carpet and others can't touch. Durability: With a little TLC, hardwood floors will last a lifetime, and then some. Most experts recommend refinishing hardwood floors every 10 years to keep them looking good.
If you're worried about hardwood floors being cold on the feet, don't be; they're actually better for keeping your home warm. Hardwood floors help heat move through your home. The bottom line is that wood is a conductor, and the carpet is an insulator.
While it is not as soft as carpet, the traditional bedroom flooring choice, hardwood is still a warm, welcoming feature when used as a floor surface for bedrooms. Its natural beauty, durability, and ability to stand the test of time for both style and durability make it a wonderful long-term flooring material.
Is it better to sweep or vacuum hardwood floors? While sweeping is a great way to clean up large debris, it's best to vacuum hardwood floors to get rid of fine dust and particles that sweeping may miss, especially in the wood floor crevices. Every one to two months, wet-clean surface-treated wood floors.
Water You Using to Clean Your Floors? You can safely use Swiffer products on hardwood floors. For a quick clean, try Swiffer WetJet Wood Starter Kit. With just the right amount of solution, it breaks up tough, sticky messes, brings out the natural beauty of your floors and won't damage them.
In high-traffic areas, like the dining room and kitchen, sweep or vacuum daily if possible and mop hardwood floors once or twice a week. Mop less-trafficked areas once a month or once a season.
To tell if your wood floor is sealed, find an inconspicuous area, dab a drop of water on the surface, and see if it soaks in or beads on top. If the water drop beads on top of the wood, your floor is sealed. Surface-sealed floors are stain and water-damage resistant and easiest to clean.
In most homes, the best wood floor cleaner is plain old soap and water, and the only tools you need are a broom, vacuum, and mop. The best mop for wood floors is a microfiber flat-head or string mop you can easily wring out.
The best way to clean hardwood floors is to adopt a regular routine. Use a broom or hardwood floor mop for cleaning wood floors daily. A microfiber dust mop pre-treated with a dusting agent will pick up dust and dirt and prevent scratches. Vacuum your hardwood floor once a week.
The acid in animal urine or vomit can damage the finish and the wood floor boards. Large, active dogs with long, sharp nails digging into hardwood can cause scratches and dents. Spilled food or water, when left for extended periods of time, can seep into hardwood plank seams and lead to unsightly water damage.
Your beloved hardwood floors' aesthetic can be easily upended by a rogue board with water damage, cracks, or grooves. But try not to fret—you can replace individual wood planks on your own without having to replace the entire floor.
Wait 48 to 72 hours after the hardwood has been refinished/ finished before "PLACING" furniture back in its place. Keep a steady temperature and humidity within your home. Dramatic swings in temperature will cause hardwood to shrink or to cup. Sweep/dust and mop often.
“Hardwood flooring is stylish and sustainable, comes in a variety of natural colors, and doesn't absorb dust or debris, making it easy to clean and maintain,” he says. Murphy says it is also a good choice for the kitchen because you rarely need to replace hardwood flooring.
Dawn Wilson, Keller Williams: “Most buyers prefer hardwood. For selling purposes, it is better to have hardwood. If there is not hardwood in the home already, and it is cost prohibitive to put hardwood in, then in most cases, new carpet should be put in prior to resale. Buyers like tile flooring in the bathrooms.
Carpet vs Hardwood: The Final Verdict
According to the above, hardwood and carpet flooring are equally healthy. However, carpets are harder to clean properly, making them less ideal for people with allergies or asthma.