Wooden flooring is luxurious, it demands to be noticed, shiny and pleasing to the eyes, the feet and just about every sense bar one. If you’re lucky enough to have wooden flooring throughout your home, whether you rent or own, taking care of its shiny, wonderful surface can be a challenge if you’re unsure of what to do. It’s fragile, although strong; easily marked, although entirely resilient – so how does a busy, modern resident take care of a basic timber flooring of any grade, without spending a fortune? Let Bennetts Carpets take the lead and instruct you on the ways of wood.
Start Your Engines:
Although giving it a good once over with the broom on a daily basis is a great way to minimise mess during the weekend clean-up, you will need to vacuum the floors at least once a week to catch everything they may have caught between cracks or the wood grain. Suction vacuums works the best here.
Give Your Pet A Manicure:
Keeping pet nails short will minimise scratching and skidding on easily damaged wood grains. If they’re inside dogs exclusively, you’ll need to be diligent in ensuring their nails are kept to a sensible length, although outside cats and dogs wear down their nails naturally through digging, climbing and just being themselves. Encourage them to walk on concrete, as it has a natural sand-paper effect; inside dogs in particular can benefit from this tactic.
Go Flat:
If there was ever an excuse to wear flats or wedges, it’s your wooden floor. The stiletto heel or even a badly kept high heel can turn your gleaming timber floor into a major scratch zone, gradually wearing rivets in the wood and scraping off the lacquered polish. If you don’t own the house or unit you’re living in, minimise how often you wear your heels indoors, opting for flats until you leave the house; similarly, encourage guests to take off their shoes.
Go Mad For Mats:
Mats and rugs are fantastic additions to any room – they can be colourful, large, small and of any shape or pile, lending maximum personality to the overall décor. They also protect your wooden floors from any harm. High traffic areas should be covered by features rugs or hallway runners, and rubber mats should be never be used – along with vinyl versions, rubber mats trap moisture and condensation.
Stay On Top Of Spills:
Although wooden floors don’t stain compared to carpet, they can still trap sticky liquids. This isn’t fantastic for the wood itself. Use a damp cloth to clean up a spill as soon as you see it and pat dry afterward. Never wet mop a wooden floor.
