Boardwalk Hardwood Floors Maintenance

This post is in partnership with Boardwalk Hardwood Floors and Vintage Flooring.  This post also contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. 

We’re getting closer to the one-year point of having installed our hardwood floors from our friends at Boardwalk Hardwood Flooring. Can I just tell you how much we love the dramatic change to our home? When we selected the Vintage Red Oak Harbor from Vintage Flooring, we knew we wanted something that wouldn’t show every little dent, ding, and paw spot. When we met with Justin, showroom manager of the St. Peters location,  he offered up the suggestion of keeping the floors textured and a more matte finish to cut down on the look of dust and other debris showing on the floor. I’m so glad we listened to his recommendation. Boardwalk Hardwood Floors Maintenance is just as important as selecting the right product for your home. 

Today, wanted to share some tips and tricks for keeping your hardwood floors looking absolutely gorgeous so they will last for many years to come. 

Tips to Keep Your Floors Clean

• No Shoes in the House – I struggle with this one, but definitely keeps the dirt out! 
• Protective Sliders Furniture – We have these on every piece of furniture in the home. You spent all that time putting those pretty floors down, don’t scratch them up! Make sure they are felt, as others can damage floors. 
• Microfiber Cloths & Mops – These are wonderful, to keep on hand for spills, dirt, and pet messes. 
• Regular Cleaning Schedule – we’ll talk about this more in a minute

Humidity Levels 

If your home does not have a humidifier built into your heating and cooling unit, I would strongly suggest getting a humidifier for your home. It is suggested to keep humidity homes in your home between 45-55%.

We noticed when the weather turned colder, the floor began to slightly contract. We were told this is very common and nothing to be alarmed about, however having a humidifier will prolong the life of your hardwood floors. We are close to getting a new heating and cooling system, so we opted for a floor unit so that we could move if needed. 

During the warmer months, use a dehumidifier in your basement to help prevent cupped floors from too much moisture/humidity.

Expect Dents and Dings 

The first time I dropped a can on the floor I cried just a little, but having hardwood floors, it comes with the territory. If you have pets, you’ll likely see scratches from nails as well. The bigger the pet, the more important it is to keep their nails trimmed. The great thing is that there are many products that can help with masking those small imperfections. We keep a rescue kit on hand for touch-ups. 

Floor Cleaning Products

For our home, we use our microfiber cloths when we have messes. Believe me, they get yogurt and milk spills out of nooks and crannies. On a regular basis, we run our robot vacuum that is safe for hardwood floors. When we see messy paw prints, I’ll use a slightly damp Norwex Mop to clean up those messes and a light pass across the flooring. You’ll want to avoid hot water as well as have the microfiber mop to be rung out very thoroughly.

When we’re looking like the floors need to shine like the top of the Chrysler building, we use Bona Floor Cleaner with a microfiber mop too. I like to give the floors a quick pass with the microfiber mop or a broom a few times a week to keep the floors tidy. Weekly, I’ll do a lightly damp mop and spray of Bona cleaner. The name of the game is as dry as possible. You would not want any water sitting on your floors. 

THINGS TO AVOID

The biggest I learned during this process as there are things you can use that will VOID your warranty. 

Steam Mops, Oil Soaps, and Orange Glow will all void your warranty and damage your floor.

I had no idea, but definitely made a mental note of them all. 

Simple Flooring Maintenance Schedule

So that’s how we have been keeping our flooring shining bright. The lifespan of a hardwood floor can exceed 100 years. There are some wood floors more than 300 years old that are still in service!  Quality materials and proper maintenance will have you enjoying your heirloom floors for generations to come. 

I’m still in love with them like I was the first day they went in! Do you have any tips or tricks that you use on your floors? The quicker you can get a mess up, the easier it will be to clean up! 

 

 

Photography by Megh Christine Photography