Hello again! If you remember from our previous post about refinishing our hardwood floors, they’re our favorite feature in our house. They cover the entire first floor, which is our main living area since our house is a ranch.
We love our floors. We like that they’re so easy to keep clean (hardwood doesn’t trap dirt and dust like carpet does), they add warmth to every room, and they give our house that light and airy vibe. The hardwood floors are special to us, so we wanted to give you the run-down on how we keep them clean and protected.
Cleaning our hardwood floors
First up, let’s talk about what we do to keep the floors clean and shiny. One benefit of having hardwood flooring is that it’s so low maintenance. It’s really just a two-step process:
- Vacuum the floors regularly
- Wash the floors as needed
That’s it! Seriously, it doesn’t take much effort to make hardwood flooring look good. Every week, we vacuum the floors (and the entire house, of course) to remove any dust/hair/crumbs/etc. Here’s our vacuum that we use, which comes with a special dust-away attachment for hardwood floors.
Then, we just wash the floors with a Murphy’s Oil Soap and water solution whenever we feel like they need a good scrubbing. I like to get up-close-and-personal with the floors and scrub them with a scour sponge. That way, I can remove every little scuff mark or grime that needs extra scrubbing. You could totally make this faster/easier by using a mop and bucket the good old-fashioned way! I’m just a clean freak.
Protecting our hardwood floors
Next, we’ll tell you what we do to keep our floors protected from things like furniture, scuff marks, etc. The easiest thing to do to preserve your floors’ shine and beauty, is to not wear shoes in the house. Just leave your shoes in a basket or shoe tray when you enter the house. Not wearing shoes inside will keep your floors so much cleaner, and it will limit the amount of scuff marks and scratches you get. AND it gives you a great excuse to invest in comfy slippers.
It’s a good idea to prevent your furniture from scratching your floors too. To do this, we put these felt pads on the bottom of LITERALLY all our furniture pieces. Chairs, stools, dressers, tables, beds, anything! Furniture tends to move slightly when you use it (think plopping down on a chair, or shutting a dresser drawer), so you don’t want to discover scratches after years of use.
Since we have hardwood flooring, we have an area rug in pretty much every room. Area rugs are a great way to add a touch of color and comfort to any living space, but make sure you use a rug pad. You’re probably wondering, why do I need a rug pad? Two reasons: they protect the flooring underneath the rug, and they make the rug last longer. They’re non-slip, so the rug won’t slide around and etch your floors. PLUS, they add more cushion under the rug, which makes it comfier and reduces wear-and-tear. We’re big fans of these rug pads! Some of the cheaper rug pads on the market can leave a sticky residue on your floor, so definitely buy good ones.
There you have it! Now you know all our insider tips of how we maintain our hardwood flooring. We hope this helps you clean and protect your floors too.
