The Best Hardwood Floors In Southern California
With five generations of experience under our belts, Traditional Floors has remained family-owned since 1988, providing original classic hardwood floors to Newbury Park and surrounding areas. Besides installing hardwood floors built to last a lifetime, the Traditional Floors team is also certified to do custom finishes, extensive repair work, water damage restoration, and so much more.
At Traditional Floors, we believe your hardwood floors can and should be enjoyed for generations. When it comes to hardwood floor care, there are a lot of products out there that claim to be the best solution. We recommend using just your basic vinegar and water, or a little Windex and water for a simple solution that yields the best results. Either of these mixtures are perfect for degreasing your floors. It’s important to remember that a lot of floor cleaning products on the market these days contain oils that are not good when it comes to recoating your floors.
Additionally, we recommend having your hardwood floors recoated every 4 to 6 years, depending on how much foot traffic your floors get. Keep in mind that if your floors are in the kitchen and family room and receive a lot of foot traffic, you might want to have your floors recoated more often to keep them looking fresh and prevent the color from wearing off.
For more in-depth tips on how to take care of your hardwood floors, our team has compiled this complete hardwood floor care guide for your reference!
The Do’s & Don’ts Of Caring For Your Hardwood Floor
We know you want to keep your hardwood floors looking their best day-in and day-out all year round. Here are some simple do’s and don’ts when it comes to maintaining the natural elegance of your home’s hardwood flooring.
Do’s:
- Try to clean up any spills as soon as possible, since this will prevent long-term damage.
- Ideally, you should vacuum or sweep your hardwood floors daily to eliminate dirt, debris, and the scratches they can cause.
- Use mats and/or rugs at entrances and door openings to minimize the chance of people and pets tracking in dirt, debris, mud, slush, oil, or grease onto your hardwood floors.
- Attach furniture pads at the bottom of furniture legs, so they can’t cause any scratches or dents.
- Regularly trim your pets’ nails, so they can’t scratch the surface of your hardwood floors.
Don’ts:
- Do not clean your hardwood floors using water or steam–this will cause damage permanent and dull the finish over time.
- Due to moisture exposure, do not install hardwood floors in bathroom areas.
- Avoid walking on your hardwood floors with high heels or cleats since these types of shoes can cause dents.
How To Keep Your Hardwood Floors Sparkling Clean
At Traditional Floors, our motto is “Quality Doesn’t Cost, It Pays” because we know custom hardwood floors are an investment. Here are some more helpful hacks for hardwood floor care from daily cleaning to annual maintenance!
Daily Upkeep:
To prevent scratches or any other kind of surface damage, we recommend dusting your home’s hardwood floors every day with a microfiber cloth or pad, which will use electricity to catch any dirt, dust, or debris. Not only is this method more effective than a traditional broom and dustpan, it eliminates any chance of scratching your floors.
Weekly Cleaning:
For weekly maintenance, the team at Traditional Floors suggests cleaning harder to reach areas to prevent dirt, dust, and debris from accumulating on your hardwood floors. If you use a mop to clean your floors, we suggest only slightly misting the floor to minimize moisture exposure. When using a vacuum for weekly or daily cleaning, make sure to use it gently and keep the beater bar from hitting the floor (if applicable). No matter the method, just remember to apply a gentle touch when maintaining your hardwood floors.
Monthly Maintenance:
For optimal floor care, we recommend polishing your hardwood floors every 2 to 3 months. Not only does polishing renew and refresh your hardwood floor’s overall appearance, it also fills in microscopic scratches while evening out the protective sealant. Daily and weekly upkeep mostly address the floor’s finish, but polishing targets the actual hardwood itself, making it crucial for your floor’s maintenance and upkeep.
Yearly Floor Care:
As mentioned earlier, hardwood floors are a long-term investment. That’s why we suggest giving them a quality deep clean, sanding, and/or refinishing every 3 to 5 years. Sanding and refinishing your home’s hardwood floors will completely replace and renew its protective sealant while also addressing any sizable damage(s) in the form of scratches and/or dents.
Advanced Tips & Tricks:
- Electrostatic action from microfiber cloths or pads is the best way to clean your hardwood floors since it attracts common allergens and microparticles that can cause scratches or surface damage.
- Avoid using steamers on your hardwood floors since they can cause cupping and long-term damage to your hardwood floors.
- Protective mats undoubtedly increase the longevity of your hardwood floor’s life. Consider using rubber rug underlayments with a waffle pattern at doorways and felt floor protectors on furniture legs to minimize overall denting and scratching.
The More You Know About Your Hardwood Floors:
Keep in mind that the overall maintenance routine for your hardwood floors will largely depend on the amount of foot traffic throughout your house and particular spaces. For higher volume rooms and areas, polishing, sanding, and refinishing will need to be done more frequently to preserve the appearance and structural integrity of your hardwood floors.
Different Types of Hardwood Floors
Sometimes the specific cleaning, care, and maintenance your floor requires will depend on the type of hardwood installed and the kind of finish applied. Here, we’ve included some basic tips for some of the more prevalent types of hardwood floors installed in residential homes today.
Consult Your Local Hardwood Floor Experts:
If you are unsure about how to take care of your hardwood floors, we suggest contacting your local hardwood floor specialists. Your local hardwood floor experts should be licensed in both installing and restoring hardwood floors to give you the guidance you need–whether the floors are newly installed or have been around for decades. Their advice will stem from their years of craftsmanship and expertise, and they’ll be able to breakdown the maintenance your floor requires based on the type of hardwood and finish that’s been installed.
Laminate & Engineered Hardwood Floors:
The easiest type of hardwood floors to clean are made with engineered lumber and/or laminate, which simply gives the appearance of hardwood. Because these modern materials don’t have the same characteristics and complications of classic hardwood, they require minimal upkeep such as regular dusting, sweeping, and/or vacuuming. If you want to mop these types of “hardwood” floors, be sure to still use minimal water and avoid “mop and shine” solutions since they will cause a film to form on the surface of these particular floors.
Classic Hardwood Floors:
Classic hardwood floors in older, more historic homes are typically wax-sealed. This means that they are more susceptible to damage from moisture exposure, so cleaning and upkeep should be comprised of dry methods such as vacuuming, sweeping, and/or dusting. Over time, classic hardwood floors will build up more wax and lose their original sheen. When this happens, you will need to contact a hardwood flooring professional to sand and rewax your floors.
Urethane-Sealed Hardwood Floors:
Newly built and installed hardwood floors are sealed with urethane more often than not. Although urethane is more durable than wax sealants, they are still susceptible to scratches and sensitive to moisture. Also, homeowners with newer hardwood floors sealed with urethane should avoid waxing their floors, as this will damage the finish and possibly even void the hardwood floor’s warranty. Dry mopping, sweeping, and vacuuming are the best forms of maintenance for this hardwood floor type.
Custom Quality Hardwood Floors Since 1988
Do you have additional questions about what materials and methods to use when cleaning and caring for your home’s hardwood floors? Don’t hesitate to contact the hardwood flooring experts at Traditional Floors for all of the advice and information you need to keep your floors in tip-top shape! Call us today at 805-499-0927.