Do keep a mat at every entrance to your home

It’s a small purchase that can have a massive impact on the cleanliness of your wood floors. Place a doormat at every entrance of your home/commercial property so that guests, workers and inhabitants, have the opportunity to wipe their feet before they step onto your hardwood floors. This will keep dirt from outside from being brought into the house and, most importantly, reduce any sort of water damage that can occur when rainwater is carried in on shoes from outside.

There is also a danger of stones, that get caught in the soles of certain types of shoes, being carried in and dragged across your beautiful hardwood floors, causing dents and scratches. A good, sturdy mat will remove this kind of debris too.

Do ask everyone to leave their shoes at the door

This one doesn’t apply to commercial properties, but homeowners can take it one step further from the point made above, by asking that, after wiping their shoes on the doormat, guests and inhabitants must take their shoes off as soon as they step into your home.
Though walking on hardwood floors in clean trainers or boots won’t really do any harm, heels or cleated shoes can cause a lot of damage, so it’s best to keep footwear off of your hardwood floors altogether.

You could invest in a little storage cabinet, and place it by the front door, where shoes can be kept, or even hang a little sign in the entryway to act as a reminder/notice to everyone that shoes must be removed as soon as they step inside.

Don’t use a steam mop to clean your hardwood floors

As mentioned in our blog post, How To Maintain Wood Floors, you should avoid using a steam mop on your hardwood floors when cleaning them.
As brilliant as steam mops are for a deep clean, they are best suited for vinyl or tiled floors, and best kept away from any type of hardwood.

Steam mops are incredibly powerful, their sole purpose is to penetrate the surface that they are being used on to remove every last bit of dirt and stubborn stains, but this can cause a lot of damage to hardwood floors. When wood absorbs water, it will warp, distort and even change colour causing, often, irreparable damage, so steam mops on hardwood floors is a huge no.

Do invest in felt furniture pads

As we discuss in more depth in our blog post, How To Maintain A Wood Floor, there are a lot of little things you can do to protect your hardwood floors from scratches, dents and any other kind of visible damage.
One of the biggest causes of surface damage to hardwood floors comes from furniture; dining room chairs and sofas being scraped along the floor, tables being pushed and pulled around etc.

Aside from trying to lift and carry furniture rather than drag it along the floor, the best way to prevent any damage to your flooring is to buy felt furniture pads and stick them to the bottom of your furniture. This small investment will save you a lot of headache.

Don’t leave any damp material on your hardwood floors

Keeping your floor away from moisture is important in order to avoid water damage, and it’s easy to get lackadaisical and forget that even leaving a damp towel on the hardwood floors in your bedroom can be risky.

Make a conscious effort to keep wet or damp items off of your floor and, if you do slip up, then ensure that you wipe up any wet surfaces as quickly as possible.

Do trim your pet’s nails regularly

If you have pets, specifically a dog, cat or any other animal with nails, then they can be a source for hardwood flooring damage too. Though trying to train your pet not to scratch up the flooring is a good place to start, sometimes scratches can simply be caused by the action of walking or running across the floor with long, sharp nails.
The damage caused by this is nothing that can’t be removed with a bit of sanding down and refinishing, but this is costly, time-consuming and can only be done so many times to hardwood flooring before it needs replacing altogether.
Hence, you should make it a habit to trim your pet’s nails on a regular basis and reduce the likelihood of damage to your hardwood floors.

Don’t be afraid to try something different

Your home is your pride and joy, and if you have a specific vision in mind for the look you want to achieve in each room, then you probably already know what you want your hardwood flooring to look like. It doesn’t hurt to play it safe and stick to the traditional oak and maple in browns, whites and greys, especially if this complements your interior design theme, but you shouldn’t be afraid to take a risk and try something a little out of the box.
There are so many species, colours, finishes and styles on the market, many that you probably haven’t seen before, that you should always explore all of the options available to you, which leads us to our final point...

Do take your time and do your research before investing in hardwood flooring

It isn’t as simple as picking a colour and wood species when it comes to hardwood flooring. There are a number of factors to consider before making the investment including the durability of the wood, the plank size, the option of parquet or herringbone, the finish etc.

Start by reading our blog on, How To Choose The Best Wood Flooring For Your Home, to establish exactly what you will need to consider when making your decision.