image 1 How to Get Your Hardwood Floors Ready for Spring

As Old Man Winter heads into hibernation, your hardwood floors are waiting on you to help them to rise and shine bright like the spring sunshine. This is especially true if you plan to sell your home this year.

Research shows that around 54% of people seeking to buy homes are open to paying more for homes with hardwood floors. However, before you can show off your beautiful hardwood flooring, you need to wake it up from its winter funk.

Here’s a rundown on how to get your hardwood flooring ready for spring and how a hardwood floor cleaning company can help.

Let’s jump in!

Dusting Wood Flooring

If you’re trying to rejuvenate your wood floor, the first step you’ll need to take is to dust it.

A vacuum cleaner or a microfiber cloth can help you to remove your floor’s top layer of debris and dust. If you use a vacuum, try to avoid using its beater bar, as this will keep the vacuum cleaner’s brush from damaging your floor.

Before you begin the hardwood floor dusting process, though, you may want to empty the floor of any rugs and furniture. This will allow you to reach each corner with ease. However, avoid dragging furniture across the wood, as this may eventually dull your hardwood finish and can cause scratches or marking on your floors.

Also, if you plan to clean other parts of your home as part of the spring cleaning process, you should save the floor cleaning for last. By performing a top-down cleaning, you can avoid having debris and dust cover your newly cleaned hardwood floor.

Spray-Mopping Flooring

After removing dust from your hardwood floors, you’re ready to spray-mop your floors. Use only a cleaner that is specifically formulated for hardwood flooring.

If you don’t have a spray mop, you can simply add your cleaner to a reliable spray bottle. Then, spray a small section of your floor at one time to keep the excess liquid from covering your floor.

Keep in mind that hardwood flooring, unlike tile, is porous and therefore absorbs and holds moisture easily. So, if you saturate your floor, your cleaner will seep down into it and cause swelling, movement, or warping.

Avoid using a steam mop on your floor, as it can damage the floor’s finish. This will leave your hardwood floor looking cloudy and dull.

After you have applied a hardwood-safe cleaner to your floor, be sure to wash it off lightly with a clean, damp mop. You’ll also want to thoroughly dry any spots that are wet.

Buffing and Recoating Flooring

You can also refresh your hardwood flooring by buffing and applying a fresh coat of commercial polyurethane finish — also known as recoating it. A buffer machine may help you to do this efficiently in a large home. However, we typically do not recommend using a buffer without prior experience. Even for just a handful of rooms whose hardwood floors need to be buffed, it may be best to hire a professional.

With the buffing process, we make sure that your floor is clean. If it isn’t, the rotary part of your buffer machine will end up collecting debris and dirt. This dirt may scuff your hardwood floor rather than buff it.

After you’ve buffed your floor, you’re ready to recoat the hardwood. There are many options when it comes to the sheen, depending on what you’re looking for. A hardwood flooring installer can help you to decide on the best finish for your particular type of hardwood floor.

Sanding and Refinishing Flooring

Still not happy with the look of your freshly buffed and polished floor? Consider sanding and refinishing the hardwood instead.

This process can be quite complex, so it’s best to exhaust the previously mentioned processes first. The great news about sanding and refinishing, though, is that it will make your hardwood floor look completely refreshed.

A professional can evaluate your floor and advise you on whether its top layer is thick enough to sand. If so, they can perform the sanding and refinishing process for you.

Maintaining a Fresh-Looking Wood Flooring

After you have rejuvenated your wood floor, you can take a few preventative floor care steps to maintain the floor’s natural glow and nice sheen.

For starters, try to keep your home’s temperature consistent, as temperature impacts natural wood.

Also, use felt pads for your furniture where possible. For instance, felt pads can go on your couch and table legs.

These will help to prevent floor scuffs, which could cause your floor’s shine to wear away over time. They can likewise prevent dents, scratches, and gouges that can damage your flooring.

You may also set up a mat beside your front door for wiping your shoes. This will protect your hardwood floor by keeping foot traffic from tracking in excess amounts of debris and dirt. Also, try to avoid wearing high-heel shoes on hardwood flooring, as they can cause dents to form in it.

A carpet runner placed in a high-traffic area of your hardwood floor can further help to prevent general wear. Areas that may benefit from runners include the space near the kitchen sink and even beneath the couch.

Also, make sure that you keep a kit for repairing scratches handy. This kit may help you to perform small repairs in between floor buffing sessions.

Regular Hardwood Floor Cleaning Regimen

Try to dry-mop or sweep your hardwood floor each day to get rid of surface debris and dust.

In addition, run your vacuum cleaner over your hardwood floor once a week. Remember to remove its roller brush beforehand so that you don’t scratch the floor.

You should also clean the floor monthly or two times a month using a floor cleaner and damp mop.

Finally, you should plan to have a fresh coat applied to your floors roughly every five years, depending on the wear and tear of your floor. Meanwhile, consider recoating or re-sanding at least once per decade.

Why Hire a Hardwood Floor Cleaning Company to Deep-Clean and Recoat Your Floor?

You may be tempted to tackle your hardwood floor cleaning project on your own, but if you don’t have experience in this area, this job might be best to leave to a professional company.

Just as professional carpet cleaning companies are well-versed in sanitizing carpets, a professional hardwood floor cleaning company can make your wooden floor look pristine again. Specifically, a company that is Bona wood flooring certified, like SVB Wood Floors, will employ the right experts and tools to help your wooden floors to remain beautiful for years to come.

A Bona-certified craftsman will use a non-abrasive system to restore the original beauty and shine of your hardwood floor. This system will have no problem removing tough grime and dirt from your wood floor while still safeguarding your investment. In addition, the company will use Bona-approved equipment to contain dust during the sanding process.

A reputable hardwood floor cleaning company can get your hardwood floor ready for spring, special occasions, or the holidays in a quick, easy, and effective way.

How We Can Help with Wood Floor Restoration

To get your hardwood floors ready for spring, you’ll first want to dust and spray-mop your floors. Afterward, you can apply a fresh finish to the floor or buff and polish the floor. Sanding and refinishing the floor can also help you to revitalize it.

At SVB Wood Floors, your leading hardwood floor cleaning company, we take pride in offering convenient and simple cleaning services. We can easily clean a 500-square-foot area in a single hour — and you’ll never have to move furniture out of the way.