A beautiful wooden floor is much appreciated by home owners. It adds both character and value to a home. For those who suffer from allergies, wooden floors are preferred over carpets, due to the fact it is easier to keep them dust free.

But, like anything of value, there is a right and a wrong way to care for it. A well preserved wooden floor can grace a home for 20-30 years. Whereas, one poorly cared for can quickly deteriorate and devaluate. There is a limited amount of times that a wooden floor can be refinished, as each time the floor is sanded down, a layer of the wood is removed. And that doesn’t factor in the expense and, inconvenience the massive project of refinishing wooden floors is! The correct method for cleaning these lovely floors is, luckily, not too complicated, requiring mostly elbow grease.

Dust and other tiny particles are a great enemy to wooden floors. Traffic passing along the floors can cause dust to grind and scratch on the floor. So, the solution to that is to regularly clean the floor with a dust mop. This mop is softer than other disposable or cloth mops, and picks up the particles that may be scratching and ruining your floor. This is not a high tech piece of equipment, but rather the same thing your grandmother would have used to clean her wooden floor. The mop should never be sopping wet. Rather, you should use a flat dust mop that is only slightly damp.

Wooden floors are best cleaned simply with water, or a wood soap. Avoid all other products, as the chemicals wear away at the floor’s finish. Ideally, floors should be swept daily, and mopped weekly. You don’t want to use water on your floor to often. If you can get your dust mop dry enough, you can substitute the dust mop for sweeping. Be sure to use a clean dust mop. You don’t want the particles you removed yesterday to be scratching your floor as you move a long your mop.

Specific stains can be spot cleaned with methods appropriate for the substance. For example, oil spills should be soaked up as quickly as possible, using a clean rag, or paper towels. If a residue remains, freeze the spot with an ice pack and scrape it off gently with a credit card. You can use the same method for crayon marks. Pet stains are best removed with an enzymatic cleaner that is safe for wooden floors.

Be sure to pad the legs of your furniture to avoid scratching your wooden floor. Watch that the shoes used by you and your family members are not leaving marks.

With a little investment of time, and attention to detail, your wooden floor will remain lovely and smooth.