How to Care for Wood Flooring

Dust wood floors often to remove dirt, which can cause scratches. Most modern wood floors are coated with a hard, plastic-like urethane coating. These floors can be damp-mopped with a few drops of dish detergent in a bucket of water or a commercial wood floor cleaner. Older “waxed” wood floors have a more natural finish and should not be mopped with anything other than an almost-dry mop moistened with a small amount of plain water.

Remove stains from urethane-coated wood floors by rubbing with a soft cloth dipped in mineral spirits, or use a spot cleaner purchased from a flooring retailer.

Urethane-coated floors should not be waxed, as waxing can interfere with later refinishing. Buff urethane-coated floors with a commercial power buffer (available for rent from major rental centers or home supply stores) once or twice a year to maintain the shine. Apply fresh wax to waxed floors once or twice per year. To wax floors, apply paste wax, allow to dry, and buff to a shine.

Natural hardwood floors can be refinished to restore them to brand-new condition. Urethane-coated floors must be professionally refinished, as the urethane coating must be stripped off and replaced. Waxed wood floors can be refurbished by stripping the wax, sanding with a power sander, applying varnish, and waxing. Unless you have experience refinishing wood floors, leave this job to a professional.