– Wipe up excess water immediately with a clean, dry towel because standing water will damage the floor.

– Only use vacuum cleaners that have a setting for hard-surfaces. Turn off the beater bars/brush on vacuum cleaner when present. Optionally, it may be better to use a micro-fiber cloth or pad to sweep away dust and debris.

– Do not wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water will result in cracks, splits, cupping, warping, degradation of the finish, and leave a discoloring residue. When mopping the floor, it’s important to never over-saturate the floor.

– Do not use steam cleaners on wood floors. Water in a vapor form will penetrate the wood fibers and cause irreversible damage to the wood flooring and the finish.

– Periodically your floor will need a deeper clean. When doing so, be sure to use a product that is intended for hardwood floors. Not all products are specially formulated for hardwood floors. We recommend Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner.

– Use breathable throw rugs both inside and outside the doorways to help prevent grit, salt, chemicals, sand, moisture and other debris from being tracked onto wood floors. This will minimize scratching and premature wear. Do not use non-breathable floor coverings or floor protectors on wood floors.

– For wood flooring in the kitchen, place a breathable area rug in front of the kitchen sink and stove.

– Rugs should be shaken out, cleaned and thoroughly dried when they get wet.

– In general, rugs should not be placed on a newly finished wood floor for a minimum of seven days after the final coat of finish has been applied.

– Take special precautions with special non-skid pads that are frequently placed under area rugs. Some of these pads may imprint their pattern onto the finish and/or wood floor. (Natural fibers may not transfer as much as some synthetic pads.)

(Courtesy of the “Wood Flooring Sand and Finish Guidelines”; published by the National Wood Flooring Association, 2016)