How to Rejuvenate Your Hardwood Floors for the New Year

2022 is here! As the new year comes in you may have the urge to finally finish the home projects on your list. While you’re pinning new furniture, wall art, and ways to work from home more comfortably don’t forget about you’re home’s largest feature. The floors! The everyday wear and tear combined with the holiday traffic can leave them looking dull and a little unloved. No worries, new year, new hardwoods. Refresh your hardwood floors and get them looking beautiful again with these tips. 

Clean from top to bottom

Before applying anything to your hardwood floors, they need a thorough clean.

However, dust from living and cleaning your home can easily find its way to your fresh floors. The solution? Clean your rooms from top to bottom starting with that unsightly ceiling fan.  

Once that job is completed, go over your floors with a vacuum and dry mop. This will help grab any hard-to-sweep debris that can cause your floors to look dull when sealed. Be careful not to use an aggressive brush setting for your vacuum to prevent damaging the floors. 

Follow up dry mopping with a slightly damp spray mop like the WOCA Spray Mop. It comes with a washable cloth microfiber pad for maximum care and sustainability.  It gently cleanses all types of flooring while dispersing the precisely right amount of cleaning solution.  

You want to avoid steam mops and DIY solutions like vinegar as they can cause unnecessary damage to your floors. Instead, try combining a spray mop with an Oil Refreshing Soap that cleans while it protects. 

Add a fresh coat of polish

 Sometimes dull, dry looking floors just need a fresh coat of polish to get back to their former glory. The type of polish you use will depend on personal preference and the type of finish on your wood flooring. Products like Maintenance Oil Diamond Active protects from scrapes and scuffs while restoring oil-treated wood. It also helps with resistance to liquids and stains from beverages like coffee, wine, and tea.

After thoroughly cleaning your floors with WOCA Intensive Wood Cleaner, use a white 3m pad to polish in the oil and a polishing cloth to wipe off Maintenance Oil Diamond Active into the hardwood. For best results use a floor buffer. Leave windows slightly ajar to speed drying time. During drying time you want to avoid exposing your floors to any liquids over a 72 hour period. This will give the oil a chance to harden without compromising the finished product.

Ramp up the protection

A New year also means new goals. You may be taking on a new exercise regimen, home decor project, or just spending more time with your family. No matter the resolution, help your hardwood floors maintain their vibrance through all your seasons of change. That starts with a few simple practices like these:

•  Ask your guests to remove their shoes
• Avoid letting rolling chairs or bar carts scrape across the floor
• Place furniture pads on the underside of your furniture and chair legs
• Use a wool rug pad to keep the rough underside of area rugs from scratching floors
• Move furniture around periodically to prevent concentrated UV damage from large windows
• Clean up spills and pet accidents immediately using a cleaner that protects from liquid penetration like  WOCA Natural Soap Hardwood Floor Cleaner

These small changes ensure that your floors remain a beautiful feature of your home for years to come. 

Signs your floor needs refinishing

Sometimes a polish is all you need to rejuvenate your hardwood floors but when is it time for a full refinish?

 A clear sign your floors need refinishing is if you have major dents and gouges in your wood. Polishes are made to fill in little scrapes and dings because they are superficial and usually don’t penetrate the wood. Dents, gouges, and splinters are all a sign that the wood has been damaged and can only be repaired by sanding. 

 Another sign is water damage. Water damage can discolor wood, making it gray or black, and can even cause the wood to bow out of shape. Now, all wood floors expand and contract depending on the season, but water damage causes a noticeable effect called cupping. If you feel like your wood floors are beyond a simple refresh, it’s time to call in the professionals. 

Damaged and scratched floors make beautiful rooms appear dated despite decor transformations. The new year is the perfect time to give your home a refresh and welcome in new possibilities. Keep them looking beautiful by keeping your cleaning schedule on autopilot. Under our WOCA Subscription Service, we’ll send you specialized wood cleaner for your floors on your preferred schedule. All our products are made with environmentally friendly ingredients and are low or no VOCs.