Hardwood floors are one of the easiest types of flooring to keep clean. Properly maintained hardwood floors have been known to last for hundreds of years with minimal maintenance, as you may know if you’re fortunate enough to own an older home with original hardwood floors. Clean, well maintained hardwood floors throughout your home can make your house look beautiful and spacious and will add value to your property as well.

The best way to clean hardwood floors is with a damp mop or cloth. First use a soft broom or lightweight vacuum cleaner to make sure you’ve removed all surface dust, dirt, and grit from the floor. Your hardwood floor must be properly sealed before you do any mopping; proper sealing involves several coats of polyurethane. If your floor has worn areas, do not use water, as it can penetrate the wood and cause warping. It’s always a good idea to dry it afterward. If you don’t have the original floor care instructions, you may need to get expert help or advice.

Does your hardwood floor have stains? Try removing them with a very fine steel wool. If that doesn’t work, you may need to sand down the area before refinishing.

You can help your hardwood floors stay clean by asking family members and visitors to remove their shoes to limit the amount of dirt tracked in and the number of heel marks.

Once you have your hardwood floors clean, you can keep them new-looking longer and easier to maintain by applying an industrial strength floor restorer. A floor restorer will bring back that “new floor” look and protect it from future stains and heel marks. Pro Shot® Floor Restorer has been used successfully on everything from a 130-year-old home’s hardwood floors to commercial vinyl floor. It fills scratches and protects your floor from stains and spills.

The best way to clean hardwood floors is usually just with some water and “elbow grease.” The best way to keep your hardwood floors clean is to apply Pro Shot® Floor Restorer. One application will last months and months, and your hardwood floors—whether old or new—will stay looking new.