Hardwood floors add warmth and elegance to any home, but every day habits can cause lasting damage if you’re not careful. From dragging furniture to using harsh cleaners, it doesn’t take long for wear and tear to show.
Even with the best vacuums for hardwood floors, improper care can scratch, dull, or warp your floorboards. Thankfully, a few quick changes can help you avoid expensive repairs and extend the life of your flooring.
We asked cleaning and flooring experts to share the top three mistakes they often see – and what to do instead.
1. Furniture pads and pet nails
Stop scratching your floors – pad furniture legs, and safely trim your pet's nails.
Scratches are one of the most common – and preventable – types of hardwood damage and they can happen when cleaning hardwood floors.
‘Moving furniture without protective pads causes scratches to the flooring,’ says Jessica Gonzalez, COO at Sparkly Maid San Antonio. This doesn't just apply to having a refresh of your room's layout, but also when you're pulling forward furniture to clean overlooked spots.
‘Even outdoor shoes grind grit and dirt into the surface,’ she adds, highlighting the importance of proper care to avoid having to refinish your hardwood floors.
Felt pads are a must for chairs and stools, especially on soft woods like pine or walnut. If your floors are already showing wear, it’s worth learning how to restore hardwood floors without sanding.
Joe Marchionni, owner of Amity Home Maintenance Solutions, also flags pet nails as an issue, ‘If you don’t keep them trimmed, they’ll leave scratches as your dog runs around.’
These felt furniture pads are the perfect solution to protecting your hardwood floors, while making sure they're not too sticky so that you can still move furniture when cleaning or decorating.
2. Harsh cleaners
Avoid using any 'multi-purpose' cleaning solutions, and stick to safe, specialized hardwood floor cleaners.
We've written about the best ways to mop hardwood floors and why you should never steam-clean hardwood floors. But it’s not just moisture that warps hardwood – harsh chemicals can do just as much damage.
‘Multi-surface cleaners often strip the finish, exposing the wood underneath,’ Jessica explains. That finish protects against everything from dirt to water, so keeping it intact is essential.
Jessica recommends Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner at Walmart, and avoiding vinegar solutions, too, ‘Both are unhealthy for wood floors in the long run.’
In a handy spray bottle ready for wiping or gentle mopping, this specialized hardwood floor cleaner from Bona has been recommended to us by professional cleaners to clean – and protect – your wooden floors.
3. Vacuuming
Forgetting to vacuum under rugs – and simply using the wrong vacuum – will scratch your floors without fail.
Vacuuming regularly helps prevent fine dust and debris from acting like sandpaper on hardwood floors – but only if you’re using the right tools.
‘Avoid rotating brushes or beater bars,’ says Paul Hambidge, Managing Director at Factory Direct Flooring, adding, ‘Use a soft brush attachment and hard floor setting.’
We've tested 75 of the best vacuums on hardwood floors, so I can only emphasize how important this is. Don't invest in a vacuum with a bristled brushroll that can't be turned off; otherwise, you'll be scratching your expensive floors every time you clean.
And don’t forget under the rugs. ‘When dirt builds up underneath, walking on the rug grinds it into the wood,’ says Joe. Once you see how much it costs to refinish hardwood floors, you'll be avoiding this at all costs.
If you’re in the market for a better vacuum, the best Dyson vacuums are repeatedly our favorite picks for safe hardwood floor cleaning, but you don't have to break the bank to find the right vacuum:
This is hands-down the most effective vacuum cleaner we've tested for hardwood floors. The soft roller is paired with a green laser that genuinely reveals dust the naked eye can't see, so you'll know if you've missed a spot. And with that signature Dyson suction, you never have to go over the same area twice. I use this vacuum in my own home, and most of my floors are wooden.
Read more in my full Dyson V12 Detect Slim review.
In many ways the Ultenic U16 Flex functions similarly to the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. It also uses a green laser and has a safe brushroll that won't damage the floor. Its suction isn't nearly as powerful, but for hardwood floors that don't require such strong performance, that isn't a dealbreaker.
Read more in my full Ultenic U16 Flex review.
Instead of using a traditional mop that can leave way too much moisture on the floor, investing in a vacuum-mop can clean your floors faster and more effectively. As they suck the dirty moisture away, your floors are dry seconds later and left protected against water damage. The Tineco Floor One S7 Pro left the floors dry the fastest out of all the best vacuum-mops we've tested.
Read more in my full Tineco Floor One S7 Pro review.
While you're at it, check how to fix creaky wood floors and compare carpets vs hardwood flooring for some home renovation inspiration.
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