Enjoy Ease of Maintenance with Modern Wood Flooring

March 25, 2019

People love the look of old-fashioned wood floors. In fact, when realtors are selling older homes in the area, they often include something like “original hardwood flooring in Bakersfield, CA” or “California home with old-fashioned hardwood.” What homeowners typically don’t realize, however, is that caring for reclaimed or older hardwood floors can be time consuming and difficult.

Here are just a few of the dos and don’ts that go into caring for an old hardwood floor:

  • Food and liquid spills must be cleaned up promptly
  • Avoid water-based cleaners
  • Floor must be swept with a soft-bristle broom or wiped down with a slightly damp cloth at least once a week
  • Don’t use cleaning machines or steam cleaners
  • Doormats or rugs on both sides of entry/exit doors are highly recommended
  • Don’t use rubber, foam-back or plastic mats
  • Avoid wearing high-heel shoes
  • Avoid exposure to sun
  • Avoid humidity levels of 30 to 50 percent
  • Avoid rapid fluctuations in temperature

As you can see, while we all love the look of hardwood floors, caring for them can be a pain and a major commitment. If you let the care of an older hardwood floor slide, you will end up with the cost of refinishing or replacing the floor, which can run into the thousands of dollars.

Modern hardwood floors

If the thought of the time and care needed to maintain an old-fashioned hardwood floor scares you, rest assured you don’t have to sacrifice style for convenience—you can have them both! Thankfully, modern hardwood floors are finished and sealed in such a manner that they require far less care and caution than older hardwood floors, and maintenance tasks are few and far between:

  • Cleaning: Modern hardwood floors still require routine cleaning, but you don’t have to be quite as careful. Brooms, dust mops and even some vacuums are okay. (If using a vacuum, it’s important to use the bare-floor setting.) You can also use a wider range of cleaners, but you should still stay away from cleaners with harsh chemicals.
  • Spills: Spills are less likely to cause damage to modern hardwood floors, but should still be cleaned up promptly with either a dry or slightly damp cloth.
  • Things to avoid: While effort should be made to avoid damaging hardwood floors, modern hardwood floors are more durable than older floors and don’t scratch as easily, which means you can relax a bit when it comes to protecting the integrity of your floors.

What’s best for you?

If you’re considering hardwood flooring in Bakersfield, CA for your home, be sure to stop in and see our collection at All American Carpet, Inc. We offer a wide variety of styles of hardwood flooring, plus our friendly staff can help you choose the floor that will best meet your needs and give you expert advice on hardwood floor maintenance in Bakersfield, CA.

If you decide that hardwood floors are just not right for your home and your lifestyle, we also offer a huge selection of other flooring options, including tile, vinyl and carpet. To see our selection for yourself, just stop in today!

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