Courtesy of Lumber Liquidators

Do's and Don'ts of Hardwood Floor Cleaning and Maintenance:

Do - Sweep, dust or vacuum the floor regularly with a soft floor attachment (not the beater bar) to prevent accumulation of dirt or grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish.

Do - Use a dry cloth for spills or damp cloth for sticky spills.

Do - Periodically use Bellawood Floor Care kits or cleaners that are safe for water-based urethane finishes.

Do - Use nonslip rugs or mats at sinks and entranceways (rug pads should be non-solvent based, waffle-type rubber). Quality entry mats help collect the dirt, sand, grit and other substances such as oil, asphalt or driveway sealer that can otherwise be tracked onto your flooring. Do not use petroleum-based, rubber-or foam-backed plastic mats as they may discolor the flooring. To prevent slippage, use an approved nonslip rug underlayment.

Do - Use ice for spots such as candle wax or chewing gum. Harden the spot with it, and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.

Do - Use felt protection on furniture legs, floor protectors and wide-load-bearing leg bases/rollers to minimize indentations and scratches from heavy objects. As a rule, the heavier the object, the wider the floor protector should be.

Do - Use a damp cloth to blot spills and spots as soon as they happen. For tough spots (oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, tar or cigarette marks) use mineral spirits on a clean white cloth, then wipe with a damp cloth. Always avoid allowing liquids to stand on your hardwood floor.

Do - Keep pet nails trimmed to keep them from scratching your flooring.

Do - Periodically rearrange area rugs and furniture to allow the hardwood to age evenly. UV sunlight will soften the tone of different species of hardwood to varying degrees.

Do - Maintain a normal indoor relative humidity level between 35 to 55 percent throughout the year to minimize the natural expansion and contraction of wood.

Don't - Use oil-based, wax, polish or strong ammoniated/abrasive cleaners.

Don't - Use steel wool or scouring powder.

Don't - Wash or wet-mop the hardwood floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delaminating and joint-line separation, plus void the warranty.

Don't - Use any type of buffing machine.

Don't - Use steam cleaners.

Don't - Walk on your hardwood with stiletto-style heels, spiked golf shoes or cleats. They may cause indentations in your flooring.