- Protect your newly refinished floors by adding heavy-duty felt pads to the bottoms of chairs and any other furniture that slides across the floor. Use rubber casters under couches and heavier objects.
- Refinished oak hardwood floors should be dust-mopped every day. Use any type of soft pad or rag to do this. Sweep on a regular basis as well. Sweeping picks up bigger pieces that dust mops leave behind. Little things, like popcorn kernels or any crunchy crumbs, can leave scratches in the finish if stepped on. Do not use any wood furniture polish on your floors. Furniture polish makes the floors slippery and thus dangerous.
- Mop as often as your house needs. Use plain hot water and a soft mop. You can add a touch of vinegar to the water if desired. When using chemicals, use only cleaners that are specifically safe for refinished wood floors. Many chemicals will leave a residue and, over time, a sticky buildup, which is hard to remove. Do not leave the floor soaking wet. Pools of water will damage the floor, and water damage is difficult to repair.
- Vacuum the floors well before moving anything to make sure there is nothing to gouge the floors, but rearrange the furniture as little as possible. Every time you move something heavy, you risk damaging the floors. To move heavy objects, use a rolling cart, sliding casters or a soft blanket underneath the object. Place mats or rugs right in front of the doors to collect debris from outside and prevent it from coming into the house.
- Ask guests to take off their shoes upon entering your house. Women's high heels are especially bad for hardwood floors. The spikes from the heels leave dents in the wood, causing the finish to chip off. Sneakers can also be a problem. Soles of rubber shoes leave scuff marks on the floors. Buff out any scuff marks with a soft, damp cloth using a scuff mark cleaner.
