Painting Advice and Premium Products from Experienced Professionals.
The key to lasting beauty of your wood flooring investment is proper maintenance for the life of your floor.
We understand that the proper maintenance and care of your newly finished wood floor is an important part of your investment, and it is our commitment to floor excellence that has helped us create a premium maintenance system, specially formulated to preserve the look of your newly finished wood floor.
Our maintenance system technology comes from our long-standing involvement in wood floor finishing industry. We have been continuing to uphold the natural beauty of wood floors for over 70 years, and we have specially formulated Polycare maintenance products to maintain the natural beauty of your wood floor.
The following are some excellent guidelines for maintaining your wood floor.
General cleaning of your wood floor is recommended once every 1-2 weeks. Floors subjected to heavy traffic should be cleaned on a more frequent basis.
Polycare Hardwood Floor Cleaning System
Vacuum, Dust Mop, or Sweep
Prior to using the Polycare Hardwood Floor Cleaning System always dust mop, vacuum or sweep your wood floor with a soft bristle broom. It is recommended to do this daily, or as often as necessary, to remove grit and dust from the surface of your floor. Walking on a dusty or dirty floor is the fastest way to damage your finish.
For easy, maintenance of your wood floor, we recommend the Polycare Mop Kit. Everything you need to get you started for effective wood floor cleaning is in this kit.
• Polycare mop head with a 52” mop pole
• Polycare machine washable and reversible terry cloth mop cover
• Polycare Ready-to-Use Spray is formulated to clean all types of wood finished floors, and factory pre-finished wood floors. Unlike all-purpose cleaners, Polycare will not dull your finished floor or leave any oily residue.
Spray
Lightly spray your floor or directly mist the Polycare Terry Cloth Mop Cover with Polycare Ready-to-Use Spray to effectively clean sections of your floor one 10’x10’ area at a time.
Wipe
After you have sprayed the floors surface use a back and forth motion with your Polycare Mop or clean, soft cloth. Finish one 10’x10’ area before moving onto the next. The Polycare Mop is perfect for effortlessly moving across your wood floor, its size and shape is just right for hard to reach places around your home.
When your mop cover becomes soiled, just remove it from the mop and toss it in the washing machine. Your Polycare Terry Cloth Mop Cover is 100% pure terry cloth cotton that is reversible and machine washable for repeated use. Simply wash and dry them as you would any toweling. After 5-6 washes you may need to replace your cloth with a new one.
Here are some other tips to keeping your wood floor in great condition:
Place walk off mats (carpet runners) at all exterior entrances. This will capture much of the harmful dirt before it even reaches the hardwood floor. Shake out, wash or vacuum mats and area rugs frequently.
Floor protector pads of soft felt or similar material should be placed on the bottoms of the legs of the furniture. Floor protectors must be kept clean of grit and periodically replaced.
Keep high heels in good repairs. An unprotected tip will dent any hardwood floor.
For more information about Polycare maintenance products, see our Polycare Product List for product information.
Urethane Finishes Routine Cleaning
Use the finish manufacturer's or the prefinished floor manufacturer's recommended cleaning system. If the manufacturer is not known or has no recommendation, use a cleaner that will not leave a residue that would inhibit bonding and recoating. NEVER wax a urethane finish. Do not generally wet a wood floor with water. When using any wood floor cleaner which requires mixing with water, follow mixing directions precisely. A cloth wetted with water and squeezed dry may be used to wipe up food spills and other spills, provided the area is buffed dry immediately. Heel or scuff marks and stubborn stains may be removed by lightly rubbing with a cloth and a wood floor cleaner.
Other maintenance tips for urethane finished floors:
Most finish manufacturers DO NOT suggest wet mopping
Never use household DUST TREATMENTS
Always use Polycare recommended cleaning products to keep your floor looking beautiful
NEVER use wax
Wipe spills immediately with soft lightly damp cloth, following up with Polycare Ready to Use Spray and a dry soft cloth.
Never use petroleum-based floor cleaners for water based finishes
For stubborn stains use floor cleaner on a soft cloth directly on stain, wiping with the grain. When the floor loses its shine/luster, it's time to recoat. Screening (light sanding is required) applying a compatible finish of the desired luster shine level you prefer. High gloss will show wear area faster, as satin tends to give a waxed look.
Long-term Maintenance
Recoating Surface finishes - Urethane finishes eventually will show wear patterns from surface scratching. When high traffic areas begin to look dull it is time to recoat or restore the finish. Always follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Screening (light sanding) and recoating with same finish every 12-18 months will help maintain your wood floor for years to come. Make sure no oil soaps, and other "contaminates" have been used on the floor, intentionally or otherwise. This can create an adhesion problem for the new finish, causing peeling and flaking. If unknown, always inform the wood floor contractor, as this improper maintenance can cause finish failure, making for serious concerns as to the end results, and who is responsible.
Wax Finishes
Routine Cleaning:
Use the finish manufacturer's or the prefinished floor manufacturer's recommended cleaning system. Never use a water based cleaner on a wax floor. Once dirt and dust have been removed, buffing may restore the luster. Apply additional wax only in heavy traffic areas, if needed. Caution do not over wax. An application of a solvent-based cleaning product will remove dirt and allow the floor to be buffed clean. Spills must be wiped up immediately with a lightly water dampened cloth and then hand buffed dry.
To remove white spots caused by water spills, use fine steel wool (#000) and a small amount of mineral spirits; rub gently in a circular motion until spot is gone. Then apply additional wax to the area and buff.
Long-term Maintenance:
Wax floors that have been neglected may be restored by deep cleaning. An application of a renovating system with fine steel wool, proper dry times and a complete re-waxing will clean and reseal the wood as well as restore color and luster.
Note: Once wax, in any form, has been applied to a wood floor, only wax may be used as a coating over the floor. Urethane and other surface finished cannot be applied over an existing wax finish.
Acrylic Impregnated Floors- Non-Urethane Coated
Routine Cleaning- For general cleaning always follow the manufacturer's recommendations and use their floor care products. Long-term Maintenance - An acrylic impregnated floor that has been neglected or improperly cleaned may need restoration. Stripping, sanding or screening the floor may be required, always contact the floor manufacturer for complete instructions.
Acrylic Impregnated Floors-Urethane Coated
Routine Cleaning - Some acrylic impregnated floors are coated with urethanes. For general cleaning of these types of floors, follow the manufacturer's recommendations and cleaning procedures for surface finishes. Many manufacturers using a special cleaning solution made for today's urethanes.
