General Wooden Floor Hacks

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Wooden Floors last for decades, but even the most robust materials can be scratched or damaged. A few tricks can make all the difference.

  • Put cork coasters under chairs and table legs to prevent scratching of wooden floors. Attach with blu-tack.
  • Use a rug under a larger items, such as pianos.
  • For temporary items on a wooden floor, cover the legs with old socks.
  • When raw wood is dented it can often be fixed with a wet cloth and a hot iron. This does not work on vanished or oiled floors as it discolours the finish.
  • Clean floors with tea. Boil several teabags in some water, and mop the floor when the tea water is sufficiently cool.
  • Microfiber cloths and mops are useful for spills. Keep one of these handy for the wooden floor.
  • Some inks and pen marks can be removed with toothpaste or hand sanitiser. Run with a warm, damp cloth.
  • Magic erasers (melamine) will remove many floor marks.
  • If a floorboard creaks try using talcum powder between the boards.
  • Steam and grease from kitchen cooking get into the air and spreads around the house. An extractor fan above the stove makes a considerable difference, as does closing off doors.
  • Walnuts contain an oil than can cover some scratch marks, depending on the type of wood. Try rubbing the nut on the scratch. Pecan may work too.
  • If you can find a crayon that matches the floor colour you can use this to fill in some scratches.
  • Apparently, mayonnaise causes some wood to swell. It can be used to fill in small cracks, though it takes a few days to take effect.

These ideas are not recommended for artificial floors.