A hardwood floor immediately amplifies the beauty of a single-family rental home. On top of that, it also increases its lifespan. But if your rental property has hardwood floors, there are things that you have to add to your routine to make sure they stay in good shape. Regular maintenance is one of the additional things you’ll have to do. Some tenants don’t show care about hardwood, scratching and gouging floors either by accident or through negligence. Because of this, it is very important that both you and your tenant know how to maintain your property’s hardwood floors and know how to take care of it properly.
Proper hardwood floor maintenance is very effective in keeping your Windermere rental property functional and aesthetically pleasing. And this is the reason why it is necessary to know the right way to care for a hardwood floor. For example, surface finishes have been applied to most hardwood floors to protect the wood from liquid spills, scratches, and other types of damage. That means that keeping this finish intact is a simple way to prevent damage and ensure the long life of your floor.
Hardwood can also be damaged by using harsh cleaning products or the wrong cleaning technique. This is something that should not be overlooked. This is why experts suggesting using a soft microfiber mop or cloth to sweep dirt and dust off the floor. Even vacuum cleaners can scratch up a hardwood floor, and regular mops are just as bad since they use too much water— which isn’t also good for a hardwood floor. Now, when it comes to liquid spills, they should be cleaned up right away and you need to make sure that the floor is thoroughly dry.
As a property owner, there is a lot you can do, but by and large, the best way to keep your rental property’s hardwood flooring looking good is to work with your tenants. One of the first things you should do is to teach your tenants about proper hardwood floor maintenance and cleaning. When you assist them so that they will learn how to clean the floor, you can extend the life and beauty of the hardwood and prevent damage at the same time.
Another way to preserve your property’s hardwood floor is to encourage your tenants to place rugs in high-traffic areas. This will gather up all the dirt that would otherwise have got on the floor, and it would effectively reduce the amount of cleaning needed. Finally, it would be a great help if you let your tenant use the right cleaning products by telling them the name of the one recommended for use on your floor, or even go as far as requiring that they only use the approved cleaning products listed in your lease. This can help augment the importance of proper hardwood floor maintenance.
Even with the best care, however, hardwood floors still need some additional attention every few years or between tenants. In time, wear and tear can fade a floor’s finish and accumulate scratches or other blemishes. But if that’s all you’ve got, you probably wouldn’t need to completely refinish the floor. In most instances, all a faded hardwood floor needs is a screening (which roughens up the surface of the existing finish) and a new application of a finish.
Nevertheless, if your hardwood has become seriously damaged, warped, or has deep scratches or other problems, repairing and refinishing the floor may be your only option. Refinishing a floor is a long, labor-intensive task that requires specialized equipment. Now, you can do it yourself, but many Windermere property owners feel that hiring a professional is well worth the cost. A flooring contractor can tell you what specific flooring you have and what process you should do to restore it. Different kinds of wood require different techniques and engineered or wood laminate simply won’t tolerate heavy refinishing as solid hardwood does. In such instances, any restoration work is best left to a professional.
Taking care of hardwood floors doesn’t have to be difficult; if you take the time to do some extra planning and enlist the help of your tenant, it would be a lot easier. The trick is to maintain good tenant relations because a good relationship with your tenants makes them more likely to help you keep your valuable hardwood floor in the best possible condition.
Take the headache and hassle out of managing your rental properties. At Real Property Management South Orlando, we handle the lease paperwork, renter relations, professional vendors and everything else! If you want to talk to a professional Windermere property manager today, don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us at 407-982-2000.
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