The new floors are installed and the renovation is nearing the finish line. Next comes an important part of any renovation: learning how to keep your freshly renovated floors looking guest-worthy for good!

They may not be the first thing people notice when they visit, but floors are arguably the unsung heroes of any home. They have a big impact on your home’s value, help you keep the house safe and are a critical part of any design aesthetic. When you factor in how hard floors work in a home (especially with kids and paws in the picture), floors are one area of the house well worth putting effort into maintaining.

But how do you ensure your freshly renovated floors stay looking great and performing strongly? Well, the good news is that maintaining modern flooring doesn’t need to take a lot of time or money. In this article, we lift the lid on some of the most convenient, economical and convenient ways to do it.

Make rugs and mats your new besties

So much more than decor items, rugs and mats trap dirt, moisture and debris before they reach your beautiful floors.

We highly recommend using mats at every doorway, both inside and out. And for inside the home, consider investing in rugs for any high-traffic areas like hallways, thoroughfares and busy living rooms.

Not only will your new rugs protect your floors, but they’ll bring style, warmth and extra insulation to your renovated home. Win-win!

Reach for your broom more

It might sound obvious to mention the importance of sweeping and vacuuming renovated floors, but how often do you actually do it?

Time flies in busy households and all the while, dirt particles build up – and up! The more grit and grime on your floors, the more prone they are to scratching, so make it a habit to reach for your broom or vacuum cleaner regularly between mops.

Act FAST when it comes to spills!

Spills happen – sometimes multiple times daily! But moving fast is the answer to preventing any long-term damage to your renovated floors.

The best technique is to blot and then mop. This involves jumping quickly on that spill with a clean cloth to absorb excess, because you don’t want your floors absorbing it! Then, with the moisture removed, do a more thorough clean with your mop or cleaning cloth afterwards.

A speedy response to spills is key to keeping floors ship-shape for years into the future.

Keep the humidity in check

It’s easy to forget the effect humidity has on floors, but it’s a major culprit when it comes to floorboard damage. In times of high humidity, wood can swell and warp; in low humidity, shrinking and cracking are possible.

The aim is to keep the humidity in the house temperate and stable. For this reason, reliable heating and cooling systems are a great idea, but portable devices are also available if the budget doesn’t stretch that far.

Use gentle cleaning products

It’s time to stop blindly buying floor cleaners. Many of them are packed with harmful chemicals that are not only bad for your health but also harsh on your house.

Vileda PACS Floor Cleaning Tablets take the guesswork out of choosing a safe floor cleaner. It’s safe to use around kids and pets and it delivers a truly powerful clean on any surface, including hardwood and luxury floor tiles.

In fact, our team used PACS to clean the luxury tiles and hybrid flooring in the Making HOME Renovation series – and yes, this tough tablet stacks up! The secret lies in using plant-based enzymes, which once dissolved in water, blast through dirt and grime like nobody’s business.

Conveniently pre-portioned and ready to drop into your favourite mop bucket, PACS are the answer to shiny, streak-free floors, free from ammonia, bleach and parabens.

Stock up on furniture pads

Small but oh-so-mightly, furniture pads are essential for maintaining renovated floors.

Widely available in a range of sizes and typically made using felt with an adhesive back, furniture pads protect table, sofa and chair legs from scratching (or even destroying!) your beloved new floors. So go ahead and stock up!

Make your entry floor-friendly

A lot of dirt and debris comes into your house through your main entry and it’s a big culprit when it comes to floor scratches.

Consider installing door seals to help block fine particles from blowing inside. Also, if you have the space, think about creating a shoe storage unit at your main entrance to encourage everyone to remove their shoes before walking mud, grit and grime through the house. Runners and mats are also a fantastic idea for capturing all the grit your shoes like to hang on to.

Ultimately, whether you have hardwood, laminate hybrid or tiled floors, maintaining them is relatively simple. Regular cleaning with gentle products like Vileda PACS tablets combined with some of the low-cost preventative measures mentioned above will keep your renovated floors beautiful for years, regardless of all that foot traffic!

WOM Network is working with Vileda Ansell to bring you this article. For decades Vileda Ansell has been helping homes sparkle thanks to its innovative and reliable products. The company has always aimed to make household cleaning as easy and efficient as possible.

This post first appeared on Making HOME.