Finished hardwood and laminate are the among the simplest types of flooring to care for. In most cases just a quick sweep and you are done. The occasional wipe with a damp cloth or mop will renew the luster of new wood. You can use a vacuum only if you can disengage the "beater bar" or it does not have one. A Vacuum will cut the time emensley.

My wife was vacuuming our master the other day, and was blown away at the amount of dust that had collected. I told her "guess what would be in the carpet, if we had decided to put it in here. Her disgust was enough for me for the labor of putting the hardwood in.

A neat idea that I heard and was skeptical when I heard, but it really works. If you have a "squeaky spot in your hardwood. Sprinkle some talcum (baby) powder in the cracks and work it in as much as possible. Sweep up the excess (do not vacuum) and use as normal. The talcum powder will work in the cracks and the squeaks will stop. It is truly amazing. Just give it a try. it is very cheap and will do nothing but help.

Mr. Lesslie is the president of http://www.greathomeimprovements.com and a consultant for Department of Energy's Building America Division for the last 6 years. He is responsible for all the content and marketing for http://www.greathomeimprovements.com - Great Home Improvements Start Here!