Picture the floor of your dreams. Good. Now ask yourself why you chose that dream floor. Is the 2 inch purple shag carpeting for your feet or your eyes? Oh you were picturing a wood floor? That beautiful hardwood floor can be yours. It doesn’t have to stay a dream.

There are a few ways to improve your existing floor that you might not know about yet. A few of these are just simple things you can do to make your floor last longer, others are a bit more in depth for the true floor fanatics out there.

First of all, you’re going to want to clean up any spills immediately. If you leave something for too long, it may cause damage to your dream floor. And not just cosmetic, we’re talking serious structural damage if the spill is acidic enough! Next, you’re going to want to be vacuuming, dust mopping, or sweeping your floor at least once a week. This will ensure that a minimal amount of dirt and grime gets ground into the cracks. Thirdly, it is advisable to set out doormats for yourself and guests to wipe off shoes before treading on the floor of your dreams. This will make the sweeping, dust mopping, or vacuuming much easier.

So there you have three tips on what you should be doing to keep your floor dreamy. What about things you shouldn’t do? Glad you asked. Don’t use acrylic finishes, wax based products, ammonia based cleaners, bleach, polishes, detergents, or acidic materials, like vinegar. Yes, that’s quite a lot of things not to use on your floor, but it’s important if you don’t want to damage the gorgeous finish of your dream floor. Also, one should take care to never wear high heels on the floor.

If you haven’t already done so, you’re going to want to destroy any heavy furniture that rests on small metal tips. Burning is probably the most effective way to do this, but make sure you take it outside first! Burning a couch indoors can be hazardous to your health, not to mention it’ll ruin the floor of your dreams. In fact, heat is one of the major damaging factors in floor quality these days.

If you want to keep your floor safe from direct sunlight, curtains are a wise investment. Lastly, assuming you have any, be sure to keep your pet’s nails trimmed. If all of this seems too much to remember, another option is simply buying a rug to really tie the room together.