How to Keep Winter Weather From Destroying Your Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors add warmth and beauty to your home. In order to maintain their beauty, they need to be cared for properly. This is especially true during the winter months when the air is dry, and snow and ice begin to make their way inside.  Here are a few winter tips for keeping your hardwood floors fresh and beautiful from the experts at Tom & Peter Flooring !

Gapping Between Boards

You might notice some gaps appearing between your hardwood floor boards, and that they tend to get wider as the weather gets colder. The reason for this is that the humidity in the air is lower, and the moisture within the boards decreases causing the boards to shrink. A great way to keep this from happening is by running a humidifier in your home. You may need anywhere from 3 to 5 pints of water per hour to make up for lost moisture depending on the level of ventilation in your home.

Ice Melt and Salt on Your Wood Floors

Rock salt, or sodium chloride can be extremely abrasive if tracked inside from the outdoors, causing scratches and damage to your wood floor’s finish. Calcium chloride, on the other hand, leaves a slick film that dulls and damages the surface. Nip the problem in the bud and provide mats at every door for guests to wipe their feet on to avoid this Winter worry from harming your hardwoods.There is no doubt that salt on hardwood floors is going to be a problem no matter how it is handled, as salts (sodium chloride salt combinations) are going to leave a nasty, oily film on wood floors as well as a chalky white residue that can cause slips and falls as well as damage to wooden floors, which means that floors need to be maintained in order to prevent both.Removal of salt residue and chemical combinations that have accumulated on wood floors over time can be accomplished by utilizing the right kinds of cleaning solutions that are geared towards neutralizing the salt. You want to save money and spare yourself the expense of hiring a professional, so give the natural cleaning solutions here a try, before going the professional route.

Prevention

If you are asking yourself the question, does salt ruin hardwood floors, the answer is yes, but there are ways to prevent it, which include some suggestions as to how to prevent floor disasters before they start , and how damage control can be managed with hardwood floors. With a few simple steps, preventative measures can save you time, expense and the life of your floor.

1. Don’t allow moisture and salt-containing chemicals to remain on floors for any length of time.
2. Immediately remove any moisture and salt from floors.
3. Keep water absorbent cloths, rags, or towels handy at entryways/ exits of a home.
4. Remove any dried salt granules or other remaining residues with sweepers, mops, or vacuums for fast extraction.
5. If at all possible, don’t use ice melting products at entryways. Instead, use kitty litter. Though it won’t melt ice, it does allow for a safe surface for entry and will hinder floor scratches.
6. Utilize indoor and outdoor mats and scatter rugs to keep from tracking in salt residue from shoes and clothing.

Water and Debris

Your floors are a magnet for dirt and other debris all year long. In the winter, you also have to worry about water from melting snow and ice. Water can make its way into your wood flooring causing warping and other damage to the boards. Additionally, dirt and other debris can cause scratches in the surface, allowing more moisture to enter. Sweep and mop often to eliminate these issues.

Inexpensive Cleaning Solutions

Cleaning solutions need to address canceling out the properties of the salt or neutralizing it, and most regular cleaning products will not do that. An acidic type of cleaner is the answer. Here are a few natural and inexpensive cleaning solutions that will help to remove salt.

• Use 1 cup of white vinegar to approximately 3 gallons of warm water. Take a slightly damp cloth and rub the floor area in a circling manner and quickly buff it dry. It is best to try this process in a small area first before proceeding to larger spaces.
• To make a more powerful cleaner for heavy residue accumulation, add 2 Tablespoons of De-greasing type dish soap to 1 cup vinegar to approximately 3 gallons of warm water.
• Before cleaning, particularly if doing it by hand, gather the necessary tools like rubber gloves, floor brushes, scrubbers and soft-headed mops (microfiber) and clothes to help you complete the job.
• When applying either one of the vinegar solutions to wood floors, allow the solution to remain for about 10-15 minutes. Depending on the depth of the residue, use the mop for lighter cleaning and the brushes and scrubbers for deeper cleansing. Once clean, remove any excess moisture from the floor with a clean towel or cloth.

Pets and Children

Your kids and pets love to play outside in the snow, but, all that snow may end up melting on your lovely wood floors when they come in. If possible, allow your dog back inside through either the garage or the laundry room, and if you don’t have that option, have towels ready to wipe off their paws when they return. As for the children, remind them to shake off any excess snow and remove their coats, snow pants, scarves, mittens and boots outside, or in a designated area with protection for the floor, and remember to quickly wipe up any puddles they do create to avoid damage.

Holiday Decorating

Many people love the look, feel and smell of a live Christmas tree during the holiday season. However, be very careful when adding water, and make sure to clean up any spills to avoid staining and other damage.

Use a tree skirt made of a soft fabric, such as cotton or velvet and avoid those with a rubber backing as these have chemicals, which if left on your wood floors for an extended time, can alter the appearance of your wood floors. Finally, clean up fallen pine needles so they don’t get tracked around the house under guests shoes, which may cause scratches. They may be small scratches, but overall they have the ability to dull the appearance of your wood floors.

Is the finish on your hardwood floor fading?

Tom & Peter Flooring can give your wood floors a facelift in just two days! Just in time for the holidays!

Contact us and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free, no obligation consultation.