Though we are in the height of fall, winter is right around the corner. With winter comes slush, snow, wet clothes, and road salt. As tempting as it is to run from the sidewalk to your entryway to avoid the cold, bringing the winter inside with you can spell disaster for your hardwood floors. Winter and wood have a tumultuous relationship and this year will be no different. The Hardwood Perfect Flooring team wants to help you prepare for those hard to deal with stains and ensure that your floors are ready to take on whatever the cold months have to throw at them.
Floor Mats are Your Friend
Welcome mats are a staple for the home, but you may have not considered placing floor mats at other high-traffic areas in your home. Placing floor mats inside the front door, the garage door, and the door to your backyard will be a positive preventive measure. Walking over a floor mat when entering the house covered in snow and slush will be a good reminder for anyone bringing the outdoors back inside with them to remove their shoes and avoid tracking water and grime across your hardwood floors.
Please Remove Your Shoes
Going hand in hand with installing floor mats, removing your shoes is a key to preserving the health of your hardwood floors. It might be troublesome to take the five minutes to unlace your snow boots after a romp through a blizzard, but doing so will keep your floors healthy. It is far more cost effective to replace a floor mat or two than it is to replace your hardwood, so don’t worry about continually bogging down your floor mats with multiple pairs of shoes.
Clean, Clean, Clean
No matter the steps you take to keep the outside mess off your flooring, you are still likely to deal with a mess at some point. Cleaning your hardwood quickly following a stain or dirt tracking will help to prevent long-term damage. Choosing the right cleaning supplies and techniques is crucial, however, because using the wrong items can do just as much harm as the very thing you are trying to clean up. For example, do not use a soaking wet mop if you elect to clean your floors using that method. Rather, dampen the mop to prevent water build-up within and underneath your hardwood while still getting the clean you need. Avoiding all-purpose, harsh cleaners is also crucial so as to ensure the integrity of your flooring and preventing losing the finish while still getting a proper clean.
Maintain a Consistent Temperature
Humidity is helpful in maintaining your hardwood floor’s health in the cold months. Though it can be tempting to continually adjust your central heating system to maintain a comfortable house, the climate change can be detrimental to your hardwood. Ebb and flow in factors like heat and humidity can cause expansion, contraction, and bowing in your floor panels, leading to gaps that collect dirt and debris. Your floors will thank you for leaving the thermostat relatively stable.
From winter to summer, Hardwood Perfect Flooring is here to aid you with any and all of your hardwood needs. If you have questions or have a project for us to help with, give our team a call today (908)232-6600 and see why we are the hardwood floor experts in New York City.