Summer Floor Care: Keep Your Floors Looking Their Best
Summer is great for vacations, backyard barbeques, and time spent outdoors. However, it can be the toughest season for your flooring. Wet feet, sand, increased humidity, and prolonged sunlight can all shorten the life of flooring. Thankfully, some simple maintenance habits can manage these factors. Summer floor care can be done with ease, and we explained how, so you do not have to look anywhere else!
Managing Moisture
Your home’s floors become exposed to more water in the summertime from pool days, sprinklers, and overall higher humidity levels. Humidity and water affect hardwood, laminate, and vinyl differently. Regardless of your flooring type, the best defense against water damage is to clean up spills immediately and maintain indoor humidity levels with a dehumidifier or central air. Protect hardwood floors by keeping your home’s temperature consistent. This reduces the risk of expansion and contraction in wood or laminate flooring. Resilient flooring is commonly waterproof or water-resistant. Knowing the difference and which one your flooring can be important, but treating all spills or moisture the same for both floor types can save time and money.
Steering Clear of Summer Traffic
During the warmer months, floor surfaces encounter more sandals and bare feet, commonly from poolside traffic or gardening. Over time, tiny particles of sand, dirt, and gravel will erode the wear layer of flooring. To avoid carrying dirt and water inside, place entry mats at each door, sweep hard surfaces daily, and switch to a microfiber dust mop to trap debris without scratching the floor’s finish. Inspect entry mats regularly by vacuuming or shaking them out; a dirty mat cannot effectively protect your floors. Removing shoes and wiping or drying feet with a towel before going indoors is a foolproof method for keeping dirt and moisture from touching the flooring.
Slow Down Sunlight Damage
UV exposure is one of summer’s most neglected flooring threats. Prolonged UV exposure can fade hardwood, discolor vinyl, and accelerate the aging of flooring adhesives. Protect indoor flooring by shutting curtains or blinds when the sun is shining inside the windows, installing UV-blocking window film, and rearranging rugs and furniture every so often to stop uneven flooring discoloration. Some flooring materials are UV-stable and will not be impacted by the rays; these include porcelain, ceramic, natural stone, and concrete.
Each year, summer brings sunshine, outdoor activities, and extra traffic throughout your home, but it does not have to take a toll on your floors. By utilizing the proper warm-weather flooring care shared above, you can prevent floor damage and extend the life of your home’s floors. Enjoy the warm weather each year and your floors for years to come!