Don’t Let Winter Weather Destroy Your Beautiful Hardwood Floors – Here’s How to Protect Them from Salt and Moisture Damage
Winter brings cozy nights by the fire and beautiful snow-covered landscapes, but it also poses serious threats to your hardwood floors. When ice and snow become a problem, the sand and salt we use to clear the roads can get tracked into your home on shoes and boots—and that can be a problem for your wood floors. The unfortunate reality is that the salt that does a great job melting snow and keeping people safe is really hard on floors. The salt crystals are abrasive and can scratch polished floors and abrade carpet fibers.
Understanding the Damage: Why Salt and Moisture Are Your Floor’s Worst Enemies
These elements can damage your floors in a couple of different ways: The coarse grains can scratch the floor. When we leave salt or sand on the floor, the grains can scratch the wood and/or the finish when people step on them. The salts we use on roads have a natural high pH similar to the chemicals we might use to strip a floor of its finish.
Scratches from salt crystals can deteriorate the finish on your floor, but salt water can also cause the finish to dull and damaged. The salt corrodes and eats away at the finish, leaving the floor vulnerable to other problems. If the finish removal becomes too extensive, it can allow water and moisture to soak into your floors causing further damage.
Over time, this allows moisture to seep into the surface, which can cause discoloration and, even worse, warping or separating of the floorboards. If the floors are hardwood, they can take on moisture which can result in warping or eventually rotting. If moisture is not cleaned up, it can soak into hardwood floors. The hardwood floor may then begin to warp as the moisture saturates the wood.
Prevention: Your First Line of Defense
The best way to keep salt from damaging the floor is never to let it get there in the first place. Have family and visitors remove footwear at the entrances to your home, especially in snowy or icy weather.
Place floor mats at entrances. If removing shoes isn’t your thing, floor mats are the next best thing. They can trap and keep most salt and sand grains before they enter the room. Perhaps the best, and easiest, preventative measure to enact is placing rugs or mats around the entrances to your business. These mats can capture salt from shoes, thereby preventing it from being tracked into your business.
To prevent damage, apply a protective finish or wax before winter begins. This creates a barrier that helps repel moisture and stains. For homeowners in Virginia, professional services like Hardwood Floors Glen Allen, VA can help apply protective coatings and provide expert maintenance to keep your floors looking beautiful throughout the winter months.
Immediate Response: What to Do When Salt Gets Inside
As soon as a spill is made, or moisture rests on your floor, do everything you can to clean it up. The faster you remove the moisture, the less time it has to soak into your hardwood floor.
Sweep or vacuum your floor to remove larger salt crystals. Wet a microfiber mop with lukewarm water. Spray cleaner on the salty floor, or apply directly to the mop. Mop the floor to remove salt residue.
If you see sand or salt particles on the floor, get them up quickly with a vacuum or hand vacuum. (You can also use a broom, but be cautious because broom brushes can also grind the salt into the wood.)
Proper Cleaning Techniques for Salt Stains
Since the chemicals in ice melt or salt breakdown the protection on your wood floors, they will sometimes leave behind a white film or residue after it dries. It’s best to neutralize this alkaline salt residue. You can do this with an acidic chemical.
First, remove the film, with a soft cloth dampened with water. If residue remains after this, you can try one of two things; adding one cup of white vinegar diluted in a gallon of warm water, or a professional floor cleaning product. However, vinegar can actually do more harm than good to the floor. It can strip the finish and leave harmful residue on the flooring.
Long-Term Protection Strategies
Resealing your floors may be a good option if they’re high traffic areas. This could be done annually if needed to vinyl, hardwood, tile and grout, and concrete. Resealing your floors is an excellent way to protect them from things like moisture and salt.
Indoor humidity often drops during winter, which can cause wood and laminate floors to warp or crack. Maintaining an ideal humidity range helps protect your floors. Use a humidifier to stabilize indoor conditions and preserve floor quality.
When to Call the Professionals
You may be wondering if your floors are already damaged by salt or water. If so, here is a list of things to look for that may be caused by winter salt and snow. Signs include scratches and marks, damage to finish, floors drying out, and discoloration and stains.
If you notice extensive damage or want professional protection applied before winter sets in, companies like Buff & Coat Virginia specialize in hardwood floor restoration and refinishing. Located in the heart of Virginia, our team has been dedicated to the art of restoring the natural beauty and luster of hardwood floors for over two decades. At Buff & Coat, we understand that your floors are an essential part of your home’s aesthetic and overall value, so we offer a comprehensive range of services tailored to your specific needs. From expert floor refinishing and restoration to complete floor installations, our highly skilled technicians specialize in revitalizing worn and damaged wood flooring, making it look as good as new.
Alternative De-icing Solutions
Instead of using ice melt products, try using kitty litter! It won’t get rid of the ice, but it will give a surface for your visitors shoes to grip onto. Kitty litter provides a softer texture than salt or ice melt and won’t scratch your floors nearly as easily.
Potassium Chloride: This deicer works best in temperatures above 11°F. It’s less corrosive than traditional salt and has a chemical makeup similar to fertilizers, making it a safer option for the environment.
Conclusion
Protecting your hardwood floors from winter salt and moisture damage requires vigilance, proper prevention techniques, and quick response when problems occur. When cared for properly, a good hardwood floor can last for several generations. But part of proper floor care is knowing what to do with salt and salt stains when winter weather arrives, especially in busy commercial environments.
By implementing these protective measures and working with experienced professionals when needed, you can ensure your beautiful hardwood floors survive the winter and continue to enhance your home’s value and beauty for years to come. Remember, prevention is always more cost-effective than repair, so start protecting your floors before the first snowfall hits.