The summer months bring longer days and warmer weather, but they also present unique dangers for your hardwood floors. To protect your investment in those shiny planks, follow these 5 helpful tips.
1. Create a Foot-Washing Station
If your kids (or your spouse) love to play outside without any shoes, ask them to wipe their feet before they return to the house. Dirt, dust, and other contaminants are easily tracked inside on the soles of feet, and they can damage your floors.
When you know your family members are barefoot outdoors:
2. Fill Coolers on the Counter
Before you head to the beach or to a state park, think twice about where you prepare your cooler. Placing it on the floor and dumping ice inside is a recipe for disaster, as cubes can fall onto the floor and cause water damage.
A better option is to fill your cooler on the kitchen counter—or, for extra safety, outdoors. Keep an eye out for stray cubes that might still fall and make sure to wipe up any spills immediately. Protect your floors from other water hazards by:
3. Close the Blinds and Drapes
UV light isn't just a sunburn waiting to happen during the summertime. It's also dangerous to hardwood floors, which might fade or discolor over time if exposed to the sun for too many hours every day.
Enjoy the natural light whenever you are home, but shut the curtains and blinds before you leave. Other methods to protect your floors from sun damage include:
4. Invest in a Water Bowl Mat and Vacuum Cleaner
Just like your other family members, Fido and Fluffy get thirsty during the summertime. To protect your hardwood flooring, set their water bowls on rubber or plastic mats to prevent drips and drool from sitting on the wood.
You might also see more shedding from your pets in the summer than during the rest of the year. Dander can drift between hardwood planks where it is more difficult to reach, so vacuum more frequently to pull up those fibers. When vacuuming, protect your floors by:
5. Lay Down Rugs
One way to protect your hardwood floors from the activity of summer is to spread rugs over them until fall arrives. Rugs protect your floors by:
Place rugs at all entry points to your home so visitors can wipe their feet before entering. This will also catch the inevitable drips when your family returns home from a visit to the beach or the neighborhood pool.
Summertime can be dangerous for your floors, but only if you don't care for them properly. If your floors have been damaged, meet with an expert hardwood flooring dealer to discuss your options for repairs or replacements. Check out sites like http://www.nationalcarpetmilloutlet.com for more information.
Share15 October 2014