Winter is just around the corner. Prepare your home and protect your flooring from salt, snow, and other wintertime debris with these tips.
How to Get Floors Ready for Winter
Dedicate a Mud Room
Dedicating an area where people can enter and exit after a day outside is ideal. But if you don’t have this space at home, you can easily place mats down by the doors to ensure some moisture and debris is kicked off before anyone steps on the floors. Also, consider a “no shoes inside” rule throughout the winter. Wet boots, snowsuits, sleds, and more will drip onto your floors. Whether you have residential carpeting, hardwood, or vinyl, moisture is never good for your type of flooring. By avoiding it altogether, you have less cleaning to do and fewer repairs to make over time.
In a business, it’s essential to keep commercial flooring dry, free from salt, and other hazards. Pay extra close attention to warehouse floors, garages, and all entrances so that your employees remain safe and you are up-to-code. Placing “wet floor” signs at these essential locations may help mitigate the risk of falling and other injuries. If your budget allows, hire a cleaner to keep an eye on floors throughout the snowy or icy season to keep flooring safe and clean.
Clean More Often
Instead of one deep clean every week or bi-weekly, consider sweeping, mopping, and or vacuuming in shorter timeframes throughout the week. Before the salt and debris have time to settle, clean it up so that there isn’t any long-term damage.
Removing any hazard as soon as possible is always ideal for your flooring. And though you’re cleaning more often, there won’t be any deep-set messes or repairs due to the maintenance cleanings throughout the week.
If you have a lot of carpet, vacuuming twice a week will do the trick. If you have hardwood floors, keeping them dry with a microfiber cloth or mop is the best way to go. Talk with your flooring professional for more information on how to clean your exact type of flooring.
Line Up Spring Cleaning
When the snow and ice melts, you’ll want to ensure your flooring doesn’t sit all spring and summer with remnants of salt and debris. This will slowly break down the fibers in carpet, can warp hardwoods, and cause mold and mildew in any flooring. Whether you’re concerned about your home or business, removing these allergens and hazards as soon as possible is key to a productive and healthy environment.
For carpet, hiring a carpet shampooing company is an efficient and effective way to start your floors fresh each spring or summer. A deep clean will remove the salt and debris buildup so that your floors are clean and last their full intended lifecycle.
For hardwood flooring, a microfiber cloth is perfect for picking up moisture. For maintenance cleaning, a dust mop will do the trick. These non-abrasive methods protect your flooring without adding unnecessary and damaging chemicals.
For other flooring types, like laminate floors, ensure you sweep, vacuum, and mop every corner of the space. Using a non-ammonia cleaner to tackle grout will effectively remove hazards without stripping your floors. A small vacuum is another productive way to remove dirt fast and can fit in many areas.
Restore Floors After the Winter
If your floors are showing their age and it’s time to replace them altogether, call the professionals at Ozburn-Hessey. If you’re in the Nashville, TN, area, we can help design your space with the perfect flooring options. From oak hardwood flooring to vinyl to residential carpeting, we have what you need to offer safe and beautiful flooring. Contact us today to learn more!
