Winter weather brings lots of fun, including sledding, building snowmen and ice skating. But it can also be tough on your floors. When you return home from one of your adventures, you bring the outdoors with you. Snow and ice can damage flooring when they melt. Kids can tramp dirt and mud into hallways and throughout the house if they forget to take off their boots.
But don’t fret. With a little planning, your floors will still look great. You can protect your floors during the winter by following a few tips.
1. Add Matting to Your Entryways
Moisture-absorbing matting can take the brunt of the ice, snow and water tracked into your house when people enter. Put several mats in the entryway, and encourage guests to wipe their feet when they enter. Wet vacuum the matting regularly to get rid of salt buildup so people don’t track it through the home.
2. Have Visitors Remove Their Shoes
For many people, taking off your shoes when you enter someone’s house is a sign of respect. Shoes do the most damage to the flooring in the winter. By taking them off when you come in the house, you keep the mess in the entryway instead of spreading it all over the rest of the home. Designate a mat for shoes to keep them out of the way. You can even offer guests slippers to exchange for their shoes when they enter for an extra-homey touch.
3. Swap Out Your Daily Cleaner
Ideally, you should clean your floor daily during the winter months. You should also use a winter floor neutralizing solution, especially when ice melt has been used outside and people track it into the house. The winter solution removes ice melt compounds, something a daily neutral cleaner can’t do. But before you clean the floor with a new solution, you should check your warranty to ensure anything you do is within your guarantee.
4. Mop More on the Messy Days
During the summer, you can get away with mopping once a week. But in the winter, conditions demand that you mop more frequently to get rid of debris and buildup. Don’t rope yourself into a set schedule. Instead, inspect your floors daily to see if they need cleaning. Some weeks, you may have to clean daily. If it’s been a while between snows, you may only have to mop a few times a week.
Make sure to wring out the mop after each use. And clean the bucket, too, throwing away the cleaning solution after each use.
5. Coat Your Floors
If you have hardwood flooring, applying a sealant offers protection against all sorts of winter maladies. The sealant fills in small cracks and imperfections, providing fewer spaces for dirt and dust to get stuck in and stay. Look for a sealant that contains anti-slip properties. With all the wet surfaces during the winter, the added traction will be welcome.
Want to install new, more durable flooring this winter? Schedule an in-home appointment with our team to discuss the possibilities.
