Fall brings with it a cool breeze to wash away the hazing heat of summer; what a relief. Unfortunately, the effects of summer are still around, on your walls, roof and even your floor. The peak heat in summer, year in year out, must have had some effect on it, causing wear and tear. It is your duty as a responsible homeowner to make sure that the floor retains its look and doesn’t disrupt the overall aesthetics of your home. These are tips on some things you can do to maintain the floor as summer comes to an end.
Inspection
The first thing you need to do before summer hurries away is to inspect your floor. You have to look for any signs of damage or a permanent stain. The heat of summer tends to damage the floor by causing expansion despite the insulating nature of the floor, and this, combined with foot traffic and the heavy furniture or appliances placed on it, will eventually cause some stress. This stress will eventually manifest as cracked, chipped, or loose tiles or floorboards.
The UV rays in particular have a nasty effect of causing fading, discolouration, and structural damage to the flooring.
Depending on the flooring being used, you can find all sorts of signs of damage. For tiled floors, you can expect to see cracks, chips, and some loose tiles, and for vinyl floors, you will see some peeling and lifting in some areas.
Carry out Regular Maintenance
Once you are done with your inspection, you should ensure you carry out regular maintenance to catch, prevent, and fix such issues. Such maintenance doesn’t involve much, just vacuum and mop the floor once a week to prevent stains from settling there. But remember that the aggressiveness of the cleaning and the type of cleaning agent used are very important. You can’t use a cleaning agent or a rough cloth on hardwood or vinyl floors or as they can cause scratches and peeling, respectively, whilst it’s okay to use harsher chemicals for cleaning tiled floors.
Do Some Deep Cleaning
You can take your cleaning further by doing what is called a deep cleaning once a month. Deep cleaning is a much more thorough cleaning done to remove any layer of dirt or grime that might have accumulated or to get rid of any particularly tough stain. Harsh chemicals are used to wash out tough stains, knives or chisels are used to root out any ball of grime stuck in gaps.
Protect It From Stains
Now that you’ve done some deep cleaning, you can take steps to protect your flooring from stains to reduce your future workload. Not only stains, but also dirt and anything that can scratch or dent the flooring. This can be accomplished by using felt pads, rugs, and doormats.
Do Some Humidity Control
Humidity is a big issue for floors during summer, especially for wooden floors, because too much of it and the floor starts to warp. But if there’s too little, the wood can start to crack. The same can be said for rugs, in which too much humidity will cause their fibers to weaken and encourage mold to grow on them, ruining the appearance.
Trust Joe Gray’s Flooring for Flooring Repairs and Replacements
Your floor maintenance doesn’t have to be a hassle; you can always depend on Joe Gray’s Flooring for the best service. With years of expertise in floor maintenance, we’ll make your floors look brand new. Contact us today at 561-767-6092 to get started!