How to Clean Salt Off Wood Floors
Proper wood floor care following a harsh Kansas City winter is imperative in order to protect the floors in your home. When hardwood floors and tile surfaces are exposed to ice, water, and salt, the damage can be devastating. Even with preventative measures such as floor-mats in use, a lot of ice and dirt mixed with salt gets tracked in, gets embedded into cracks and seams, eroding and scarring the finish on your hardwood floors, tile surfaces, and it can completely destroy laminate surfaces.
The best wood floor care is to clean off the road salt as soon as possible. Typical household cleaning products and vacuuming can help to reduce the buildup of salt and debris that can cause damage. The chemicals in ice-melt products and salts often leaving a filmy residue after it dries. This alkaline salt residue can be neutralized with an acidic chemical. You can try removing the film yourself with a soft cloth slightly dampened with water. If the residue remains after the floor is dry, try using a solution of one cup of white vinegar diluted in a gallon of warm water. You can also try using a professional floor cleaning product. Buff the floor dry immediately using a lightly dampened cloth. If the residue remains, you will need professional wood floor care services.
Your best defense in wood floor care is prevention, so instead of using salt and other commercial ice melt products, try using kitty litter. It won’t necessarily melt the ice, but it has a softer texture than salt or ice melt products and it doesn’t scratch wood floors as easily. The use of rubber-backed floor mats can also help prevent damage.
With the daily demands of work and family, most people don’t have time to clean their floors as regularly as they should and need help from a professional wood floor care service. Instead of letting salt dry and crust over, staining your floors, protect your home by reaching out to a qualified and experienced professional wood floor care service. Armstrong-Citywide is a leading professional wood floor care service in Kansas City. With the heavy toll that winter can take on your floors, we can help protect the value and beauty of your home.
Armstrong-Citywide, Inc., 4011 E. 138th St., Grandview, MO 64030. 816-765-7777