How To Care For Your Hardwood Floors During The Summer Months

Don’t let high temperatures & sunlight affect your hardwood floors this summer – here’s how to keep them looking like new!

The following is a guest  blog post by Tim Rasmussen of Mohawk Flooring

Every year, we look forward to the warm summer months. July and August bring trips to the beach, mountain hikes, sudden storms, and days spent by the pool. We take care to protect our skin from the summer heat, but you might be surprised how high temperatures and sunlight are affecting your hardwood floors, too.

Your Mohawk hardwood planks are highly durable, but it’s still important to care and protect them with regular maintenance. Make sure summer is kind to your beautiful home with these smart, simple tips for protecting your hardwood floors during summer.

The Doormat Difference
Remember during the winter season, when you made sure that everyone wiped their shoes on the doormat so no snow, ice, or dirt got tracked inside? Those doormats will come in handy during the summertime as well. (Bonus points if your doormat is a DIY project!) If you are on the coast or coming back from the beach, be extra careful about tracking sand into your home. Those sand particles can have a sandpaper effect on your hardwood floors.

Mohawk Hardwood with ArmorMax Finish is engineered to withstand scratching and stains with a 50-year warranty to give you the ultimate peace of mind. Combine ArmorMax hardwood with strategically placed doormats at every entrance, and you can nip those scratches before they ever occur.
        Design Tip: A Mohawk SmartStrand Forever Clean cut and bound rug can serve as the high-performing doormat, as well as the perfect style accessory for adding a pop of summer color to your existing home design!

Shade over Sunlight
When we forget to apply ample sunscreen during the summer months, we feel the burn. Those same UV rays are no friend to our pristine hardwood floors. Discoloration is the last thing we want for our Brazilian cherry or mahogany planks, but that’s exactly what can happen from direct sunlight. Wood floors will also age faster from overexposure. Hardwood floors love the shade just like we do, so make sure to use curtains and blinds in these rooms.
        Design Tip: Add curtains or drapery with vibrant colors and patterns to keep rooms feeling summery and lively, even when keeping the sun out.

The Right Way to Clean
It’s not summer without backyard cookouts, BBQs, and block parties. Hosting means cleaning, and some people have the misconception that the right way to clean hardwood floors includes polish and wax. In reality, vacuuming with a floor attachment is the best way to care for your hardwood. You actually want to avoid using wax, oil-based cleaners, and acidic floor cleaners. For an extra clean finish and removing food stains, use an all-natural, organic, hardwood-specific cleaner like Mohawk Floorcare Essentials.

Keep Humidity at Bay
Here’s a summer tip for hardwood floors that you may have never considered: use a dehumidifier. Nobody enjoys the high humidity levels during the summer, and that includes our hardwood surfaces. A dehumidifier will vastly decrease the possibility of your planks warping or cracking. The benefits far outweigh the cost, and you can continue using the humidifier function during the cold winter months.

Use these summer tips to enjoy a worry-free summer while maintaining the beauty of your home’s hardwood flooring. Remember to give your hardwood flooring the care it deserves. If you do, your wood floors will serve your home dutifully and beautifully for years to come.

Christian Montiel

Christian is the Senior Manager of Brand Media for Coldwell Banker Real Estate. In this role, he oversees social media for the brand as well as media planning for all national advertising campaigns. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, building LEGO sets and binging TV's latest hits. He currently resides in Miami, FL.