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Avoiding Water Damage When Cleaning Hard Floors
15May 2014
If you are the lucky owner of a home that has wonderful hard flooring throughout, then you may well be worrying about how to keep them as nice as when they are lain. Whilst cleaning such floors may be straight forward enough, the techniques that you may use can sometimes be detrimental to the look of the materials used in some hard flooring, and this will mean that you can get stains, scratches, warping and other issues over time. Water damage in stone and wood flooring is a serious issue that you need to be sure to avoid, as it can really badly affect the way that your floor looks. No one chooses a floor made from either of these materials for it to get too tired looking too quickly, and this is why you will want to ensure that you are cleaning the floor in a way that does not put the surface at risk of getting stained or damaged by the water that you use.Stone and wood are particularly porous materials, that will soak up water if left to do so. This is a problem in that taking on the extra volume of the water can slowly put wood out of shape, as it gets wet and dries out. Stone will be weakened by the water over a long time, but in reality, this is not the kind of time period that you need to worry about! In terms of water damage of stone, marking is a lot more of an issue, and you will need to be sure of how you treat the material when you are cleaning it. Water damage prevention begins with ensuring that the floor is well treated, and regularly serviced with whatever finish the material needs. Most wood floors will need varnish or oil or some sort, and you will find that you get a great finish from these products, as well as a strong layer of protection against water damage and scratching as well.Basically, the key with water damage prevention is to be careful with how much water you use. It is not an exact science by any means, but it is essential that you are always aware of how much water you are allowing to sit on the surface of the floor itself. Wringing out your mop well before putting it down will help to reduce the excess water that can slosh off of the mop, and sit on the surface. Whilst most washing techniques for hard floors will need water to be involved, you should be sure that your use of it is sparing. Get a decent grease cutting detergent that will dry naturally, and that does not need to be rinsed off, as this means that you won’t need to apply more water to get rid of it. Stone and wood flooring will be much more susceptible to water damage if it is left open to it. Be sure to keep revarnishing the floor when there are any bare patches developing, and get any scratches that penetrate the initial layer attended to, as this will mean that you are not allowing the water in anywhere that it should not be. The discoloration that comes with water damage can last as a serious stain, so be sure to towel up any spillages that may otherwise have been left to dry off on their own. If you notice the floor starting to stain then dry it off immediately, and you should avoid any long lasting damage.


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