If you live in an area where winter equals a lot of snow, then one problem you might run into is road or rock salt stains on your hardwood floor. Salt stains are unsightly, leave a residue, and the calcium chloride (salt) crystals can damage a floor.

One of the best ways to deal with salt stains is to prevent them from happening in the first place. Make sure anyone entering your home or business knocks excessive snow and salt off their shoes or boots. Then place coarse, heavy rugs to the entrance of your home and place a second rug inside the doorway. The rugs will help remove smaller particles of the rock salt and sand from people’s boots. If you can help it, don’t be afraid to ask people to remove their boots before walking throughout the home. Even better: If you have a waterproof mat where guests can leave their shoes you can prevent any salt or water from touching your hardwood floors.

 

You should also vacuum your floor frequently. This will pick up any loose sand or salt that has made it onto the floor. When you look at sand and salt at a microscopic level it is in the form of small, rough edged particles. Finished or unfinished hardwood floors can be ruined by the abrasion of these particles being stepped on or dragged across the floor.

 

If you already have salt stains on your hardwood floors there are a few options available to you.

 

First of all, please understand that the old home remedy of mixing water with vinegar is not advisable. It’s never a good idea to expose hardwood floors to excessive moisture. On top of that, vinegar can leave a residue of its own if it is not properly cleaned up. Try a hardwood floor cleaner - do not use any product that has wax in it, you can ruin your wood floor. At Extreme Floor Care we recommend a product called "Squeaky Clean" you can buy this online.

If you have any questions you can call us at 609-272-9173 or visit or website at www.extremefloorcare.com for all kinds of information.