One of the biggest enemies of a hardwood floor is moisture. If such a floor stays wet for a long period of time and moisture soaks in between the floorboards, you’ll end up with a really messed up floor that will cost you a great deal to restore back into good shape.
A moist hardwood floor will in most cases start cupping and this will, in turn, result in the floorboards warping. Mildew and mold may also grow under the boards. The end result may be you having to completely replace the entire floor which is something you hadn’t planned for. To help you avoid all this mess, here are 5 tips to drying hardwood floors:
Be Extra Fast When Drying The Surface
When you spill water on your hardwood floor, make every effort to dry the water as fast as possible, otherwise, the water will penetrate through the wood and settle in between the floorboards. Cleaning it up quickly is highly advised and as you do so, the floor’s polyurethane coating will help in eliminating the moisture.
Take Off A Floorboard
The water on the hardwood floor needs to have an exit point for it to dry off. If the subfloor under the hardwood floor has been soaked with moisture, drying it will be impossible if there is no exit point for it to evaporate.
A solution to this will be to either remove a few baseboard trimmings on the edges of the room to gain access to the subfloor and give the moisture an avenue to evaporate or alternatively you can remove a few planks from the hardwood floor then use a dehumidifier and a fan to accelerate the drying process.
Use A Dehumidifier And A Fan
For water to properly evaporate from a hardwood floor, it needs to be exposed to dry air. The drier the air is, the faster the process of evaporation will be. Using a dehumidifier will help dry the air in the room which will facilitate a fast evaporation process. Moving the air around the room using a fan will make the drying process even faster.
Make Use Of Desiccants for Drying Hardwood Floors
Desiccants can be termed as materials that serve to pull moisture off from the atmosphere surrounding your hardwood floor. They are used to keep surfaces and other packed materials dry. They will come in handy in helping you eliminate moisture from your hardwood floor. You can hire a desiccant dehumidifier to do the job.
Open The Doors And Windows
If the air outside the room with the hardwood floor is drier than the one inside, opening the room’s doors and windows can help a great deal with air circulation which will facilitate the drying process.
If the weather is sunny, it will be less humid outside than it is inside the room and this will be a good time to keep the windows and doors open. You’ll, however, have to keep them closed at night because of the high humidity outside.
Conclusion
If this tips to drying hardwood floors seems too overwhelming for you, you can seek professional help. You can consult with Water Damage Restoration Headquarters who will be more than willing to help you.
