Road salt is nothing to worry about for flooring
Snow and ice have been causing many problems throughout the winter months but home owners can be rest assured that the salt put down on the roads is unlikely to damage flooring.
The grit, which is used to prevent roads from becoming unsafe during icy conditions, can cause unsightly residue on floors when it is walked in to a room.
Fortunately although these marks can look messy they are not difficult to remove and shouldn’t leave any permanent damage to the floor.
Steve Davis, from Modern Flooring America, said: “I haven’t found it to be a troublesome problem. I don’t think the salts impact much other than visually.”
Although the salt should not cause long-term problems it is important to note that excess water will damage real wood flooring, causing it to expand.
In order to protect floors from the smears which can appear it makes sense to place rugs at the entrance to a room so that most of the excess water and dirt will be absorbed here.
That should insure only minimal mess is carried on to the floor itself and therefore limits the amount of salt which then comes in to contact with the flooring.
