How weather affects carpets

The humidity and temperature changes of the variance of seasons can affect the flooring of your home that provides a set foundation for your rugs and carpets. In basic language, heat and humidity affects porous laminate and hardwood flooring, causing it to expand. During cold weather, laminate and hardwood flooring can contract.

If the humidity inside your home goes over 60 percent, you might be allowing moisture to make it’s way inside the wood, causing it to swell and expand. This expansion creates additional pressure inside and between the boards of wood, causing them to warp, cup, or lift. This is true for both solid and machine engineered hardwood floors that are subject to any sort of head or humidity.

When temperatures start to fall, these hardwood and laminate floors start to contract due to a depletion of moisture in the air. This causes the swelling experienced during warm seasons to lessen, and a reduction in any sort of distortions like cupping or warping. But just as the weather begins to heat up again, these structural changes will reappear.

What can you do to prevent laminate and hardwood floors from warping, cracking, or cupping? Here’s a few quick tips:

• Ensure that your floors are installed correctly, and kept pristinely clean. Don’t use too much moisture to clean materials – rather, just use damp cloth and minimal amounts of cleaning products.

• Never mop hardwood with water, since not only does the water add too much moisture, but it can speed up the rapidity of the wood’s deterioration.

• Don’t clean laminate or hardwood flooring too regularly with water based products.

• Always be aware of the level of humidity inside your home. If the humidity inside your home exceeds 60 percent, and you’re wary of any warping or cupping in the wood – try getting an air conditioner or a dehumidifier to help lessen the level of moisture.