Turn On A Humidifier This Winter, And Your Wooden Floors Will Thank You

Wooden floors are the pride of many homeowners. This long-lasting flooring option can easily transform any space by bringing a touch of timeless elegance. Plus, it can even boost your home's value. Still, wooden floors are a serious investment, as the average cost to install them can exceed $4,000. If you've parted with a good amount of money to grace your home with this stunning flooring option, it's only natural that you'd want to protect that investment. But sometimes, caring for wooden floors involves more than just proper cleaning and occasional resealing. Wooden floors also need optimal humidity levels to stay in prime shape. Regulating the humidity in your home in the winter is essential for keeping your floors in top condition, and using a humidifier is the best way to accomplish that.

As winter rolls around, the air in your home can start getting dry. Wooden floors are sensitive to this kind of environmental change, and they may start shrinking in response. As a result, you could be faced with cracks and gaps wreaking havoc on your floors. Popping your humidifier on is a simple way to stop this unwanted scenario and keep your wood flooring looking like new ... as long as you do it right.

While a humidifier goes a long way to protect your floors from the effects of dry air, it's important not to go overboard either. The ideal humidity levels for wooden floors should be between 30% and 50%. Exceeding this range could come with a unique set of consequences for your home, as high levels of humidity can cause your floors to swell, cup, and even grow mold. To prevent humidity from destroying your hardwood floor while still keeping them safe from dry air, tracking the humidity levels in your home and adjusting accordingly is a good strategy. Complete your humidifier setup with a hygrometer to monitor the level of humidity, and switch your humidifier off if it exceeds 50%.

Another important element of proper humidifier use is its placement. If you're running your humidifier while it's sitting directly on your wooden floor, you could be damaging your hardwood floors without even noticing. Your humidifier could drip on your floor or emit excess moisture, which can seep into the wood and cause it to warp. To avoid this possibility, lay down protective mats under your humidifier if it's on the floor, or place it a couple of feet away from the floor on a surface that's not made of wood.