There are some habits which people pick up in the summer months that could cause long-term damage to your home.
Throwing open all the doors can cool, your home – but it might damage it too(Image: Getty)
Warmer weather and the summer season alter how households use their living spaces. With extended daylight hours, residents spend increased time outdoors, which can prove problematic for interior spaces.
Stephen Latham, Managing Director at J2 Flooring said: “You have more people moving between the garden and house, more debris being carried indoors, more sunlight hitting the floor, and more cleaning because everything suddenly looks dusty in bright weather. A lot of the issues homeowners notice later in the year actually start during summer, but people rarely connect those habits with flooring damage.”
Several behaviours emerge during the summer period that can impact flooring and result in lasting harm, with one being straightforward to remedy.
During sweltering summer days, the natural inclination is to open all windows and doors in an attempt to lower indoor temperatures. Nevertheless, this also subjects flooring to significantly elevated levels of UV light, heat, pollen, and outdoor debris.
Stephen said: “One thing many homeowners notice by the end of summer is uneven colouring near doors and windows. Areas exposed to strong sunlight every day can gradually fade differently from covered sections of flooring.”
“During heatwaves, certain floors naturally expand slightly in warmer temperatures. Over time, homeowners can start noticing small lifting edges, movement around joins, or uneven areas becoming more visible.”
With more time spent outdoors and frequent trips between garden and home, floors endure increased traffic. Stephen said: “People move between the garden and kitchen far more during summer than any other time of year.
“The issue is that patio grit, tiny stones, and rough debris trapped underneath shoes repeatedly grind against the same sections of flooring.”
This gradual process can erode protective coatings and leave dull-looking pathways across your floor.
“Once sunlight hits those worn areas, they start reflecting light differently to the rest of the floor, which is why certain pathways suddenly become much more obvious during summer,” he added.
This is precisely why removing footwear before entering the house is crucial to prevent scratching and harming your floors.
Similarly, dried grass and garden debris pose comparable risks.
Stephen explained: “People usually think mud is the main problem for floors, but dry summer debris can actually be more abrasive.
“Grass clippings often carry tiny particles of soil, grit, and dried material underneath shoes. Once that gets repeatedly walked across the same areas, it gradually scratches the protective surface layer of the floor.”
Sun cream presents another unexpected summer hazard for flooring. Stephen said: “Most people would never think SPF could affect their flooring.
“But sunscreen contains oils that transfer very easily from skin onto the floor, especially during hot weather.”
This can leave greasy patches across the ground. He added: “The problem is that those oily areas attract even more dust and dirt afterwards, which is why some floors suddenly start looking permanently marked during summer.”