What Happens to the Hardwood Floors If I Steam-Clean the Carpets?

Question

I'm buying a house in Columbus, GA to use as a student rental, but the first student in it will be my college-age son.  We don't want to put a ton of money in right away on cosmetic stuff, so rather than pull up the serviceable but dirty carpet for replacement, or refinishing the hardwoods, we're hoping to just give the carpets a good machine cleaning.  The Fine Young Man has experience with the rental machines (he's helped a friend with his rentals), so it's an opportunity for him to jump in right away and get some 'skin in the game' with this new house.

The question is -- what happens to the original hardwood floors under the carpet?  Will they be damaged by the water and/or the heat involved?  The plan is to do a full refinish at some point, so if whatever we do won't do serious damage (beyond having to refinish the floors) then we're good.

If you've done this, please share how it went. Thanks.

Anna Watkins · Answer

@Gail Kaitschuck, @Matt Clark, Josh C. -- Thanks.  We will probably give it a try. For sure the hardwoods will have to be refinished at some point.  Let's hope we can push it to later instead of causing it to be right away!

Anna Watkins · Answer

Thanks Account Closed for the experience and info.  I'll have to do some more investigating after we close on the house, as I'm pretty sure that it's the original wood flooring (from the mid-1960s), but I don't know what condition it's all in.

The carpet's either got to be cleaned or removed, and I totally want to do this on a shoestring. We're talking about college boys as tenants, including my own  :-)  Would a novice (my 20-year-old carpet-cleaning experienced son) be able to operate a buffer (I know a sander can be tricky)?

Account Closed · Answer

@Anna Watkins If they are the original hardwood floors most likely the finish that was on them has worn down enough that the hardwood itself maybe easily damaged by the amount of water from the steam cleaner. In any case, liquid and hardwood does not mix if the liquid is given time to penetrate the wood. Cleaning/wetting the carpet that is sitting on the wood can cause the boards to ripple or if enough water penetrates, buckle. If the unit is a rental and you don't want to spend the money to refinish the floors, sometimes you can get away with a buff and coat, depending on if any other contaminants have been sitting on the finish, such as floors being previously waxed or furniture polish that has remained on the floor when the previous owners were cleaning their furniture. My recommendation would be to have a hardwood flooring contractor give you an estimate to see if the cost fits your budget.

If the flooring underneath is laminate, you might as well call it a day if you decide to steam clean your carpet. Laminate flooring is like a sponge and will easily absorb water at its seems.

The finish on most engineered flooring is extremely durable and really protects the wood itself. That being said, if the carpet is not properly steamed with minimal water left behind, the potential for damaging them is still likely.

If you have any other questions, please let me know. My family has been in the hardwood flooring business for more than 30 years. I myself have worked with them for over 15 years.

In my experience with renting carpet cleaners is they usually leak. Some of them leak a lot so be careful.

Anna Watkins · Answer

@David Ward - thanks!  There's a lot I don't know for sure, since we haven't closed and it's hard to go double-check every time I have a new question.  Your info will be helpful in deciding our plan of attack.

David Ward · Answer

@Anna Watkins  If you are going to steam clean them yourself there is the possibility of them getting oversaturated or leaking down to the wood. I would strongly recommend having a professional carpet cleaner do it to make sure it doesn't get oversaturated. Stanely Steemer does great work if there is one in your area. If you do plan on doing it yourself then I recommend buying the machine (I had a great Bissell pro-heat carpet cleaner that worked great). Be sure to follow the directions on diluting the cleaning formula and go over it without spraying the water 2 times after you've sprayed once. Carpets should not be wet after 24 hours. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation (fans, AC).

Anna Watkins · Answer

@Patrick Squires - You're right about the standards level, but son is the one who suggested the carpet cleaning, since he's done it before.

This whole house thing is step one in "teaching the kid to fish" but he's not ready to captain his own boat for swordfish just yet -- it's Adult .75 (you don't get to Adult 1.0 til you're paying your own bills).  And pretty much it IS my house -- son's benefit is experience, growing a great credit history, and getting off the school meal plan.  Oh, and any actual cash profits (beyond living for free) will go toward his tuition bill, so smaller student loans.

I think he and his buddies will be having a cleaning party in July, after closing and end of the current tenant residency.  The terrifying spectre of Mom as landlord will help keep things in line (and what I never find out about is probably best for all of us).

Anybody out there who's run a student rental with their own college kid as resident manager, I'd seriously like to talk details.

Thanks to everybody for the advice shared!

Matt Clark · Answer

@Anna Watkins the wood floors will be fine.  Steam cleaning the carpet does not generate enough moisture for long enough duration to cause any lasting harm to the flooring underneath.  Almost all carpet has wood underneath, be it plywood, OSB, or hardwoods.

Gail K. · Answer

Likely absolutely nothing is going to happen if you steam clean a carpet that has hardwood floors underneath.

Gail