What are soft spots in a mobile home floor and how big of a problem are they?
Have you ever walked into a mobile home and felt the floor sag a little?
Have you been in a mobile home and looked through the window to see the light hit the floor and noticed there’s a bit of a ripple effect?
Or, worse yet, have you ever been like me and walked into the doorway of a mobile home only for the floor to feel like it was falling out from under you and you would immediately jump off to save yourself!?
No? Well, for your sanity I sure hope you haven’t had that experience!
What are soft spots in a mobile home, and really are they that big of a problem?
The term soft spot is used in the mobile home industry which describes when a portion of the floor gets wet and begins to give way ever so slightly. If not treated correctly when the soft spot is initially noticed this could lead to an even bigger soft spot, which eventually leads to a hole in the floor!
Soft spots can be created from a spill of water over time.
Many times this happens through a toilet running over, a bathtub constantly being overfilled, maybe a dishwasher or sink that leaks on a regular basis, or many times when a pipe under the actual home bursts and begins to spray water on the subfloor.
The owner doesn’t know that is even happening!
Water is one of the main issues that a mobile home faces that will hurt the structure of the home, and it is of utmost importance that all mobile homeowners keep on top of their floors if they ever sense that there is a soft spot beginning.
Make sure if you leave the home for a few months or even just travel for a couple of weeks that you go to the back of the mobile home and turn off the water from the main valve in order to help protect you from possible pipes bursting while you’re out.
This is not a foolproof fix for pipes breaking, but it is something certainly to be on the offensive in order to help protect your home from soft spots when the pipes may or may not burst.
We’ll continue to discuss soft spots in later blog posts in the coming weeks, as this is a common concern that many mobile home buyers and sellers come to us on a regular basis asking.
The good news is that soft spots are not a big deal, especially if handled correctly right from the start.
5 things you should know about cleaning a laminate mobile home flooring.
Since mobile homes have laminate flooring, soft spots happen when water stays on the floor for a long period of time without cleaning or removing the liquid from the surface. So we prepared a simple but quick guide on how to properly clean your mobile home’s laminate flooring.
- The brush and vacuum are vital
Every day floors receive large amounts of dust, dirt, and liquid spills. There are a number of materials to be removed from the floor surface. If you feel that something’s wrong on the floor, a broom or a vacuum could help remove the undesired foreign materials on the floor.
For sale mobile home in Florida
- Hot water
Unlike others, the hot water is doing well on the laminated floor, but not boiling. Why? Because hot water is the best liquid cleaner that exists!
Moisten your mop with hot water and pass it from one end to another end removing all specks of dirt and even oily spilled liquids. Do this to cover the entire area and until the mop water remains clear.
It is important that it is wet, not soaked as laminate floors are not resistant to a large amount of water.
Do this at least once a week to keep your floor nice and clean.
- For strong stains, use some vinegar
Vinegar is another agent to use when the stain cannot be removed by hot water alone. Use a microfiber sponge with hot water and vinegar and rub the stain until it is gone. If the stain is not removed, it could hold water that could eventually damage the laminate.
- The best soap is baby shampoo
If you want to use a detergent, the best is baby shampoo.
Because laminated floors are delicate, therefore, the best thing to use is a shampoo that is not abrasive.
Dilute a couple of shampoo droplets in 4 liters of hot water. Remove to form bubbles, then moisten your mop in the water and rub it on the floor. Repeat the process until the mop is clean.
- Nail polish can be a great option to remove other dried stains.
Nail polish is designed to remove dirt and stains without damaging even the most delicate things – human skin.
There are stains that are left for days and turned into solid and cannot be removed by vinegar or shampoo. This is when you need nail polish. Apply nail polish on both the stain and microfiber cloth and rub it on the stain until it is removed.
Proper maintenance and regular floor cleaning is the best way to prevent soft spots on mobile home flooring.
The Mobile Home Dealer are licensed mobile home brokers in Sarasota Florida and the surrounding areas. We provide professional buy and/or sell assistance to our clients. If you have any questions, please contact us by clicking this link. You may also visit our Facebook Page and send us a message.
This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer. We help mobile home buyers and sellers get to a better place in life.
See Also:
Recent Comments