Disability–Friendly Flooring – Care & Maintenance

The flooring type that will most benefit you depends entirely on your disability. For example, a person who uses crutches may prefer the comfort of carpet, while a hard floor surface is better for wheelchair users.

No matter what flooring type you choose, it can be difficult to maintain if you have an illness or injury that affects your mobility. While carpet is a great comfort for aching joints, its surface tends to require more attention than hard–floor surfaces. Before you decide on the floor that's right for you, take your daily needs into consideration.

Rubber Flooring

Rubber flooring is a good choice for many consumers as it offers a durable and easy–to–clean surface. It's also naturally hypoallergenic, meaning that the surface resists allergens such as dust, mites, pet dander and pollen. The less dirt your floor collects and holds on to, the less cleaning you'll have to do!

One of the only drawbacks of rubber flooring is that it can be permanently damaged if exposed to strong cleaners, scouring pads, hot water or solvent–based (instead of water based) products. You want to make sure that you use a mild soap or all–purpose cleaning solution and test it out on a small section of floor before mopping.

Rubber flooring can also collect wax build–up and scuff marks. Wax build–up can be easily removed with a wax stripper or cleaner. Scuffs and smudges are best taken care of with liquid floor wax and steel wool.

Linoleum Flooring

Linoleum is an eco–friendly, hypoallergenic floor made from all–natural materials. It is generally scratch– and stain–resistant, which means less maintenance on your end. In fact, the materials in linoleum harden more the longer they are exposed to air, making the floor more durable over time.

Maintain linoleum floors with cleaning products recommended by the manufacturer. Note that some acidic floor cleaners can be harmful to linoleum. Standing water can also cause floor damage, so wipe up excess water when mopping and clean up spills immediately.

Cork Flooring

Cork is a great alternative to carpet as it doesn't hold on to dirt and allergens (such as dust, mites and pet dander), and provides a somewhat cushioned surface. These features make cork easier to care for; the surface requires only a light sweeping every now and then. Also, the dense properties of cork allow it to minimize sound transmission and protect against temperature changes. With cork floors, you can enjoy a surface that is relatively warm underfoot year round.

Since cork is made from bark, it can be sensitive to liquid and standing water. Spills should be wiped up as quickly as possible to avoid floor damage. Protect potentially wet areas (kitchen, bathrooms) by putting down rugs and runners.

Robot Vacuums are Disability Friendly

If you have hard–surface flooring in your home, you may want to think about buying a robot vacuum. Robot vacuums use infrared transmitters to move around your surface areas with ease. They can either be set in advance to do certain areas on their own, or can be controlled by means of a remote control. With a robot vacuum, the only thing you need to worry about is disposing of the dust bin debris between cleaning cycles.