Seasonal Closing and Opening Floor Maintenance Calendar for Holiday Homes in Alanya

In short: Many holiday homes and villas in Alanya stay closed for part of the year.

The months a home stays closed are not as quiet for floors as you might think: moisture, dust, salt, rugs left in place and neglected terraces can cause surprises when the house is reopened. In this article, we explain what needs to be done for your floors when closing and reopening a holiday home.

Why Do You Need a Plan?

In a holiday home, floor problems either build up during the busy season or quietly grow during the months it stays closed; a plan lets you deal with both periods together.

• Wear from the season: Heavy use throughout the season, sand carried in on feet and splashing pool water wear down the floor; the shine fades, and scratches and limescale marks build up.
• A closed house with no airing: A closed house is not aired; moisture builds up inside, and mold and a lasting odor can develop in the joints and under furniture.
• Exterior stones going into winter unmaintained: If terrace and garden stones go into the winter rains unmaintained, the drains clog, and open joints and algae make the damage worse throughout the winter.
• Problems noticed at the last minute: On opening day, when guests or tenants are about to arrive, there is often not enough time left to deal with the problems that are discovered.

End of Season: Closing Checklist

Interior

A few tasks done indoors before closing the house prevent moisture, stains and leaks from damaging the floor during the closed months.

• Deep cleaning: Remove sand, dust and the dirt that has built up over the season; dirt left in the entrance, kitchen and bathroom especially is harder to remove if it waits for months.
• Check for stains: Coffee, wine, oil and sunscreen stains can become permanent the longer the house stays closed; deal with them before closing.
• Rugs: Lift the rugs and roll them up, or at least make sure the area underneath is dry; moisture trapped under a rug in a closed house can leave marks.
• Furniture: Check the felt pads on the legs and replace any that are missing; when furniture is moved on opening, legs without felt will scratch the surface of the stone.
• Bathrooms: Dry the area around the shower and sinks; clean any beginnings of mold in the joints, otherwise it spreads quickly in a closed, humid environment.
• Plumbing: Turn off the main valve; a small leak can damage the floor unnoticed for months, and water seeping under the tiles causes stains and loosening.

Exterior

The terrace, balcony and pool surroundings should go into winter clean, with open drains and no items that hold water on them.

• Terrace and balcony: Sweep away leaves and soil, open the drains, and remove pots and saucers that would cause water to pool; this way the winter rains can drain freely.
• Pool surroundings: Wash the pool edge stones with fresh water; the limescale and salt residue built up over the season is reduced, and the stone surface does not sit with this residue for months.
• Furniture: Put away the outdoor furniture; if water and moisture get trapped underneath, mold, rust and dark stains form on the stone.
• Plant pots: Pots should stand on feet or a stand, not directly on the stone; the underside of a pot sitting directly on stone always stays wet and leaves marks.

The Ideal Time for Maintenance Before Closing

The best time for work such as honing, polishing, joint renewal and impregnation is the weeks right after the season ends. Because the house is empty, the work can be done comfortably, there is plenty of time for the impregnation to cure, and the floor is ready when you open. In October and November, the weather in Alanya is still warm and dry, so outdoor work is also easily completed. Work left until before the season falls in the busy April-May period, and finding an appointment can become difficult.

Closed Period

Even when the house is closed, short checks carried out from time to time let you catch moisture and water-related problems before they grow.

• Monthly airing: If possible, air the house once a month; the humid air that has built up inside is let out, and the likelihood of mold and odor is reduced.
• Water leak and moisture check: Check for water leaks and moisture; movement on the meter, or wetness at the base of walls or on the floor, gives you a chance to act early.
• Checking terrace drains: Check the terrace drains after storms and heavy rain; a drain clogged with leaves can let water collect on the terrace and carry it inside over the door threshold.

It helps to arrange for a neighbor, the building management or a home maintenance service to take care of these tasks.

Before the Season: Opening Checklist

Interior

• Airing: Open the house and air it for a few hours; the stale, humid air is let out, and it is easier to tell whether there is moisture in the floor.
• Odor and moisture: Look for a mold smell, stains at the base of walls and signs of moisture on the floor; these indicate a leak or condensation during the closed period.
• Dust: Remove dust with a dry mop, then do a damp clean with a pH-neutral product; if dry cleaning is not done first, dust and sand will scratch the surface when wiped with a wet cloth.
• Rugs: If the floor is dry and clean, lay the rugs back down; a rug laid on a damp or dusty floor can cause stains and scratches underneath.
• Shine: If the surface has dulled, plan a shine refresh before guests arrive; the days before the season, when the house is empty, are better suited to this work.

Exterior

Outdoor stone that has come through the winter rains should be cleared of algae, lost grout and slipperiness before the season starts.

• Algae and dirt: Clean the algae and dirt that built up over the winter with a brush and products suitable for natural stone; shaded corners in particular become very slippery when wet.
• Grout joints: Look for cracked and empty joints; water entering through these gaps reaches the underside of the slabs and, over time, causes loosening and stains.
• Slip resistance: If the pool surround and terrace have become slippery, have them cleaned first and, if necessary, have the surface treated, for example by brushing or honing.
• Impregnation check: Drop a few drops of water on the stone and wait; if the water does not stay beaded and soaks quickly into the stone, the impregnation needs to be renewed.

Annual Calendar Summary

For Absentee Homeowners

For homeowners who follow their summer house from abroad or from another city during the closed season, the most important thing is reliable local communication. Documenting the condition of the house with photos at closing and asking for photos of the same spots before opening makes it easy for you to notice any changes. Setting a date for floor maintenance in advance and arranging the key handover through the site management or a person you trust avoids unnecessary rushing at the start of the season.

What Not to Forget When Closing

The tasks most often skipped when closing a summer house relate to the sources of water and moisture that do the most damage to the floor during the closed months.

• Main water valve: Shut off the main water valve; a leak that goes unnoticed in an empty house can feed water into the floor and under the slabs for months.
• Rugs: Remove the rugs or make sure the undersides are dry; a rug with moisture trapped underneath can leave dark stains on the stone.
• Terrace drains: Clean the terrace drains; a drain clogged during winter rains holds water on the terrace and lets it seep down through the grout joints.
• Plant pots: Take the flower pots off the stones; in the area that stays constantly wet beneath them, algae, limescale and permanent ring marks form.
• Refrigerator: Empty the refrigerator and leave its door ajar; this keeps melting ice and condensation water from a closed, unplugged fridge from seeping onto the floor.
• Photo documentation: Photograph the condition of the house; by comparing the same spots at opening, you can easily notice any stains, moisture or damage that appeared during the closed season.

Summer House Maintenance in Alanya

We provide floor maintenance for summer house and villa owners in Alanya during the closing and opening periods. At closing, we carry out deep cleaning, stain treatment and, if needed, honing and impregnation; at opening, we do gloss refreshing, outdoor cleaning and a slip resistance check. We keep absentee homeowners informed with photos before and after the work.