When you install new hardwood floors in your home, you naturally want to protect them as much as possible! One of the best ways to protect your floors is to remove your shoes when you enter your house. As an alternative, you can wear comfortable slippers as they add a bit of traction in addition to the comfort and warmth for your feet. This alone can add an extra 3 years or more to when your floors need to be refinished! Here are the top 3 reasons to remove your shoes before walking on your hardwood floors:
1. Your Two Shoes Carry Germs Onto Your Hardwood
One of the primary reasons to remove your shoes before walking on your hardwood floors is because shoes carry germs! After walking around all day, your shoes naturally come into contact with tons of nasty germs. In fact, studies have shown that athletic shoes and some other types of shoes often harbor bacteria that can cause serious illness. When you consider that more than 90 percent of the bacteria can transfer from your shoes to your hardwood floors, this should be motivation to remove your shoes in the house! After all, this bacteria can stick around for hours which is plenty of time to make you sick.
2. Footwear Is Just Plain Dirty
If you are lucky enough that your shoes don’t contain some type of dangerous bacteria, it is likely that your shoes are just plain dirty! When you are out and about during your daily activities, your shoes pick up mud, grime and all other types of muck that gets tracked into the house and onto your hardwood floors. As soon as you are done cleaning your floors, they are dirty again as soon as someone walks back into the room while wearing their shoes! You can alleviate this headache by having everyone in your family remove their shoes in the house. As a bonus, you won’t have to vacuum or mop as often which can prolong the lifespan of your floors!
3. Shoes Can Cause Scratches To Your Floors
Another top reason to remove your shoes before walking on your hardwood floors is because shoes can cause scratches and scuff marks on your floors! If you are wearing athletic shoes, boots or work shoes, these can pick up tiny rocks and grits that can easily scratch up your floor. High heels are another type of shoe that you want to avoid at all costs while in the house! Since hardwood floors are such a big investment in your home, you should extend the life of your floor by having shoes off inside. Socks are very flooring-friendly, and are also fun to slide around in.
Tips on Keeping the Flooring In Your Home Looking Great
One great tools we have to guard our wood floor from scratches and abrasive wear is walkoff mats. These mats are available with plenty of messages but their most attractive statement is "We care about our floors!" They allow dust and grit to fall from your shoes and stay in the mat. The tips of the plastic molds help brush even more of those floor-dulling particles from your shoes. Homeowners should have a walkoff mat at every doorway that leads onto your wood floors from outside. And those mats should be emptied on a regular basis.
Keep Water Off of You Hardwood Floors
Water is another demon that seeks to damage your hardwood. The way to keep moisture at bay is to have wipeoff mats outside the doors that lead in from outside. Use these mats for wiping your feet and save wear and tear on your hardwood.
Now that you know why you should remove your shoes before walking on the hardwood floors in your home, you can enjoy your beautiful floors for years without any significant damage! Take a look at all of the affordable hardwood floors from ReallyCheapFloors.com today to find the most affordable and attractive hardwood floors for your home! We look forward to assisting you with all of your hardwood flooring needs!
