How To Preserve The Condition Of Hardwood Flooring In A Home With Pets
Hardwood flooring can look beautiful in a home and reduce allergens commonly found with carpeting, but they do require special care to keep in great condition if you have pets. Instead of becoming frustrated with the condition of your hardwood flooring due to your pet's nails scratching it, you'll want to take some preventive measures and become familiar with some maintenance tips.
Lay Down Rugs to Protect Flooring
The easiest ways to maintain hardwood floors in high-traffic areas of your home is through laying out some rugs. When choosing a rug to spread out over your hardwood floors, you'll need to keep an eye out for materials that are durable and won't attract fur and allergens that can be common with pets.
Confine Your Pets to Certain Areas
If you're concerned over your hardwood flooring getting damaged by your pet's nails, you'll need to consider where your pet is going in your home. Many pet owners allow their pets to have access to everywhere in their home, resulting in the floors becoming worn down much quicker than if they were confined to specific areas.
Keep Nails Trimmed Short
The most common reason that hardwood floors become damaged in homes with pets is due to overgrown nails. An easy way to combat this is by taking control of clipping your pet's nails regularly or bringing them to a groomer for trimming. Another alternative is the use of pet socks or nail caps that can be slipped over your pet's nails.
Take Care of Minor Scratches Right Away
Keeping your hardwood flooring in great shape can be as simple as assessing any wear and working on restoring the floors as soon as possible. Regularly inspecting your hardwood flooring and investing in the right tools for taking care of scratches can make an enormous difference in how your floors look and the length of time that you can go between professional repairs.
Fine steel wool, lightweight sandpaper, and hardwood flooring cleaning solutions are all recommended options for removing scratches that are likely to occur in a home with pets without causing any extra damage.
While you may enjoy the look of hardwood flooring, you'll need to devote some extra effort into taking care of the floors and removing any signs of damage as soon as they're discovered. The above tips will ensure that your floors look great, even with pets around. For more information on hardwood flooring, contact a flooring retailer (such as Montana Carpet Brokers).