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Tips To Help Your Hardwood Floors Survive The Mayhem Of Family Life

16 March 2016

Mia Price

Family life is rewarding, but it can also be exhausting, particularly when you factor in keeping your house tidy and clean. Kids and pets can often wreak havoc on a house, especially if you have hardwood floors. From pet dander to children's toys and everything in between, your floors may eventually start looking dull and worn. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can ensure your hardwood floors survive the mayhem of family life.

Protection from Tikes

In recent years, the number of married two-parent households with children fell from 40% in 1970 to 20% in 2012. If you are among the smaller percentage of households trying to maintain a family, you need to know how to keep your hardwood floors looking as new as the day you installed them.

As it currently stands, 67.35% people in the U.S. owned their home as of 2014. Additionally, hardwood flooring is said to be the biggest preference for those who either own a home or for anyone looking to purchase a home. Hardwood flooring offers a charming appearance to any room, but it is often difficult to protect it from scrapes, scratches, spills, and other damages that kids and their toys may cause.

Fortunately, protecting your floors from your little ones is not as hard as it might seem. To begin with, have a professional come and seal your floors using a clear coating. Polyurethane works well as a sealant for hardwood floors. Not only does it protect the integrity of the floor, but it also protects against potential liquid spills, which kids are well-known for.

You should also consider placing rugs and runners down in high traffic areas and areas where your children play. When your children go running through the house with their toys in tow, you can ensure that the rugs take the brunt of their traffic rather than your hardwood floors.

Place rugs or mats by all entryways both on the inside and the outside of the door to ensure that kids do not track dirt across your hardwood floors. Dirt and debris can scratch and damage your hardwood floors. Place a shoe rack or bin by all entry doors and encourage kids to remove their shoes upon entering your house.

One fun idea is to purchase your children colorful fuzzy socks or slippers featuring their favorite cartoon characters. Doing so will help encourage them to wear something soft on their feet so they can play through the house without damaging your hardwood floors.

Protection from Pets

If you are a pet lover, you are not alone. According to a 2015-2016 survey, approximately 65% of households have a pet, which equates to roughly 79.7 million households throughout the U.S. In addition, more than half of all pet owners consider their pet to be an additional member of the family.

Pets can make a great addition to any household thanks to their loyalty and companionship. However, protecting your hardwood floors from pets is often trickier than protecting them from children, though it is not impossible.

Whether you own a dog or a cat, keep in mind that pet dander is something you will have to deal with on a daily basis. For that reason, it is highly recommended that you used a soft dust mop to clean your floors a couple of times each week. It is best to keep pet dander at a minimum in order to protect your hardwood floors.

In order to reduce pet dander, consider purchasing a dog or cat that does not shed as much. Dog breeds that are not as likely to shed include:

• Shih Tzu
• Dachshund
• Whippet
• Giant Schnauzer
• Labradoodle

There are several other dog breeds that offer very minimal shedding, too. There are plenty of cats that do not shed much, some of which include:

• Abyssinians
• Burmese
• Manx
• Toyger
• Siamese

Keep your pet's nails trimmed regularly to prevent them from scratching up your hardwood floors. If you own a cat, you could always consider having them declawed to further prevent damages to your flooring and perhaps even your furniture, too. Nail caps are another option. Nail caps protect your flooring from scrapes and scratches caused by your pet's nails.

Keep pets brushed regularly to minimize shedding. Ideally, you may want to take your pet outside when brushing out their coat to minimize pet dander in the house. Regularly brushing your pet's coat will keep your floors clean and free of pet hair all while making your pet's coat soft and luxurious feeling.

For additional tips and tricks, speak to a hardwood flooring professional near you. Many professionals can help you choose a durable wood that can withstand the mayhem of family life. They can also offer you options that can help prolong the life of your floors so that you can enjoy both family life and the existence of hardwood floors throughout your home.

For more information, consider websites like http://www.nationalcarpetmilloutlet.com. 

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