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Laminate flooring is one of the most popular types of flooring you’ll encounter today and for good reason. The many benefits of this type of flooring make it a no-brainer for many households.
However, laminate does come with some downsides. One issue is that once the protective coating fades away, the flooring is more likely to collect footprints and dirt. The grooves in some laminate flooring compound this problem and make cleaning that much more challenging.
While it might not seem like a big deal to have footprints on laminate floors, it’s not something that should be taken lightly. Over time the floor can become damaged and end up needing costly repairs.
In this article we’ll give you our top tips on how to prevent footprints on your laminate floors.
How Do Footprints End Up On Laminate Flooring?
The first step in prevention is understanding how the problem is happening in the first place. While there are many different ways that laminate flooring can collect footprints here are some of the most common scenarios:
- People walking inside with dirty shoes
- Pets walking inside with dirty paws
- Spills that are not cleaned right away and get tracked around the floor
How to Prevent Footprints on Laminate Flooring
1: Be Aware of Your Pets
When your pet dog looks up at you with that guilty look on their face you know they’ve been up to no good. The best way to make sure that your furry friend doesn’t leave footprints all over your laminate floor is to simply wash their paws off before they come inside.
If they are going to be walking on the laminate then they need to have clean paws, period. Make it a routine to wipe their paws off with a rag every time they come into the house. It doesn’t hurt to give them a treat after to sweeten the deal.
Also make sure that their nails are trimmed to prevent scratching the floor over time.
2: Use a Doormat
Having a doormat with a sign on the door can help to remind forgetful people to wipe and take off their shoes before coming inside. This is especially helpful for teenagers that need to be constantly reminded of house rules.
3: Protect if From the Sun
A big part of keeping footprints off laminate flooring is by preventing the natural protective coating from breaking down. Direct contact with sunlight is known to slowly fade this protective coating over time, thus making the laminate more prone to showing footprints.
By installing blinds or curtains over windows during the hours of strongest sunlight you can prevent the potential damage from the sun on your flooring.
4: Clean Regularly
We will go over specifically how to clean later in the article but we wanted to stress the importance of making it a routine. At least once a week you should be sweeping, mopping and scrubbing the laminate to prevent buildup that can damage the floor.
When you do clean make sure to use very little water so that you don’t damage the flooring. Laminate is not meant to withstand water exposure and the damage can be costly to fix.
5: Use Only Laminate Safe Cleaning Supplies
As we mentioned in the last point, it’s very important to clean your laminate regularly. However, you must use only laminate safe cleaning supplies. The reason for this is that commercial cleaners leave a film on the laminate which causes scuffing and smudges. Over time this wears out the flooring which further increases the damage.
If you want to see which cleaners we recommend then read our article about it.
6: Use a Saline and Distilled Water Solution
This is a hack to prevent footprints on laminate flooring that not many people know about. The saline helps to coat the laminate and keep off footprints. You have to be sure to use the right mixture though.
Start by mixing a 50/50 ratio of the distilled and saline solution. Then dab the solution gently onto the laminate flooring. Once you’ve cleaned it make sure to dry it off with an old microfiber cloth.
Then allow it to dry so that you don’t feel any dampness when walking barefoot over it. The saline solution should help to prevent footprints from adhering to the laminate because of the salt in it.
Conclusion
Laminate flooring can be a great option if you know how to take care of it. When looking to prevent footprints the most important thing that you can do is to prevent the coating from getting worn down. By following the tips in this article you can protect your laminate flooring for years to come.