Will My Dog Ruin My Hardwood Floor?

Pets and hardwood flooring don’t go together; this statement might be true in some cases, especially when there are pet accidents happening at home on a regular basis. Hardwood flooring is resistant to pet urine, scratch marks and other accidents, but only to a certain limit. If exposed for a long time, pet urine might just be the end of your hardwood flooring.

With pets, there are a lot of things to be kept in mind, especially if you have hardwood flooring.  The million dollar question is, can pets and hardwood flooring coexist, considering various issues like scratches, urine etc.? The answer is yes; you don’t have to get rid of your pet, just because you have hardwood flooring in your house.

When you own a furry friend, chances are your floors will get scratched; there will be urine accidents, and your dog might be responsible for these accidents. In such cases, how does one save the hardwood flooring?

Solutions which last a lifetime

·         Urination within the house is a danger to your hardwood floors, especially if they are not cleaned on time. If the urine is left on the floors, it can corrode the surface, since urine contains ammonia. In order to save the hardwood flooring from acidic damage, there are two things which need to be done. Firstly, your pet should be trained properly, which would ensure no such accidents are happening at home. Secondly, if the pet is not trained and there are accidents like these happening at home, you need to wipe them off immediately. Urine puddles and vomit should not be allowed to stay on the floors, as they can seep in and cause a multitude of problems.

·         In order to prevent scratches on the floors, your dog’s nails should be trimmed. This is especially true for larger breeds, simply because they tend to exert a lot more pressure on the floors. Keep mats near the doors; while the idea is not make your dog wipe his feet before coming inside, but it will definitely avoid bringing in any kind of outside debris, which can also cause the floors to get damaged.

·         Booties can go a long way in helping your floors stay neat and clean, and scratch free. If your dog likes to dress up, you can always put some booties on their feet. This way, their nails will not scratch the floor’s surface, and both purposes will be served.

·         Use carpets in some of the high pet traffic areas to avoid untoward issues on your floors.

·         Water bowls and food bowls can prove to be dangerous sometimes. Since dogs are messy eaters, you should put mats under their water and food bowls, so that these don’t move when they are eating or drinking. Prevent any accidents so that your hardwood floors remain intact.

Preventing any accidents on your hardwood flooring can be quite easy, provided all the right steps can be taken on your end.