Over 60% of Americans have pets. If you're like me, they are part of the family. Sometimes, our four-legged friends make us consider what is best for our home, including our flooring. I was talking to our Tech & Install guys asking them about their advice for families who have pets in their homes. Here are some of their recommendations and tips.
•For dogs we recommend buying a hard species of ¾” hardwood flooring like Brazilian Teak, Brazilian Walnut, Brazilian Ebony, Natural Strand Bamboo, Acacia, Brazilian Cherry, and Hickory. Many people even have ¾” thick Red Oak and White Oak flooring in there homes with dogs. ¾” hardwood works best and will last longer as it can be refinished many times in the future. Low gloss laminate flooring with an AC Rating of 3 can also work because laminates tend to be more scratch resistant. The key to protecting your flooring from dog scratches is to trim their nails or cover them with vinyl claw covers. www.softclaws.com
•If you have a type of dog that sheds, you may want to consider choosing a floor color that matches the color of the dogs hair to make the hair on the flooring stand out less.
•Be sure to place your dog’s drinking bowls over a mat to catch any spills
•Pet urine contains uric acid and ammonia which can cause a finish to dull and can discolor a hardwood floor, typically making it a dark or black color in appearance. This is especially true if the pet urinates in the same spot over and over again.
• Cleaning up pet urine with water and ammonia may not be a good idea as some urine contains ammonia so the animal will be attracted to the same spot again. Spot cleaning with a mixture of warm water and plain vinegar on a lightly dampened cloth will clean the floor and take care of the smell. Immediately after cleaning buff the area dry. A board replacement can be done for any damaged planks
•If a dog urinates on the floor while you are gone, you will have to clean it up immediately when you get back.
•Urine can create a smell and possibly discolor the wood if left too long or untreated.
•With laminate flooring, urine can cause the seams to swell if left unattended.
•To prevent any possible problems, have someone keep the pet while you’re away or have someone check in on them each day to clean up any mess.
•Urine will dry up and may be hard to see to clean, so a tip would be to use a black light to find the area and spot clean the area with a mixture of warm water and vinegar on a lightly damp cloth. The vinegar should take out any potential smell. Buff dry immediately after spot cleaning.
Pets can make scratches over the flooring ,so you should have to take measures to remain your flooring more beautiful and eye catching. www.timberlandflooring.com.au/products/floating-flooring.html
Posted by: Adil Javed | April 10, 2013 at 07:20 AM
Pet urine contains uric acid and ammonia which can cause a finish to dull and can discolor a hardwood floor typically making it a dark or black color in appearance, especially if the pet urinates in the same spot over and over again. Cleaning with water and ammonia may not be a good idea as some urine contains ammonia so the animal will be attracted to the same spot. Spot cleaning with a mixture of warm water and vinegar on a lightly dampened cloth with clean the floor and take care of the smell. Immediately after cleaning buff the area dry. A board replacement can be done for any damaged planks.
Posted by: Lumber Liquidators | April 02, 2012 at 01:29 PM
What do you recommend to use daily for pet urine on hardwood floors? We have a few spots that have a film build up and other have a white looking substance where they urinated that does not come up very well.
Posted by: John Sistrunk | March 25, 2012 at 06:55 AM
Yes I am considering what floor is good for my pet dog because I do not want my dog to suffer from the coldness of the floors. I guess I have to use the wood type. Thanks for giving me his tip.
Posted by: Dog Grooming Dallas | November 03, 2011 at 12:16 AM
Kay, if the film is topical, salts can be cleaned using white vinegar diluted with water. Make sure you do not let it soak and that you wipe it up with a dry cloth so as not to damage your flooring.
If it has penetrated the board, board replacements may be needed.
Posted by: Lumber Liquidators | July 19, 2011 at 11:59 AM
our floor turned a whitish color instead of black as mentioned above from dog urine. it now appears to have a white film. what can i do to clean and hopefully do away with this white looking film?
Posted by: Kay Harkins | July 19, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Use small mats near outside doors to prevent the dirt getting further into your house and invest for furniture pads can make a big difference.
Posted by: Rob Wane | July 13, 2011 at 03:48 AM
Just another quick point on dogs that shed..The easiest way to ensure that the pet hair does not "stick out" aside from getting a floor that is the color of your dog is to clean them daily. If you do not stay on top of your hardwood floors the pet hair will accumulate to the point where you will see it no matter what the color is. If you are going to have hardwood floors you might as well keep them clean...If not you can just get wall to wall carpet and vacuum it at your leisure...
Posted by: Sue- admin at best vacuum for hardwood floors | July 07, 2011 at 02:13 PM
Well mate when you have pets specially dogs and cats in the house, carpet flooring is not advisable at all because it almost a nightmare to clean their fur balls from the floor every day. Rather we should consider some Hardwood Refinishing Services. as woodmen floors are much easier to clean
Posted by: Devluka | July 06, 2011 at 02:02 AM
Lumber Liquidators does not recommend "Water brooms" "Wet-Jet Swiffers or steamer type cleaners on laminates, corks or hardwood floors. Although steamers may work well cleaning OTHER types of hard surface flooring, the 130° to 240° heated steam vapor can ruin wood or urethane finish resulting in warped or cupped flooring. Water and wood do not mix well, especially steam. Use these products at your own risk.
Posted by: Lumber Liquidators | March 28, 2011 at 01:42 PM
question re:laminate flooring. using a shark steam cleaner for these type of floors. Our dog make mistakes once in a while, and I have babies that will be crawling on my floor. I am keeping my dog, but need to sanitize the floor when he makes a mistake. Can I use one of those steam cleaners (Shark example) it is small and easy to use. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated (asap).
We are going to change the flooring out very soon, live in NW Indiana, purchacing from your closest store. Tyvm
Posted by: Lena Gassner | March 24, 2011 at 01:22 PM