Wood floors and pets are a great addition to any home, but they don’t always get along. Pets can scratch and stain wood floors making them unattractive. SVB Wood Floors has some solutions for the top three wood floor problems associated with pets.
Number 1: Starting from Scratch
Pets are part of the family so you don’t want to banish them from certain parts of the house. But pets are the pits when it comes to scratches on wood floors. One of the best things you can do is keep their nails trimmed. If you don’t want to do it yourself, a dog groomer can help. The nail is the part that scratches, the pad is soft, so just keeping the nails trimmed will solve the problem. You may also want to trim the hair that grows between the pads so they don’t slide so much on slick floors.
Number 2: Number Two
When your dog puts the “poo” in pooch, don’t panic. Usually feces are less damaging than urine to wood floors. Remove the solid waste and gently wash the area with a cloth dampened with hydrogen peroxide. If you didn’t catch the accident right away and it looks like it may leave a stain, try oxalic acid mixture which is great for lifting deep stains. This mixture is more expensive and less readily available than peroxide, but it may be a better option if the hydrogen peroxide doesn’t do the job.
Number 3: When Fee Fee Goes Pee Pee
Urine on a hardwood floor is a much more complicated problem. Because it is liquid, it can seep into the core of your wood. If you catch it early you can mop it up with paper towels. If the urine sat long enough and caused a stain, try hydrogen peroxide and a rag. White vinegar and water are an excellent wash for removing urine from wood floors as well. If these don’t work, the oxalic acid mixture should be the next step. If there is lingering odor, try baking soda. After you blot up the excess urine, sprinkle baking soda directly onto the spot. Allow it to sit for several hours to soak up as much of the urine as possible and deodorize the area. Remove the baking soda with a warm, damp cloth. You can also try specialized pet urine removers with enzymes to remove the smell. Check with a pet store for the best pet urine cleaners.
If Fido did the “no no” on your floor and you can’t get the stain out, give SVB Wood Floors a call. We can try to remove the stain and if that’s not possible, we can replace the wood and match the floor finish. Just remember to check your hardwood floors often (especially when you’ve had to leave your pet for prolonged periods of time) because catching it quickly is your best defense against staining. And remember, they don’t name dogs “Spot” for no reason.
For more wood floor care tips, read this blog post: Six Wood Floor Care Tips to Keep Your Hardwood Floors Looking Good
