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Floor Care: 3 Ways to Pet-Proof Your Floors
No matter how much effort we put into floorcare, our pets can undo all our hard work in the blink of an eye. But fear not: with the right tips — and the right floors — you can have the best of both worlds: happy pets and happy floors.
No matter how much effort we put into floorcare, our pets can undo all our hard work in the blink of an eye. Homeowners with hardwood floors and pets know all too well that the heavy thud of a dog bone or the scrape of untrimmed claws can be a floor’s worst enemy, spelling costly damage.
![multi toned brown engineered hardwood floor close up of woman sitting on floor leaning against sofa holding dark brown small dog with wine glass and magazine on floor](https://media.llflooring.com/image/upload/v1715192036/DrupalAssets/10059483-lf-woman-sitting-on-floor-holding-dog_x81oyc.jpg)
From water damage to scratches and scuffs from nails and toys, hardwood floors take the brunt of the injury inflicted by household pets, often resulting in costly and time-consuming repairs.
But fear not: with the right tips — and the right floors — you can have the best of both worlds: happy pets AND happy floors.
Practice Regular Pet Care for Hardwood Floors
The first (and least costly) line of defense to protect your hardwood floors from your animals is to minimize possibilities for damage. That means keeping your pets’ nails trimmed and, if possible, keeping any heavy, dent-inducing toys outside the house.
![white washed solid hardwood flooring in office with wood desk and chair plus cream sofa and caramel leather arm chair with black and white dog sitting on chair](https://media.llflooring.com/image/upload/v1715193729/DrupalAssets/BW_Matte-Carriage-House-White-Ash-Solid-10052220-dog1.jpg)
You can also use rugs to protect living room or bedroom spaces from pet traffic, keeping your planks looking fresh.
Install Hybrid Resilient Flooring
The best thing you can do to ensure happy floors in pet-friendly homes is to install floors that are specially designed to be resilient to scuffs and dents. LL Flooring has a huge array of options across laminate, vinyl, and its exclusive line of Duravana hybrid resilient flooring, which provides both top-quality protection and beautiful, natural looks that closely mimic the appearance of hardwood flooring.
![light brown waterproof hybrid resilient flooring in living area with boy on skateboard being pulled by blonde dog](https://media.llflooring.com/image/upload/v1715193856/DrupalAssets/10052721_lf2989.jpg)
Duravana flooring provides LL’s highest level of scratch- and wear-resistance and is completely waterproof, giving you peace of mind when your pup tracks in winter snow or knocks over its water dish (and rudely doesn’t offer to clean up!).
Clean Up After Your Critters
No matter what flooring you have, it’s always important to practice regular cleaning habits to keep water, dust and dirt from wreaking havoc on your floors.
![grayish waterproof hybrid resilient floor in laundry room with blonde dog laying on floor covered in muddy water](https://media.llflooring.com/image/upload/v1715194525/DrupalAssets/10052726-lf3181_x9xjzi.jpg)
Pets are especially notorious for tracking in dirt and grit and dander, so it’s even more pertinent to regularly dry mop your floors, and do a semi-regular damp-mopping to make sure you’re getting all of the finer particles that can settle into the planks and cause damage over time.
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