Red Deer Home Repairs: Removing Shoes Can Benefit Your Flooring

There are a few easy ways to prolong the life of your flooring, and removing shoes at the entryway is one of them. This practice requires little time and effort but makes a big difference in results. Learn more about how removing your shoes helps protect your floors and who to call for flooring services in Red Deer.

Whether you have carpet, tile, hardwood, or something in between, your primary objective for your flooring is to keep it clean to save you time and money. Dirty floors aren’t only a hassle that requires constant cleaning; grime can also cause long-term wear and extensive damage. Money that you could spend elsewhere shouldn’t be allotted for flooring that isn’t that old.

Could You Lose the Shoes, Please?

Taking off your shoes before entering a home isn’t a new concept. In fact, in many different cultures, removing shoes before entering homes has been a practice for centuries. Some of the reasons behind it are a little different than keeping your carpet fresh, but they are similar too. Much of the ideology has to do with cleanliness and respect for particular spaces. No matter your belief system, you can surely get behind the idea that cleaner floors are less work and that people who make less work for you are more respectful.

Storing Shoes

If you’re not bringing them inside the house, where do the shoes go? Do you leave them outside? For someone who is not well-versed in this practice, it may seem confusing at first. The answer is, no; the shoes do not get left out in the cold for the elements and whatever else to have their way with them. Shoes are expensive too!

The different households who participate in a no-shoes-inside practice have an area of their home dedicated to removing shoes. In Asian cultures, it is called a genkan. In American cultures, it is usually called a mudroom. You can create your own shoe-switching area by calling Handyman Connection for floor tile installation services.

No matter the name, the area in which shoes are removed is protected from the elements. There is usually some kind of seating for you and storage for your shoes. There are indoor slippers to switch into that are only worn inside the home. Switching shoes reduces any cross-contamination from the outside. When you leave, you switch back. If you are unsure if you are visiting a home that does not wear shoes inside, the best course of action is to politely ask if they would like for you to remove your shoes. It’s a good hint if you see shoes in the front area of the home.

How Does Going Shoe-Free Protects Floors?

Your shoes, obviously, go everywhere you go during the day and into the night. The list of places you and millions of other people visit every day is endless: dirty subways, crowded airports, restaurant lines, daycares, veterinary clinics, public restrooms, movie theatres, grocery stores, etc. Each person picks up and tracks all kinds of questionable materials. From dog waste to bubble gum to glass to germs and bacteria, none of it is what you want to bring inside your home. By removing your shoes at the door, you protect your flooring by:

• Reducing Dirt Tracks
• Minimizing Floor Scratches
• Keeping Floors Dry 
• Decreasing Corrosive Damages
• Diminishing Grimey Bacteria

Whether you need to talk to a professional about installing tiles in an area of your home to create a space for shoe-swapping, or you need to have some flooring repaired or replaced because you are learning about the secret to protecting your floors, just a little too late, the pros at Handyman can help. Contact Handyman Connection today to learn more about flooring options for your home in Red Deer.