Hardwood floors are beautiful, warm, and inviting, but you have to take care of them to keep them looking great. They are made with solid wood, and they are susceptible to damage from furniture, shoes, and pets’ nails.
If you or your guests wear high heels on your wood floors, they can leave behind small dents and holes across the wood. This happens more frequently when the rubber protective tip is not on the bottom of the heel. If you find small marks across your floors, you can take steps to remove them, but there are ways that you can prevent it from happening in the first place.
Avoid Wearing High Heels on Your Hardwood Floors
The best way to protect your floors from high heels is by taking them off when you are in the house. You can put them on as you leave, but don’t wear them around inside. This may not be practical if you wear them all the time, but it is the best way to cut down on damage. Some people ask guests to leave their shoes at the door, but this can be awkward if people have dressed up to come over.
Offer Heel Protectors to Guests
Heel protectors are handy for anyone who wears high heels, and they can help protect your floor. They are often a plastic piece with a tube where the heel goes and a round flat surface. It expands the reach of the heel, and it will protect hardwood floors. It also works well when people are outdoors with high heels on, as it prevents the heels from sinking into the ground.
Choose a Rug That Offers Protection
Another way to protect your floors from high heels is to choose area rugs that protect the floor. Most rugs are safe for hardwood flooring as long as you have a rug pad underneath. You need a rug pad that offers protection and holds the rug in place, but you should make sure that the pad itself is safe for hardwood floors.
Some rug pads have plastic to grab the floor, and they are treated with chemicals that will react with the polyurethane finish. It is important to make sure that you choose a rug pad made of felt or natural rubber, as these materials are safe for hardwood floors. You can also place runners in the hallways to prevent damage. This is a great way to protect your floors.
How to Repair Hardwood Floors After Heel Marks
If you do have heel marks left on your floors, you can repair them. It won’t take a lot of effort if you do it right away. You might have a party where the guests wear their heels, and you can take care of the floor the next day. Take a look at some of the options you have.
1. Use an Eraser
You don’t want to use chemicals or abrasive cleaning agents on your hardwood floors because they can react with the polyurethane and damage the floors. However, you can use a rubber eraser to get rid of superficial heel marks. Use the eraser and go with the grain of the wood. Rub it until the mark disappears.
If a standard eraser doesn’t work, you can try a floor cleaning eraser. They are made for this type of task. Make sure that you don’t rub too hard or for too long because you can remove some of the finish from the floor. You can also try shoes with a rubber sole or tennis balls, as they will also remove these small marks.
2. Try Toothpaste
If you have small dents or scratches on the floor, you can use a paste type toothpaste to remove them. Make sure that it is a paste and not gel. The paste is an abrasive that is gentle, and it is used in all kinds of situations that are similar to this one.
You can use a soft, clean cloth, and put the toothpaste on the end. You can add a sprinkle of baking soda if you like, as it can add to the process. Then gently rub it on the floor, moving in the direction of the grain. Be careful not to push too hard on the floor because it can wear away the finish as well. When you finish, use a clean cloth, dampen it, and wipe the floor.
3. Make a Baking Soda Paste
Baking soda is a great natural cleaner that can do all kinds of things around the house. When you use it to clean marks off the floor, you need to make a mixture with water first. Take two parts baking soda and combine it with one part water, and stir it into a paste. Then, you can take a clean cloth, and gently rub the mark in the direction of the grain.
Baking soda is also a mild abrasive, so you need to be gentle. Once you finish, use a clean, damp cloth and wipe the floor. Make sure that it is dry.
4. Get Some WD-40
Some people say that you can fix anything with WD-40, and marks on your floor from high heels are no exception. Take your WD-40 and put it on a clean cloth. Then you can gently rub over the heel mark on your floor. Once you finish, you should go over the area with a damp, clean cloth.
Final Thoughts
Hardwood floors are elegant, but you have to protect them. Some people keep them safe by making sure that people never wear shoes in the house, but that is difficult when you invite guests over. You should feel free to use your home and walk on your hardwood floors, but make sure that you repair any damages as soon as you see them.
The key is to fix them before they grow from small dents into larger areas that take in moisture and dirt. There are other options such as using heel protectors or placing rugs strategically over the floors, but you can fix small dents and scratches if you address them right away.