It doesn’t require much imagination to know what damage shoes can do to your floor. Shoes come from outside and bring in grime and dust which can stick to the sole as well as the crevices of the sole design. When you walk on your floor, this dirt and grime can either be deposited or it can scratch flooring surfaces.

Carpet is susceptible to absorbing dirt and grime because it can get deposited in the carpet or stain the carpet. While vacuuming will help remove dirt, often carpet will fibers will become stained as constant walking will allow the dirt to be pressed into the fibers. Stone and tile floors are usually hard enough to remain unaffected by dirt and grime which is easily removable but grout seems to attract dirt and grime like a magnet. Flooring like hardwood, laminate and vinyl do not stand up to dirt and dust in quite the same fashion. The layer of dust and grime can form an abrasive layer that can scratch the floor when walked on. These are small minute scratches that may not be visible as individual scratches yet the overall effect will be to dull the surface. During snow and rain, water and mud play a factor and both of these can wreak havoc on any flooring surface.

Ladies high heels can be lethal to hardwood floors and can also snag on certain carpets types. Hardwood floors, especially woods that have a lower rating on the Janka hardness scale, are most affected by high heeled shoes. Next time you walk through a restaurant or store that has hardwood flooring, take note of all the little pits in the flooring. These pits are mainly from ladies high heeled shoes.

While it is not always practical to remove shoes when entering a home, the less contact your shoes have with the floor, the less damage it will be exposed to and the longer it will last.