If you live in a home with hardwood flooring, you may feel as though your floors appear dull. Hardwood floors can appear dull for several reasons. Here's why your hardwood flooring looks dull:

The first reason your hardwood flooring may look dull is sun exposure. The sun's UV rays can damage hardwood flooring. These rays can act as bleach to your flooring, discoloring and dulling the finish. Sometimes UV rays can even warp flooring. If you want to prevent this from happening to your floors, close the drapes, curtains, shutters, or blinds during the daytime. You can also install UV resistant tinted windows. Planting trees or shrubs in your yard in front of your windows can also reduce sun exposure and increase privacy.

Walking around in your home with shoes on can dull your flooring, especially if you are wearing high heeled shoes. A 125-pound person exerts about 4 pounds of pressure per square inch when standing flat foot on a surface. If this person is wearing a 1/4-inch stiletto heel, they are exerting 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. This difference can take a toll on your hardwood. To avoid dulling your floors, take off your shoes while you are in your home.

Do you have a pet with long nails? If you do, it's time for a trim. Animals with long nails can dull and damage hardwood flooring. These nails can scratch and dent your flooring. This is more likely to be an issue with dogs, especially medium or large dog breeds like Mastiffs or Retrievers. However, pets of all sizes can have accidents on your flooring. Pet urine is another reason hardwood flooring can look dull. If you are house training an animal, set water-resistant pads down on your hardwood surfaces.

You may think cleaning your flooring on a routine basis is helpful to your floor's finish, but this is only true if you use the correct cleaning products. Do not use abrasive cleaning products, such as scrub pads, baking soda, or bottled cleaner on your floors. You should also avoid harsh chemicals like alkaline products, ammonia, or vinegar, as these strip away finishes and expose bare wood. Oil soaps and waxes can also create a hazy build-up that is difficult to remove and unappealing to look at.

Now that you know how to avoid dull hardwood flooring, you can shop for flooring with ToungeAndGroove.com. Check out our inventory of top-quality flooring options today or give us a call at 800-689-9006!