With the arrival of winter comes the arrival of cold weather and SNOW. For those of you that live in snowy areas, your floors may need some special attention this time of year. When most people think of snow, they think PURE and WHITE. Most people don’t think about when you are out running errands in that snow and all of the chemicals used to keep the roads and parking lots clear ending up on the bottom of your shoes. Naturally, what happens? You run inside from the cold not stopping to take the time to get the snow out of your shoes or take those warm shoes off your feet at the front door. The excess chemicals and dirt that can build up on the soles of your shoes can scratch floors such as hardwood and leave difficult to remove film on other flooring surfaces. So what can you do?

When coming inside from the snow:

• Use walk off mats at every entrance to remove the excess snow and dirt.
• Keep these mats as clean and free of snow deposits as possible.
• Remove your shoes as soon as you enter the door. It would also be helpful to have an additional mat inside the door to collect excess moisture.

Taking these precautions will not only help protect your floors, but also make them easier to keep clean and safer to be on. When that snow melts on your floors it can cause moisture problems as well as a slip hazard.

Enjoy the snow!