We finally got a touch of snow and a true blast of winter a few days ago – after which many of us used salt or ice melt to clear the path from our front doors to our driveways and beyond.

But, did you know that salt and ice melts can cause serious damage to your carpeting and floors? Yes, they absolutely can.

Therefore, today, we wanted to provide you all with a few easy steps to follow that can save you some time (and money) down the road – and hopefully prolong the life of your flooring in the meantime:

• Remove your shoes before stepping foot inside. The salt, dirt and ice melt that can be trapped in the crevices of your shoes can wreak havoc on your floors, as well as potentially cause harm to your pets’ paws as well as the soles of your own feet. Rock salt is also considered very toxic to pets.
• Keep your pets away from the salt crystals that you may have tracked inside. Despite you being very mindful not to, accidents do happen and if you happen to have tracked some of the ice melt inside, these crystals can stick to your pets’ paws and the heat from them causes a potential burn hazard.

Salt crystals will act like sandpaper against your flooring, scratching them up. It can also strip the coating from your floors, which can potentially leave them open to damage from dirt and moisture. Additionally, your carpet fibers can become clouded and loose from lingering salt residue.

If you say any salt crystals, vacuum them up as quickly as possibly, or use a damp cloth to remove them.

If you suspect further damage, call our expert team at Bayside Carpet right away!

It may seem inconvenient, but a simple step such as removing your shoes can really save you a myriad of headaches down the road.

Happy Winter!