Those who regularly welcome visitors to their homes know the scenario only too well: even once everything is tidy after the guests have left, they still leave traces behind – or rather, their footwear does. Worst case scenario? It affects good parquet flooring, showing ugly black stripes that can’t be beaten by the common mop. But these tips will help you kick shoe marks to the curb!
This one is easy to answer: most shoes have a (inexpensive) rubber sole. Walking or dancing constantly exposes the soles to friction – not only on structured flooring (e.g. wood grain), but also on mirror-polished surfaces – and releases tiny particles in the rubber which are deposited on the floor’s surface. The same thing happens with light soles too – the consequences are just much less noticeable.
To remove all trace of the marks and ensure this doesn’t lead to more flooring flaws like micro-scratches, the affected area should first be carefully cleaned:
Once the floor is clean and dry, it doesn’t take much to get rid of the marks.
What may sound strange at first has actually been tried and tested against pesky shoe marks: because the marks are just on the floor’s surface, they can be removed using rubber friction! The following items are suitable for this:
The objects mentioned above reliably remove shoe marks and can be found in almost any home. Just rub over the dark stripes et voilà, they’ve disappeared!
However, the treated area of the floor may appear more matte or lighter than the rest of the floor. If this happens, buffing the surface afterwards with your fingers or the chamois leather will help. With wood flooring, a follow-up treatment with parquet care oil (for naturally oiled surfaces) or parquet cleaner (for matt lacquered surfaces) may be necessary. Make sure to refer to the manufacturer’s care instructions and recommended care products. You can find tips on looking after MEISTER parquet flooring and Lindura wood flooring in the care instructions.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any reliable tips on how to avoid marks from dark-soled shoes. One option would be buying abrasion resistant footwear (which is common for indoor sports) or investing in quality shoes without rubber soles. Having said this, even leather soles can leave traces on your floor.
Even if it sounds a bit square, taking off your shoes when at home does pay off and does save the floor somewhat. Those who offer their guests felt slippers or similar footwear while in their homes don’t have to worry nearly as much about dark marks being left behind.
