A common problem faced by most people who care about the appearance of their home are footprints. It’s annoying when your floor shows footprints. Depending on the type of flooring at your disposal, this problem can be frequently recurring or situational. This begs the question, what is the best flooring to not show footprints?
From my extensive research and experience, I’ve found Matte finished ceramic tiles to be the best flooring to not show footprints. Second best is vinyl floors, surprisingly, followed by wood flooring and then carpet. Matte finished ceramic tiles showed the least visible signs of footprints given that they were devoid of shine, reflective surfaces, and an excessively smooth finish.
It was quite comfortable to walk on and felt a lot like walking on a smooth cement floor. This was particularly enjoyable for me, given that I have the propensity to walk barefoot at times.
Growing up, we couldn’t afford to tile the bedroom of our home but my mother organized vinyl tiles that were on sale at our local multipurpose shopping center.
I’ll be the first to admit that they were not the best looking tiles, not by a long shot. But, that was more due to the color of choice and design rather than the tile itself.
Vinyl tiles have come a long way since then but what remains the same is their durability.
I rarely noticed footprints on my vinyl tiles no matter how often I’d walk barefoot. In fact, if there ever were, it was ridiculously easy to clean up, unlike wood floors or carpets that required more consideration and care.
Carpet shows a lot of footprints but unlike the way in which wood floors or shiny ceramic floors do.
Rather than a shiny or glossy footprint, carpet tends to hold the shape of a footprint due to the weight pressed against the carpet fibers. Along with that, wet footprints are more visible on carpets given that material thickens and appears darker in tone when exposed to water.
Then we have to consider the color and texture of the flooring used.
Depending on these factors, footprints may appear more visible to the naked eye or harder to see.
In one of my rooms, we have laminated tiling that appears to have a super light oak wood finish. These tiles have a subtle dark brown undertone throughout the design and I noticed that most footprints are not visible on these tiles.
I was wearing these sandals indoors and the bathroom floor was significantly wet after a shower. These sandals are black underneath and for some reason, when they’re wet, they leave behind a brown stain on the shape of my footprint.
On our bathroom tiles which are white ceramic tiles that aren’t matte, I’ll notice these wet black footprints all over. It looks as if someone with muddy shoes walked on the floor.
But, in this bedroom while wearing the same sandals that just made the bathroom floor appear dirty with footprints, I could barely spot any footprints. This was due to the type of flooring and the color which I mentioned earlier.
Keep all of this in mind when selecting the best flooring that doesn’t show footprints.
How to stop footprints on the floor
1. Wear slippers indoors
This is a tried and tested method for keeping footprints off the floor and it works wonderfully. In fact, it doesn’t just prevent footprints but also keeps your floors clean.
You won’t be transferring dirt or grime from underneath your shoes or feet into the house nor would you dirty your feet from walking barefoot.
This is a custom that is popularly practiced in Asian countries and is also viewed as a sign of respect.
If you don’t want to use indoor slippers or shoes, opt for socks.
As long as you’re wearing something on your feet that is reserved for indoors, you should significantly mitigate the risk of footprints showing on the floor.
2. Install rugs at entrances
A lot of footprints are caused by the dirt or moisture carried underneath our feet or shoes, especially when we walk outdoors before entering the house.
It’s unavoidable and you are most certainly going to be caught in rainy weather at some point.
The same could be said for visitors. Perhaps, It’s inconvenient or awkward to ask them to remove their shoes before entering the house every time.
To mitigate this issue, install some rugs at the entrance of your home. Rubbing the underneath of shoes onto them can remove any moisture before they enter the house and leave footprints on the floor.
3. Improve cross ventilation to dry floors faster
A moist environment will not help floors remain free of footprints.
On the contrary, it will allow water based footprints to remain visible for much longer because there isn’t enough dryness or air circulating through the home to dry up the floor.
Not only will this allow footprints to be visible for longer but it increases the likelihood that more footprints will be spread throughout the floors in high traffic areas.
Open doors and windows during the day or run the HVAC at an appropriate temperature and speed to encourage proper ventilation and air throughout the house.
How to clean footprints from the floor
1. Have a regular cleaning routine
To remove footprints quickly and to prevent more of them from showing on your floors, regularly clean the floor.
On average, I mop and dry my floors once per week while I sweep every day.
This simple routine removes most dirt and dust from my floors and prevents footprints from showing.
2. Invest in a robot vacuum
In a home with high foot traffic, it’s a lot harder to prevent footprints from showing on floors if you only clean once per week.
It would be time consuming and exhausting to mop or vacuum daily.
Why not invest in a robot vacuum?
They’ve become so advanced that they are capable of cleaning up footprints as they form.
As long as they’re compatible with your flooring, it should be a time-saving solution.
3. Use the correct cleaner
In a lot of flooring, a sealer is used before the product is sold and installed, especially in the case of dark wood flooring.
To use an oil based cleaner on these floors is like adding fuel to the fire.
They won’t really remove the footprints but may actually cause more of them or darken existing footprints.
For this reason, it’s important to use the right type of solution to clean your floors.
In a lot of cases, water with vinegar can remove most stains from your floors.
Final Thoughts
This brings us to the end of this article on what is the best flooring to not show footprints. In my experience, matte ceramic tiles are fantastic along with laminated vinyl flooring. In some cases, wood flooring can be great, depending on the type of wood, color, and finish.
If you implement a few changes like having designated indoor shoes or slippers along with rugs at every entrance and a cleaning routine that works, you could avoid footprints from showing on most floors.
With that being said, if you’re looking for more detailed articles on how to clean floors properly, you need to check out these articles below.
Why does my floor make my feet black?