February 14, 2022 2 min read

When it comes to flooring hazards, you probably first envision your dog's long nails or the slush your kids' track in from outside. Houseplants probably don't even make that list! But as benign as they look, they can actually do quite a bit of damage to your solid hardwood flooring and the like, simply because you water them, as moisture damage is a beast you do not want to contend with.

Luckily, yoursolid hardwood flooring and your beloved pothos, hibiscus, or other houseplants can happily coexist with just a couple of simple management techniques. You'll learn all about them below, courtesy of E Hardwoods & Flooring, where you canbuy hardwood flooring online.

Save Your Flooring With Saucers

Regardless of if your plant’s pot drains at the bottom or not, you’ll want to invest in a saucer to protect your flooring. As its name implies, a saucer is a disc-shaped, plate-like piece of material that goes underneath a pot. Generally, it’s sold as a matching set with the pot itself, though you can purchase them individually too.

A saucer serves to catch the water that either seeps out of the bottom of the pot itself or that you spill on accident while watering (let’s be honest, we’ve all done it). It’s the number-one way to make sure both your plants and flooring stay healthy! Some plant enthusiasts even place metal or plastic trays underneath them for extra water protection.

Don’t Drag Things Out!

Specifically, we’re talking about your plants. Just like we covered in our blog“Protecting Your Wood Floors From Your Furniture,” dragging your house plants across the floor to move them—say, with changing light levels—is a one-way ticket to scratching up your flooring. Unfortunately, with plants, you can’t use the same protective measures you can with other types of furniture, so where does that leave you?

With lifting to do! A friend can help safely lift, move, and place your house plants in a new spot should they need to go there. You can also invest in a small, rolling cart if you’re frequently alone.

Watch the Watering

Even an amateur botanist knows that too much water is fatal to a plant, but it can be just as destructive to your prefinished hardwood flooring if done too frequently, too. Saucers and the like can only handle so much before overflowing, leaving you with a spill to clean. Consider keeping your more heavy water consumers onwaterproof flooring, or at the very least, don’t get too liberal with the watering can.

E Hardwoods & Flooring: Your Shop for Paramount, Mannington, Metroflor and More

Never worry about where you’ll find your next solid or engineered hardwood flooring pick again; E Hardwoods & Flooring has it all! Shop our massive online selection today.


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