Protecting hardwood floors

[LakeDesire]

Hi all! I keep my birds in the living room so they can always be part of the activity and have a nice view out the window. The drawback is that I have hardwood floors in my living room and they are starting to take a bit of a beating with cages rolling across them, flung went food sticking to it, and me sweeping or vacuuming daily and mopping several times a week. I put newspaper down on the floor to catch droppings, but I worry about the long term wear and tear on my floors (and I am kind of embarrassed by the poopy newsprint when I have guests over!).

Does anyone here have hardwood floors? What do you do to protect it from messy birds?

We were thinking about getting the plastic mats that people put over carpet in their offices (to roll your chair smoothly) but I wanted to get other ideas too.

 

[Aruba]

I'd be wary of plastic mats on hardwood floors - they can discolor it. I have hardwood floors myself and have thought about the same thing, but with the constant washing/drying of mats, it's just not worth the time/trouble/damage. Stick to newspaper, or if you don't wank the ink to discolor your floor, something neutral like butcher paper.

 

[Aquila]

Maybe some cheap canvas or some carpet odds and ends to make a small rug that you can toss when it gets too icky?

 

[henpecked]

hardwood floors need a good coat of wax to keep things from sticking. I use rubber roofing or pond liner to make mats that fit under the cages and stands. You can roll them up and carry outside to hose off. If you know someone who installs either of these products, you can "weld" a 1 inch lip around them to trap trash. Power washing is a good way to clean them but you need someway to hold them down in place(use my foot).

 

[mtdoramike]

I have tile floors and would never consider carpet or hardwood floors again after installing new hardwood floors in my dining room and living room only to have a pipe burst under my sink two weeks later while I was away. I returned to find 2 inches of water covering my beautiful hardwood floors. Once the water was removed and the fllors started to dry the wood started cupping badly. That was $3500.00 I won't ever see again.

 

[Kiwibird]

We live in an apartment, and don't want to pay a fee when we move out if the carpet gets ruined by a certain messy eater in the home

We put a big, cheap rubber backed (to keep stuff like berries from staining through) rug under Kiwi's cage to protect the carpet. It was only like $40 at Ross and made of the synthetic fibers, so it can easily be hosed off when it gets too yucky and we don't worry about stains or other ways it can get ruined. We've replaced it twice in 4 years, and they do a excellent job protecting the floor. I would imagine this would work well on a wood floor as well. Just a suggestion regarding poop- let it dry completely before cleaning it (on any surface). If you try to clean it while it's wet, it spreads and makes a big, nasty mess. If you let it dry, you can just vacuum it up, or if your not squeamish, pick it right up with your fingers. We rarely get poop stains using this method, even on the rug, furniture, clothes and other soft surfaces. It works even better on hard surfaces.

 

[Wulfgeist]

I have tile floors and would never consider carpet or hardwood floors again after installing new hardwood floors in my dining room and living room only to have a pipe burst under my sink two weeks later while I was away. I returned to find 2 inches of water covering my beautiful hardwood floors. Once the water was removed and the fllors started to dry the wood started cupping badly. That was $3500.00 I won't ever see again.

Ouch..:52:

My old apartment had hardwood floors and it didn't seem too bad. Of course it was a rental andpeople before me never took great care of the floors though. I was always moving, sweeping, washing floors but I moved them out of the room and used pledge floor cleaner. Seemed to do a good job and still leave a bit of shine behind.

I think papers are as much a part of owning birds as their food is! My GGC's cage doesn't have a "seed guard" (read: poop) so I have to cover the floor all around his cage, my grey just under his door. If you don't like pooped on papers when company comes change it before they come? If they give you notice. Or perhaps change it more often. Sadly birds poop, it's just what they do.

 

[MikeyTN]

That's the reason why we went with pergo flooring so I can wipe up easily!

One thing we do is put towels around the cages on the floor and change them out often. We take them outside to clean off dry stuff then just wash them in the washer. We've tried newspaper method and it does work, but towel was a better choice for us. We sweep and vacuum daily no matter what....

 

[Lindylou277]

Caution about the plastic mats from the Office Depot. Some of them have small bumps that are suppose to keep it from moving on a carpet. If put on a wood floor they dig into the wood or scratch it. I bought a roll of butcher paper and a dispenser roll. It's easy, no ink print. Good luck

 

[antoinette]

I reckon butcher paper would be your best option.
Thank goodness we have tiles, so easy to clean

 

[henpecked]

instead of butcher paper you can check with the newspaper printer and buy the end rolls of newsprint, cheap.

 

[goalerjones]

I bought semi-thin plexiglas from a local home center and made a three-sided enclosure which covers the two corner walls and the floor under the cage. I use museum putty to adhere it to the walls.

 

[Alex0]

I have to ask that I have hardwood floors throughout my house and I would like your opinions on what the best hardwood floor cleaner is and what makes them really shiny........ I use orange glo and the shine doesnt last long at all.if you know any other product which is better than orange glo than recommend here???

 

[henpecked]

Johnson Floor Wax, it's a pain to apply properly but last and last, i'm talking the paste not the liquid.

 

[LakeDesire]

Thanks for all the input on this thread everyone!

I have to ask that I have hardwood floors throughout my house and I would like your opinions on what the best hardwood floor cleaner is and what makes them really shiny........ I use orange glo and the shine doesnt last long at all.if you know any other product which is better than orange glo than recommend here???

I haven't waxed my hardwood floors since we bought the house in 2010, but the floors were refinished right before we moved in. However, I find that an electric steam mop works really well for cleaning it without wearing out the finish on the hardwood. We don't wear shoes inside so that has helped our floors stay nice, but I also mop at least once a week and the floor has held up pretty well (minus around the bird cages). I like that it is chemical free because I prefer natural cleaners for my and the birds' health.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00359URM4/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00"]This[/ame] is the mop that my mom and I both have and we both love it! I just need to look into seeing if there is a handheld model to reach under the bird cages because they get a bit rowdy when I roll their cages across the room to clean!

 

[afredericksen]

I buy shower curtains from Dollar Tree...$1 each. Cut in half and put on floor where the poop lands. Pick up and change weekly.