6 On Your Side: Consumer Confidence, Best Wood Flooring

(ABC 6 NEWS) – Is there anything more satisfying than a clean and gleaming hardwood floor? Consumer Reports’ Tobie Stanger says wood floors are hard to beat!

"Hardwood floors are a great choice if you’re looking for flooring that never goes out of style. And like any good flooring, wood needs to be able to stand up to lots of abuse," Tobie Stanger, Consumer Reports Home Editor said.

To see how well flooring resists dents, scratches, stains and general foot – and paw – traffic CR runs a series of tough tests.

Solid wood flooring from Teragren is made from bamboo and aced CR’s scratching and dent tests. It’s also very good for resisting stains.

If you get a lot of foot traffic consider LL Flooring Red Oak instead. It earned one of the top scores in CR’s abrasion tests.

Whether you’re installing new floors or your home has them already, keeping them looking good for years to come does require some special care.

"A no shoes inside rule can be great if you can enforce it. But it can be tough with kids and pets tracking dirt in," Stanger said.

Place a doormat outside of all of your entrances to keep people and pets from tracking in dirt and mud. Consider area rugs or runners in high traffic zones like in front of the kitchen sink or oven.

To keep scratches away, use felt protectors under your furniture legs and always lift furniture instead of sliding.

A good vacuum can help too.

The Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly upright vacuum is a great choice for bare floors and carpets. And, as the name implies, it can handle your pet’s hair, too!