Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Shoes in the common house (WAS Wood floors in CommonHouse?)

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

I'm in and out of the CH several times a day, spending only a few minutes there 
to check thermostats, check mail, look for something, etc. I would go nuts 
changing my shoes. 

What we do have is a cork floor in a pathway from the front door through the 
dining room to the mailboxes, laundry, living room and kids room. That makes a 
quiet "walkway" and keeps the floors a bit cleaner.

We just had our floors redone 11 years after move-in and the floor people said 
the most important thing to do is sweep after each meal and damp mop the 
kitchen after every cooking session. It is the grinding of dust and food into 
the floor surface that wears it down. He was in disdain of our floor cleaning 
practices when he returned to look at our naturally stretching Marmoleum. And 
we keep things pretty clean.

Our CH interiors pod recently visited a very nice extended care facility and 
toured with their maintenance supervisor. The rugs in their corridors and 
reception rooms are immaculate and in like-new condition after 15 years. She 
said it is because they clean immediately if they have a spill, after each 
event, and weekly with a cold water extractor. (I have research on these if  
you are interested.) It's a facility for retired military officers so you know 
they are disciplined. And they have a staff.

Except in rain and snow, I'm not convinced that shoes bring in that much dirt, 
particularly if you have "walk off mats" at the entrances.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org