People in wet areas of the country already understand the importance of taking outdoor clothes and shoes off before entering the pristine interior rooms of a home.

The importance of that barrier between the outdoors and the interior of your home is doubly important now that the nation is battling the coronavirus. Families are rightfully being hyper vigilant when it comes to keeping contaminants from the outside away from their living areas.

The CDC is already recommending washing all clothes that may have come into contact with coronavirus-infected services with hot water, preferably before they come into contact with safe uncontaminated common areas and surfaces. Mudrooms are an ideal place to take these clothes off. If your mudroom also doubles as a laundry room that’s even better.

Your choice of flooring in any room that’s exposed to a lot of moisture – including kitchens, laundry rooms, bathrooms and mudrooms – is important. Certain types of flooring, especially wood, carpet and laminate, can be easily damaged by water and can become a hotbed for dangerous mold growth. Some brands of luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and plank (LVP), especially Metroflor’s Engage Genesis line, are 100 percent waterproof and are even enhanced with anti-microbial properties.

Mudrooms are also a great selling point from a home valuation standpoint. That separator between inside and outside is likely to become doubly valuable in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These rooms are also a great way to show friends, family and visitors that your household takes cleanliness and health seriously. Entering a home through a mudroom, where you can take off your outside clothes, can contribute to the interior feeling more comfortable and homier – a way to leave the outside behind.

Taking the Danger out of Moisture

Mudrooms are, by definition, exposed to moisture. Moisture leads to mold and mildew growth in virtually every indoor environment that’s temperature controlled. Having materials in your mudroom specifically designed to inhibit the growth of mold, mildew and other harmful bacteria is a must.

When it comes to flooring in a mudroom, nothing beats Engage Genesis rigid core LVT flooring from Metroflor.

Engage Genesis LVT and LVP has Ultra-Fresh technology baked right in, which is a specially formulated anti-microbial treatment that is highly resistant to mold and mildew. It’s also odor repelling, so the room in your home most likely to stink will have flooring resistant to soaking up any noxious odors.

If mold spores or odors are going to be tracked into your home from anywhere, it’s going to be from your mudroom. With Engage Genesis you can keep contaminants in your mudroom where they belong, and rest easy knowing your flooring is 100 percent waterproof and resistant to contamination from bacteria and spores.

We don’t want to lead people to believe our flooring is viral resistant – the anti-microbial treatments are not anti-viral treatments. However, you would be hard pressed to find a commercial or residential flooring more resistant to mold and mildew.

Mold spores are especially dangerous to households with mold allergies, asthma or other breathing disorders. Since COVID-19’s toll on the lungs can be so severe, any flooring material that minimizes the risk for mold growth can help keep your family safe.

Don’t rely on your flooring to do all the work. You should still follow all disinfecting methods recommended by the CDC and other health experts.

Can You Safely Disinfect Luxury Vinyl Flooring?

Yes, Engage Genesis luxury vinyl tile and plank from Metroflor can be safely disinfected with a wide variety of cleaning products and solutions. Other flooring can’t be as easily disinfected without risking damage from excess moisture, discoloration or staining.

Luxury vinyl flooring can be safely cleaned and disinfected with white vinegar and warm water in a one cup to one-gallon mixture, as well as other commercially available options.

Maintain a Clean, Healthy Home Without Sacrificing on Style

Hospitals and labs are sterile, stark environments that rarely create the warm atmosphere people want in their home. The Engage Genesis line of flooring lets you have the cleanliness of a cleanroom without the clinical aesthetic. With nearly a dozen styles and designs to choose from – such as the realistic wood grains on our luxury vinyl plank or the authentic stone patterns on our luxury vinyl tile – you can maintain a clean home without sacrificing your design aesthetic.

Browse through some of the wood plank and tile designs and see why it’s hard to tell the difference between LVT and LVP flooring and the real thing. You can also learn more about the many other attributes, in addition to its Ultra-Fresh coating, that makes Engage Genesis such a great flooring option, including its:

• ISOCORE rigid core technology
• Easy floating floor installation
• Sound deadening underlayment
• Varying wear layers for extended life in a variety of traffic areas
• Great warranty for your peace of mind

If you’d like to learn more about Engage Genesis luxury vinyl tile or plank installation, please contact a local dealer near you.