How to keep sand out of the house

A wonderful day at the beach can be dampened by irritatingly sandy feet. Whether people rent, own, or pass through a beach house, sand residue from feet can ruin floor surfaces, add to dirt, and even cause slips and falls. On top of all that, it has an annoying way of dispersing everywhere. Now that the summer months have arrived, it’s time to find new ways to keep things sand-free.

Creative ways to keep sand at bay

• - Leave rinsing items by the door. Having feet caked with dirt walking from the beach to the boardwalk is annoying, and it’s a relief to wash them off at the boardwalk foot showers.
• - For beach swimmers, have a hose with a spray nozzle handy for washing off the dirt.
• - Keep a portable camping shower around, which usually cost under $50. These can also function as changing rooms or sun shields at the beach.
• - Try cornstarch pouches. Cut up and sew old flannel shirts or flannel scraps together to create a pouch. Rub the pouch over sandy body parts for an easy removal.
• - Use mesh beach bags. Mesh bags’ holes are good filters; empty or shake out the bag before entering the home.
• - Designate a room as a ‘sand room.’ Like a coatroom, pick a room at the front of the house where guests can shake off the sand or leave belongings in the home. Hooks can be installed for coats, towels, and swimsuits, and plastic chairs that can be used as easy-to-clean seating.
• - Take shoes off before going inside. Most of the sand that gets tracked in comes from shoes and sandals. If you take your shoes off before re-entering the house, it will help trap sand that the door.
• -Skip the carpeting. Floor carpet can be difficult to clean, especially when it comes to tiny particles. Smooth floors make it easy to sweep sand away.
• - Place a mat in areas that get sandy traffic. Specially-designed mats can stop sand, literally in your tracks!

Expert sand prevention
“Waterhog and Frontier mats are perfect for beach properties because their surfaces are designed specifically to remove dirt, sand, and moisture from shoes or feet,” said Mike Andersen, manager at The Andersen Company. “Waterhog mats in particular have a ‘water dam border’ on the outside of the mat to trap the water and residue from sandy feet.” Sand is a natural result of summer fun. It can lead to gritty floors all over the house, but fortunately, if you know how to, it’s a simple problem to solve.