It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for many, it is also very stressful. With Christmas rapidly approaching, there are so many things that need to be done and very little time to do them. You don’t want to have the stress of dealing with a damaged floor on top of everything. So here are some tips so that when Christmas day comes around, you can relax in your home with your hardwood floor in tip-top shape.
Clean your floor
This tip may seem like an obvious one but it is important. Clean your floor by sweeping, dry mopping, vacuuming, and removing stains. Our microfibre mops (which can be viewed here) are excellent for removing dust from your floors. Microfibre mops can be used both wet and dry. Dry particles like hair and dust are much easier to clean when dry. When the mops are wet, they are more suited to cleaning stains and marks on the floor. It is not recommended to use a broom as the bristles can damage the surface of your wood floor.
At this time of year, there are three major risks to your floor. These are; an increase in heavy footfall, the weather and the Christmas tree.
Heed Against Heavy Footfall
Christmas is that time of year when family and friends come to visit your home. If you are hosting at Christmas, you could have dozens of people in your home at one time. This increase in footfall means that your floors are likely to encounter dangers such as scuff marks from shoes, dirt, debris and water being brought into the house and food and drink spillages. Encouraging your guests to remove their shoes at the door can reduce the risk of damage to your floor by reducing the income of dirt and preventing scratches or dents caused by stilettos. Another tip is to leave some paper towels or napkins around so that anyone who spills something can quickly wipe it up before it can cause permanent damage to your hardwood floor.
Warring With Winter Weather
Winter weather can be harsh and difficult to avoid. Just because the ground outside is wet, it does not mean that your floor should be wet too. Water, dirt, grit and debris can be easily brought into your house by clinging to shoes or clothes. The salt that is used to protect streets from snow and ice can also damage your floor, as can the snow and ice themselves. You can minimise the damage caused by the weather by once again, removing all footwear before going inside. Don’t leave your footwear directly on your wooden floor either. If you have pets, you should also clean and dry their paws as soon as they come inside. Another pointer is to have a doormat at all entrances to your house. This is the best way to prevent any unwanted residue and particles from entering your home.
Take Care With Your Tree
Finally, the last danger to your floor is one that’s exclusive to this time of year: your Christmas tree. It is important to place a protective mat underneath your tree. If you have a real tree, then this is to protect against water damage. Do not use a towel as these can soak up the water and retain it which will leave a watermark on your floor. If your tree is an artificial version, then the mat is to protect your floor from being scratched by its stand. If water from the tree gets on the wood floor, it will stain and can cause cupping. That being said, it is still important to water your tree as this slows down the speed the needles are lost. These needles are another factor that can damage your wood floor. The mat can also catch some of these needles but further action will have to be required with these. Fallen needles will not damage your floor, but if you, your pet, or another person stands on them, they can be dragged around and cause scratches. The needles should be swept up using a brush or microfibre cloth. This should be done regularly so that the needles don’t have time to spread across the house. Last of all, the tree should never be dragged across your floor. The tree is heavy so it is very easy to put a large scrape in your wooden floor.
Hopefully, these tips will help you relax and enjoy this magical time of year to the maximum.