‘Tis the season when we gather at our homes with family and friends to celebrate the holidays! With all the people that may be coming in and out of your Guelph home this season, you may be worried about how your floors will hold up, whether you have hardwood, ceramic, carpet or tile. Follow these tips for protecting your floors so you can focus on throwing the perfect holiday party!
1. Make sure you have a doormat
If you don’t have one already, go out and buy one! Whether it’s snowing the night of your party or not, you’ll want your guests to clean off their shoes before they enter the house. Otherwise, they can track in dirt, water and snow, which can damage hardwood and carpet alike.
2. Get a boot tray
Ask your guests to put their boots and shoes in a boot tray – it’ll keep any water or dirt contained, so it won’t damage your floor.
3. Have some slippers ready
If you’re going to ask your guests to take off their shoes, make sure you have a basket of slippers on hand so everyone can stay cozy and warm.
4. Plenty of surface space
Your guests are more likely to spill their drinks or food if they set it on the ground – so avoid this all together! Move some extra tables into the party space so there’s ample room for people to put their food and drinks. The last thing you want to deal with at a holiday party is spilled red wine on your new carpet.
5. Clean up spills when they happen
Spills are pretty much inevitable at a holiday party, but you can reduce their impact on your floor by cleaning them up right away – especially on hardwood. But don’t use a cloth that’s too wet on a hardwood surface.
6. Protect the floor around your Christmas tree
If your Christmas tree is in a room with hardwood floor, make sure the floor is protected surrounding the tree and the tree stand. This way, when you water your tree you’ll avoid damaging your floor.
7. Amp up the rugs
Even if your home doesn’t usually have a lot of rugs, consider getting some if you’re throwing a party and have a lot of hardwood. Rugs are a great temporary solution for protecting against scuff marks and scratches.
And if you do get a scratch or two, check out our tips for hiding scratches in hardwood.
The team at Bigelow Flooring wants to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season!
