How To Protect Your Hardwood Floor During The Holidays
It’s getting to be that time of year again! You’ll soon be hosting dinners for family and parties for friends. School’s out and maybe older kids are home from college, and if you’re proud to show off your beautiful hardwood floors, who can blame you?
But winter weather can be filthy, and everybody gathering in your warm house means tracking stuff in. So what can you do to protect your hardwood floor? Here are a few steps we recommend to take care of your investment this holiday season.
Use doormats
Dirt and grit from outside will get scuffed around as people walk on the floor, causing abrasion. Put doormats inside and outside the front door. The outer one is for the biggest mess guests might have on their shoes, and the inside one is to dry them off more.
Put area rugs in heavy traffic areas
Hallways, dining rooms, and the paths between major doorways are the places people will walk the most. Putting down area rugs and runners (the long narrow ones) will not only make your rooms look warmer and more inviting, but they will also protect the flooring underneath.
Have guests take off their shoes
This eliminates the problem of wiping shoes, though you will end up with a pile of shoes and boots. Ironically, that makes this system easier for small gatherings, but harder at big gatherings; the more shoes, the more space taken up by them. There’s also a social etiquette question, so if you do this, consider also using the carpet idea above. Walking on rugs will be more comfortable than walking on hardwood if for your guests are in their socks.
Have a boot tray
A boot tray is a shallow basin on the floor that you stand boots in, and it catches the runoff of any rain or melted snow. You can use this in conjunction with the no-shoes policy, but again, only for a limited number of guests. Five or six, but not 50.
Watch out for the Christmas tree area
You’ll need to water your tree if you want it to look green and healthy the whole season, but that means the risk of spills. Put down some sort of plastic layer, and on top of that perhaps a small absorbent layer to catch anything that drips out.
Clean messes promptly
Clean liquid spills as soon as they happen, and give the whole floor a cleaning after the party’s over. There will probably be some mess however careful you were, and dealing with it soon will help prevent permanent marking of your floor.
Soft pads for furniture
This is more of a year-round thing, but furniture that has stationary legs instead of wheels should have some kind of felt pad where it meets the floor. This goes for all furniture, but it’s especially important for the smaller items because they will get moved more and will add up to more abrasion.
Clip those claws
Many pets spend most of their time inside, and their claws also add up to a lot of wear and tear. If their claws haven’t been clipped in a while, think about getting that done before the holiday visits start. Pets sometimes act differently when new people are around, and may exhibit damaging behavior under stress.
Hopefully we’ve given you some ideas about floor care in the busiest time of the year. More planning now means less worrying later! And if you’re thinking about an area rug to protect your hardwood floor in the most elegant way possible, Unique Carpet and Floor in Manassas has a wide selection of quality area rugs to compliment your hardwood floor. Give us a call at (703) 369-1600 or stop by our store just off Sudley Road.