There’s no better time to bring together all of your friends and family than the holidays. With family gatherings, comes an increase in foot traffic in your home. This season, safeguard your hardwood floors from the increase in activity and traffic, and take a few steps to keep them gleaming and impress your guests. Our experts at SVB Wood Floors put together this list of 5 tips to prepare your floors for the holiday season.
Routine Maintenance
It’s important to regularly sweep, dust and mop leading up to your holiday party. By doing this, you will have a good base going into the holiday season. A good base prevents small debris and dust from scraping and scratching your floors during heavy foot traffic.
Related Read: Hardwood Floor Care Instructions
Remove Spills Quickly
Houses with pets or kids are more prone to have spills. Anytime there is a spill on your hardwood floor, make sure you clean it up as soon as it happens. Removing the spills immediately will prevent long-term damage to your floors and keep them looking uniform.
Use Rugs & Mats to Preserve Your Floor
Rugs and mats are always a nice trick to keep your floors looking nice. Before inviting guests over, it’s a good idea to map out which areas of your home will have the highest traffic. For example, the front foyer, hallways, and kitchen to name a few. We suggest laying down rugs or mats in these areas to protect them. Make sure the rugs you put down have a pad underneath to prevent them from sliding around.
Protect Your Floor from Your Furniture
A problem that is often overlooked when having guests over for the holidays is moving furniture. With more guests in your home, you’re sure to be moving furniture around to accommodate more seating, or to open up a space for gifts, etc. Attaching felt pads onto the feet of your furniture can protect your floor. These felt pads allow them to easily glide on your hardwood floors without leaving damage behind. Just remember to replace the pads every few months, otherwise grit can build up and cause scratches as well.
Safeguard Your Floor from Other Dangers
Besides rugs and felt pads, there are other safety measures you can take to protect your floors this season. You can trim your pets nails and even enforce a ‘no shoes’ policy in your home. Both of these will help. Though the first is self-explanatory, the second will also help your floors in the long run. Women often wear high heels when dressing up for holiday parties (stilettos are hardwood floor enemies), which can dent, scratch, and dull your beautiful floors.
