Whatever type of flooring you have in your home Alex Heslop, Trend Expert from Flooring Superstore, shares their tips with That's Christmas on how to preserve your flooring from spillages, Christmas tree pine needles and the influx of visitors over the festive season.
Real wood floors
“Hardwood floors are extremely durable, but they aren’t immune to spills, scratches and stains, so it pays to be mindful over the festive season to keep your home looking its best for Christmas guests and beyond.
“Prevention is always the best approach, so small steps like encouraging house guests to remove their shoes and ensuring doormats are placed by exterior doors can help a lot in capturing mud and debris from shoes, which can scratch your wooden flooring.
“Keep an eye out for pine needles and even tree sap falling from your Christmas tree onto the flooringbeneath. Keeping on top of vacuuming under the tree, wiping away any sap with a warm soapy damp cloth should do the trick and ensure the finish on your floor is preserved.
"Wipe up spills as soon as you’re able to, again a soft damp cloth will suffice and will ensure your flooring doesn’t suffer from moisture damage. Avoid abrasive cleaning products, wet mops and steam cleaners on real wood as it can dull the finish and cause warping over time.”
Carpet
“Carpets are inevitably more susceptible to stains than other flooring types so aim to tackle spillages quickly, before they have time to soak in fully. Always blot the liquid rather than rubbing it, as this can further embed the liquid into the fibres and increase the chances of it staining.
Avoid ‘hacks’ made popular on social media such as carpet scraping, which can cause lasting damage. Before Christmas get togethers, consider using a carpet protecter, which can help repel stains, as an extra precaution.
“You may wish to up your vacuuming schedule over the festive season, to prevent a build-up of dirt. After the busy period has subsided a specialist carpet steam cleaner as part of a more thorough January clean could be worthwhile.
“Some carpet materials are better equipped to tackle stains – wool for example is resilient and naturally stain resistant. Flooring Superstore’s Windermere Carpet in Honeycomb features a perfect blend of honey and fawn shades and is made from a hardwearing quality loop pile wool material.”
Wood-effect flooring
“Laminate and Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) are durable and have added waterproof properties, so these flooringtypes are great for withstanding the greater wear and tear which comes hand in hand with the festive season.
Avoid cleaning spillages with very hot water as this can impact the finish and warp the boards. Abrasive cleaners could also scratch and dull the finish or even leave a residue which dulls the finish and makes it slippery to walk on.
“A damp cloth with soapy water will usually suffice when it comes to tackling spillages. LVT ranges such as Flooring Superstore’s Asenso range offers multiple benefits when it comes to easy cleaning being waterproof, scratch resistant and easy to maintain, making it both practical and a stylish choice for any room in the house with added protection against spillages.”
That's Christmas would like to thank Alex and Flooring Superstore for their help.