Handling Holiday Foot Traffic
It’s a holly, jolly time of year, one marked with lots of family gatherings and seasonal décor.
From holiday parties to wet weather conditions, there is one downside to the holiday festivities. Holiday foot traffic in your home can wreak havoc on your carpets and hardwoods.
Avoid costly damages and unsightly stains on your flooring by noting these simple steps related to living decor, winter weather conditions, and holiday guests’ dirty footwear.
Smart Decor
Decorations are a must to celebrate the season, and living décor adds life and natural scent to a home. From live garlands draped over mantels to freshly cut fir trees, these are some of the biggest offenders of hardwood and carpeted floors.
Take note of pine needles found in trees, wreaths and garlands. These needles fall onto floors, leaving behind pine sap and oils, which are detrimental to the surface of hardwoods, not to mention the pile of carpet. Avoid this issue by choosing live trimmings that are healthy with needles intact. Use protective rugs and tree skirts beneath all sources of live décor to protect your flooring, and remove any dying or shedding pieces from your home.
A Classic Chicago Christmas means Snow
A white Christmas may be the making of dreams, but it leaves your flooring in miserable shape. From tracking in everything from snow to mud, your floors are left worse for wear by the New Year.
Tack on the increase in foot traffic as you have guests over for holiday parties and dinners, and soon enough your floors are bombarded with dirt and moisture. Stop this grime in its tracks by adding heavy duty door mats and area rugs in your entryway. Keep a boot brush on the outside of your entry so that guests can clean their boots’ bottoms before entering your home.
Shoe Free Holidays
For gatherings big or small, make it a point to ask guests to remove shoes in your mud room. Make this known by adding a festive sign to your entryway, such as a simple chalkboard with a request to remove shoes before entering. Place a plastic bin inside the entry so that guests can deposit their wet and snow-covered kicks so they can dry without draining onto your floors. To make things easy for guests, keep a stash of holiday themed slippers in your entryway. Not only can these serve as festive welcoming gifts, but they also provide a way to keep your floors clean and tidy throughout the holiday season.
Think your guests may not want to remove their shoes? Then, it may be worth the time and effort to lay plastic over your flooring if you plan to have a large number of guests. Rolls of plastic can usually be found at your local hardware store.
To find out more about quality hardwoods and carpeting, contact the experts at Trevino Flooring.
