How to protect your exotic hardwood floors when you have a Christmas tree

Exotic hardwood floors can be difficult to clean and maintain, especially during the Holiday season. The Holidays can be stressful, so why add more stress when it comes to your home. Christmas is quickly approaching, so let us help you with these easy tips, that way you can have more time with your family and friends. The first thing we would recommend, before bringing the Christmas tree home, make sure you are putting a protective mat or layer under the stand. This will block the water and pine needles from getting on your hardwood floors and possibly damaging the finish. The mat is also durable and reusable, so no need to throw it away when the Holidays are over, you can use it again next year. Make sure you’re not using a towel or area rug; these options will soak up and retain the water and damage your hardwood floors. After you have picked out the perfect Christmas tree, when bringing it into your home, do not drag it across your floors. Instead, pick it up all the way, and carry it to the designated spot. This way, you’re avoiding any type of scratches on your exotic hardwood floors.

Once the tree is in, you want to make sure you pick up any remaining pine needles from your exotic hardwood floors. We recommend a microfiber mop or hardwood vacuum to clean up any of the needles, that might’ve fallen off from the tree while it was being brought into the house. While the tree is up, you should be cleaning your floors daily to avoid any scratches, even twice a day if you can. An extra tip is to keep your tree extra hydrated, that way it won’t have extreme needle loss. We know this sounds like a lot, but in the long run, it’s to benefit our clients and to keep your exotic hardwood floors as new and shiny as possible!

The last tip is for when you are taking down your Christmas tree and cleaning up your hardwood floors. Ideally, you will want to put a sheet down, that way when taking your tree outside, any pine needles dropping, will fall on the sheet. You can also put a big plastic bag or garbage bag over the tree to avoid even more needles falling off when carrying it outside. After the tree is gone, make sure you carefully throw away the water that was in the stand, and if any water spills, quickly clean it up. Once that is all done, you want to use your hardwood vacuum and microfiber mop to thoroughly clean up that area. We hope this helps! Follow these tips, and your exotic hardwood flooring will stay clean and shiny throughout the holiday season. Stay safe and Happy Holidays!