In our blog on getting your home ready for the holidays, we gave you a few tips on how to prepare for the influx of guests, food, and good times that the holidays bring. But what can you do once all the parties are over and you’re left with stains, scuffs, smudges, and other damage to your floors? We have a few pieces of advice to cover just about every kind of flooring (and even upholstery), to help you clean up after the holidays and prevent a repeat of the issue when the holiday season rolls around again.
Carpets & Rugs
Looking at a carpet covered in stains and spills? Odds are good you already have a carpet cleaning spray or foam in your cleaning supplies, and that may end up doing the trick for most spills, as long as you:
- Don’t rub or scrub too much. Most carpet cleaners work best when gently blotted over the stain in question — scrubbing will just push the stain in deeper before the cleaning product has time to work.
- Don’t always rely on specialized product. Did you spill nail polish before the party even began? Blot the stain with simple nail polish remover to take it out. For stains like soda or ice cream, you’ll see great results with a mix of a ¼ teaspoon clear detergent or basic white vinegar and about a quart of water.
- Know what to do when it comes to the tough stuff. Red wine and coffee stains are often held up as the worst of the worst, but the detergent mixture above will work for wool or wool-blend carpets, while polypropylene carpets might need a 1-part chlorine bleach to 5-parts water mix. For any other type of carpet, try 1 tablespoon of ammonia per 1 cup of water.
- Don’t use soap to clean up cooking fats or oils. If a guest tripped and now there’s oil spots in the carpet, here’s a simple trick that will help — turn your iron on to a low, warm-but-not-hot setting. Take a paper towel and lay it over the oil/fat stain, and use the warm iron to gently press the paper towel down. The warmth will help the oil/fat stain soak up into the paper towel, making getting rid of the stain itself a snap.
- Know what to do when you’re dealing with wax. If a candle dripped onto your carpet, don’t try to pick the warm wax out piece by piece… freeze it! Use ice packs laid on top of the wax to freeze it, then break it up using a knife or spoon. Vacuum up the pieces. This may take two or three tries, but it’s much easier than trying to “wash” wax out of a carpet!
Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors and wood furniture, on the other hand, are often prone to their own issues. Guests might forget a coaster and leave those unsightly drink-rings everywhere you turn. If someone spills a drink onto the floor, it could lead to issues with the hardwood later on. Here are our tips for doing the most to fix stains, scratches, and spills on hardwood floors:
- Scratches will be your biggest issue. The most common problems we see after the holiday season are scrapes and scratches. For very light, shallow scratches, a simple wax stick or wood-stain marker may do the trick. For very deep scratches, you may need to do a spot-repair by sanding back the area and then refinishing it. We don’t recommend you do this yourself — it may end up easier and more effective to call Ron’s in for a full cleaning and refinishing.
- For cooking grease or wax, try that freezing trick we suggested earlier. It’ll work just as well on wood as it does on carpets, but since you don’t have to worry about it sticking to carpet fibers, the cleanup will be faster.
- For blood, taking care is key. We definitely hope no one was injured during your holiday get togethers, but if any blood stained your hardwood, try this tip; use the water/detergent mixture mentioned above in the carpet section. If that doesn’t work, very carefully dab a little hydrogen peroxide.
- Did something drop their lipstick or cigarette? The water/detergent mix should pick lipstick right up. Follow it up with a little warm water and very gentle scrubbing. On the other hand, cigarette burns will need to be scraped away and then the floor resealed in that spot. This is another issue where it might be better to call in Ron’s team of professional technicians.
If you’d prefer to have professionals come take a look at and deal with the spills, stains, scratches, and scrapes you’re finding after the holiday season’s parties have ended, call Ron’s! We’d be happy to help with your carpets, hardwood floors, or tile and grout to get everything back to looking brand new. Do you have area or Oriental rugs that need a good cleaning? We do that, too! We can even come to your home to pick up the rugs, so all you have to do is make the call. You can reach us by phone at (864) 297-6440 or online at any time.
