Tips to Protect Hardwood Floors from Christmas Trees

12/09/2020

Home decoration during the biggest holiday season of the year remains incomplete without a Christmas tree. They not only create an incomparable ambiance in the home, but also bring back so many of our fondest memories. Unfortunately, though, homeowners with hardwood floors are often sceptic about placing real Christmas trees on their floors.

It is true that hardwood floors can take a severe beating because of Christmas trees. Sometimes, the damage can be so bad that the floor may require sanding and refinishing. The main problem with real Christmas trees is that they need to be watered from time to time and this water gets on to the floor very easily. This may lead to water spots, sap marks, cupping, staining, and even separation of the floor. Another serious issue is caused by pine needles falling on the floor and scratching them.

Luckily, however, it is possible to protect hardwood floors from these issues by taking the right precautions. Please remember that this means taking extra care while bringing in the Christmas tree, while it remains in your house, as well as when it is taken down.

• The first step for you is to clean and prepare your hardwood floor. Make use of a hardwood vacuum and microfiber mop for cleaning purpose. Don’t clean your hardwood floor using a broom, particularly for sweeping up pine needles falling from the Christmas tree.
• Make adequate arrangements to protect the floor before the Christmas tree arrives in the house. Ideally, you should create a barrier that can be placed between your hardwood floors and the Christmas tree. This will prevent the pine needles as well as water from coming in contact with the floor. You may use rectangular plastic drain trays that are often placed under washing machines. These trays can efficiently collect extra water from the stand and prevent them from overflowing or penetrating. Place your Christmas tree stand in the middle of the tray and place the tree skirt or mat on top of that. This will not only create an extra level of protection, but also camouflage the tray.  Don’t use towels or other absorbent materials because they damage the floor by soaking up water.  
• Cover your floor from the stand to the doorway while bringing in the Christmas tree. Also, before bringing in the tree, shake off the loose pine needles so that they fall outside. Then, place a large garbage bag around your Christmas tree and cover as many branches as possible. This will ensure that very few needles are able to fall on the floor. Even if you have put it on a soft material, never drag your Christmas tree across the floor. This can very easily create a long scrape on the floor along the path of the Christmas tree.
• Hardwood floors can get really scratched up by fallen needles. Clear them off at least once daily by vacuum and microfiber mop. Excessive needle loss can be prevented by keeping the tree well ventilated. 
• While taking the tree down, protect your floors by placing a sheet from the door to the stand. Be extremely careful while draining water out of your tree stand. In case of accidental spillage, clean it up immediately.

If you have any other questions about maintaining your hardwood floors, please contact us at Enoak. We have over two decades of experience in enriching people’s homes with our unique craftsmanship.