A declutter and makeover project is something most homeowners invest in every fall. After all, you want your place to look spotlessly clean and eye-pleasing for the holiday parties. But one thing you cannot be too sure about is your floors because the snow, ice, slush, and salt can wreak havoc and waste all the hard work.
While these usual culprits are hard to deal with, you can minimize the damage by sticking to a cleaning schedule, making a few strategic purchases, and setting up a few new house rules. Let us share some easy tips to keep your floors clean during the holiday season.
Start with outdoor care
When the festive season begins, you focus your effort on Christmas decor. Conversely, it is easy to miss out on cleaning your backyard and driveway. Keeping the outdoors clean can go a long way in reducing the amount of dirt that comes inside and lodges itself on your flooring and carpets.
As a bonus, you can impress your guests with the curb appeal of your property. Shovel driveways and sidewalks regularly to keep dirt at bay. Pay extra attention to front porch cleaning.
Install doormats at all entry points
A preventive approach is far better than stressing and sweating over floor cleaning in the holiday season. You can simply install heavy doormats at all entry points, inside and outside, as they do much of the heavy lifting to prevent dirt from entering your home.
The outside doormat soaks the bulk of dirt and moisture, and the inside one grabs anything left. In fact, this one-time investment can keep yours sparkling clean throughout the year.
Invest in cleaning equipment
Floor cleaning can be taxing, specifically, if you have tiles because dirt shows on them sooner than later. Spending hours scrubbing and mopping them is the last thing you want to do during the holidays. You can buy yourself a steam cleaner for tile floors as a Christmas gift this year.
A steam mop uses steam to clean the spills, so there is hardly a chance of a stain. The heat even disinfects the floor, making it germ-free. You can also use this piece of equipment for hardwood floors.
Keep cleaning supplies at hand
Besides investing in a steam mop, you must keep cleaning supplies at hand. You may procrastinate and promise to come back to clean a spill or dirt, but it somehow never happens.
Moreover, you end up finding the dirt dried into a mess, and no amount of effort helps to clear it away. Having a mop and cleaning liquid nearby keeps you active in cleaning the dirt sooner than later.
Mind your kids and pets
Although you cannot implement rules for your guests, set them for your kids and pets. Ensure that adults and kids remove their shoes at the door, as this simple measure is often enough to keep your floors shining and stain-free over the years.
Keep the living room area and expensive carpets off-limits to your pets. Besides bringing in dirt and moisture from outdoors, your furry friends also carry bacteria, germs, and dander.
Keeping an eye on your home’s flooring and cleaning it sooner than later should be on top of your holiday season checklist. Follow these simple tips for a preventive and proactive approach.