If you’re hosting a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party this month, make sure you’re ready for flooring emergencies. With the holiday cheer in full swing, accidents tend to happen, and a glass full of red wine may not stay entirely in the glass. Follow our handy guide to prevent permanent damage to your floors caused by spilled drinks this party season.

Carpet

• Do not scrub! That might be your first instinct, but all this will do is spread the spill around and work the matter harder into the fibres.
• Blot up as much of the spill as much as possible with paper towels or a clean cloth or towel.
• Apply spot cleaner and rub from the outside in to contain to the spill to the smallest area.
• Blot dry once clean.
• Vacuum your carpet once dry to return the carpet pile to its usual direction.

Hardwood

• Soak up the bulk of the spill immediately with paper towels or a clean cloth or towel.
• Apply a wood floor cleaner to the affected area and gently rub with a soft damp cloth in a circular motion to remove any staining, cleaning from outside in.
• If that doesn’t work, try applying denatured alcohol.
• Once any staining is removed, wipe your floors over with a soft damp cloth to remove any residue left over from cleaning products.
• Remember that hardwood does not take to moisture well so try use as little liquid as possible when cleaning.

Vinyl Flooring

• Soak up the bulk of the spill immediately with a cloth or paper towel with paper towels or a clean cloth or towel.
• If a stain is left, use a manufacturer-approved flooring cleaner to spot clean the area, rubbing inwards from the edge of the spill with a soft cloth.
• Once the stain is gone, remove product residue using a soft clean cloth dampened with warm water.
• If you have vinyl planks installed, do not flood your floor with water in an attempt to clean a stain. Although vinyl is waterproof, standing water for extended periods of time can seep into the gaps between the planks.

Tiles

• Tiles are super resistant to stains so just wipe up the stain and you should be good to go.
• If the spill has spread into the grout, however, and your grout is a light colour, leaving the spill unattended for too long can result in staining.
• For stained grout, apply a cleaning solution such as vinegar and water or a commercial cleaner and scrub with a small brush.
• Avoid using steel wool or scrubbers as they are too abrasive.
• For stubborn stains, apply a paste of baking soda and water and let sit overnight before scrubbing clean. Wipe off the excess paste.

A few last general tips for cleaning any floor – always use the gentlest formulation of any floor cleaners and work your way up in strength if it doesn’t work to avoid inadvertently damaging your floor. Also, make sure to test any cleaning solutions you intend to use in inconspicuous spot first. This way, you can keep your floors looking their best.
Need more tips for cleaning your floors? Talk to the experts at an Andersens near you.