Experts spill the beans on cleaning up festive mess

How to remove problem pine needles (photo: Shutterstock)How to remove problem pine needles (photo: Shutterstock)
How to remove problem pine needles (photo: Shutterstock)

A Christmas tree may be an attractive festive addition to any home but they can become a problem when pine needles begin to fall and you have to remove them.

Along with removal of troublesome pine needles, Flooring Superstore investigated the recommended cleaning methods for different flooring types, based on potential scenarios of Christmas Day spills.

Pine needles

How to remove problem pine needles (photo: Shutterstock)How to remove problem pine needles (photo: Shutterstock)
How to remove problem pine needles (photo: Shutterstock)

To clean up pine needles off a carpet, you should apply some dry foam carpet shampoo or hand sanitiser to the area and leave it overnight to loosen the sap adhesive.

For real wood, laminate, or vinyl flooring, you should clean sap off with a simple solution of warm water, washing up liquid and a soft cloth.

Glitter

If you have any glittery decorations on your tree or using glitter wrapping paper, it is very likely that the glitter will stick to the floor.

To remove glitter from your carpet, you should hoover up the glitter with a small shop vac attachment which will help you work deeper into the carpet fibres.

If you have any stubborn glitter which is stuck to vinyl, wood, or laminate floor, you should wet a cloth, then dab and wipe the glitter up using static electricity.

Sticky tape

For carpet, you should take a paint scraper or plastic knife and gently scrape it across the tape, making sure you avoid removing any carpet fibres.

If you have any tape stuck on your vinyl, wood, or laminate flooring, then the best way to remove it is by placing a hairdryer over the tape on low heat and moving it across the tape.

White wine/prosecco

For white wine or prosecco spillages on carpet, you should first try to blot the spillages as quickly as possible with a dry cloth or paper towel.

While white wine does not tend to stain wood, vinyl, or laminate flooring, you should still clean it up quickly to avoid any moisture damage.

Red/mulled wine

There are various ways to remove red wine stains from carpet, although the most popular involves applying and blotting WD-40 onto the carpet to remove the majority of the stain.

You should then use a steam cleaner to remove the WD-40. On hardwood flooring, blot the area with a damp cloth.

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