Holiday parties are the best parties there are. The food is better, gift giving and receiving is usually a plus, and the drinks are usually better. But with all of these great benefits of a Holiday party comes the inevitable stains and spills on your carpet and furniture. It’s funny how your uncle just has a thing for spilling as much red wine as he can every year on your light colored carpet isn’t it?

We have some tip for you to make mess making in your home stress-free.

*DISCLAIMER* Always try these techniques on a tiny area you don’t care about before you dive fully into attempting to get the stains out. See how the material reacts first before proceeding.

Removing watermarks or heat marks from wood. This is especially useful when all of those friends are bringing food over and helping you set up. You might not realize what is left on the table at what temperature, or at the end of the night you’re just too dang tired to clean the mess and leave it to the morning. Of course though you would NEVER do that, your house is always spotless ;). Those pesky white marks are created from condensation building up under the table top when different temperature foods are set on it.

1. First trick is mayonnaise. Yes that’s right. Take about 2 tablespoons of regular mayo directly on the mark and let it sit for at least 8hrs. The fat in the mayo is reabsorbed into the mark on the table, causing it to disappear. Wipe it off when the time is up and wah-lah! For more success with this, it will work best on a new water mark. Get to any spot or stain quickly and you will have a better chance at success.

2. Second trick is to use an iron. There needs to be some layers between the iron and the table to a cotton towel sprayed down with a little water will usually do the trick. Next you iron over the spot (make sure to keep it moving) for about 15 seconds at medium heat and again like magic your “water mark” should disappear!

Red wine stains in carpet and fabrics. Ah yes, the most terrifying stain of them all. Well you’re in luck because our tricks are great!

1. Mix a bowl of half dawn dish soap and half 3% hydrogen peroxide. This easy quick at home remedy is the best for immediate care when you have nothing in your home, or it can work for any red wine spill on carpet!

2. Another trick people have said that works is to use white wine on the red wine stain. It reacts against each other pulling the red stain out.

Sprucing up dingy looking furniture. When you are having said party, you might not have the time or the money to go out and replace some older furniture you might have enough though it looks pretty gross. There are some tricks to cleaning up dirty looking furniture (mainly upholstered furniture) to buy you more life with that item!

1. Microfiber sofa. Get a WHITE sponge or something with white bristles so there is no color transfer on to your furniture. (Or pick a cleaning tool the same color as the item you’re cleaning) Pour rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and saturate the stained areas. Take your sponge and start scrubbing the area and use all those arm muscles! It can be a little bit of a work out. If the sponge gets really dirty switch it out for a new one because it can spread the dirt to other areas. Let the areas dry now and it will feel a little hard in those areas but that is when you use the bristles brush. Once the surface is completely dry, use the brush and swirl in different areas to kind of fluff the fabric back up.

Care and maintenance for wood furniture. To keep your wood items in your home looking nice for years to come, we recommend regular care treatments to them.

-Dust frequently with a soft lint free cloth.

-Use quality polish every 90 days.

-Avoid placing in direct sunlight.

-Avoid wax and silicone polishes.

-Always blot, never wipe spills.

Cleaning you leather upholstery. Leather can be a tricky fabric to maintain but it can also be the longest lasting if you take care of it correctly.

1. Always position leather items in your home away from direct sunlight because that will add cracking and drying.

2. For general cleaning use a moisturizing soap like Dove. Lather on with a soft, clean rag to wipe away dirt.

Tips for cleaning carpets.

This is a great link with trick and techniques to use when you need a good carpet cleaning!

https://www.carpet-rug.org/Carpet-for-the-Home/Cleaning-and-Maintenance/Cleaning-Essentials/Cleaning-Spots-and-Spills.aspx

This way you family can get back to using the furniture for what it was meant for and not have to stress about messes.

So there you have it, the most used care and cleaning tricks especially around the Holidays. Are there any stain removal or maintenance tricks you would love to know for your furniture? Post it in the comments section and we will try to come up with a trick for you!

Happy Holidays!