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5 tips to stop festive décor damaging your home

Photo credit: Habitat
Photo credit: Habitat

There are lots of exciting things that happen in our homes around the festive season: Bailey's hot chocolate under fluffy blankets, cheesy Christmas movies accompanied by a chocolate selection box and, of course, the joyful decorations that take their place around our mantlepieces, ceilings, tables and windowsill.

The only downside? It can be frustrating when you discover that certain items have damaged your walls, floors, or windows.

Festive décor, such as Christmas trees, snow spray, and the equipment used to hang up the likes of stockings, can cause havoc to our homes. So, to help prepare Brits this festive season, GTSE has revealed five tips to ensure your home is protected from damage when putting up festive decorations.

1. Stop your tree ruining flooring

If you have carpets – especially deep pile carpets – a Christmas tree and its stand can leave weight marks behind when you remove it in the new year. To prevent this from happening, place the tree on top of a sturdy piece of plywood and then use some wrapping paper to hide the wood and stand.

Christmas tree stands, like other heavy objects, can also easily scratch hardwood floors. Place a non-skid mat underneath it to save the floor – and take extra care when you’re bringing the tree into the house. Tree skirts are also great way to protect your flooring.

Photo credit: Anastasiia Chipysheva - Getty Images
Photo credit: Anastasiia Chipysheva - Getty Images

2. Hang decorations safely

Hanging Christmas decorations can sometimes mean drilling holes into walls or using products that leave marks that are near-impossible to remove. There are a variety of products you can use which can make hanging decorations, and in turn make the post-Christmas clean-up, much easier:

  • Attach some string to your wall, using tack or tape, you can then add pegs to this to hang up the likes of cards and other light décor.

  • Hooks with a special adhesive, making them easy to pull off, such as cable clips.

  • Removable double-sided tape, although this is best used for lighter items.

  • Silly putty can also be used on lighter decorations. Simply roll it into a ball and stick it between your wall and decoration.

3. Keep an eye on pets

Although a joy to the home, inquisitive dogs and cats might be overly excited and want to play with decorations, risking damage to your home if they so happen to accidentally pull down the tree or drag a glittery bauble through the house.

'If you have a young puppy or very inquisitive dog, you can help keep them and your tree safe in many ways,' says Lindsay Arliss, Dog Behaviour & Training Specialist at Wood Green, The Animals Charity. 'Using a puppy pen around the tree can prevent them from accessing it, which is useful for young dogs who may be experiencing their first Christmas and be more likely to chew decorations or presents.

'You can also invest in a tree that fixes to a wall, or a slightly shorter tree that you can stand on a unit out of the pet's reach. It is very likely that your dog will get used to the tree quite quickly but do supervise them closely the first few times they are allowed direct access to the tree. Make sure the cables from lights, wire clips, tinsel and candles are kept out of the way of dogs.'

Photo credit: MARTINACIMERMANOVA - Getty Images
Photo credit: MARTINACIMERMANOVA - Getty Images

4. Stop glitter going everywhere

One of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to stop glittery baubles from shedding is to use an object lots of people will already have lying around the house: hairspray. Simply spray your baubles with non-aerosol hairspray to keep the glitter in place.

You can also opt for a non-toxic acrylic sealant, which will keep the glitter in one place for a longer time. But allow the sealant to dry before popping up your decorations on your tree and around the house.

Photo credit: IK MEDIA - Getty Images
Photo credit: IK MEDIA - Getty Images

5. Be careful with artificial snow spray

Artificial snow spray can get messy. When applying the spray to windows, make sure you protect the floor and surrounding walls, and hold the can about 12 inches from the surface you want to apply it to.

When it comes to removing the snow, don't scrape it off as this can cause a bigger mess. Instead, spray with a glass cleaner, ideally, window cleaner, take a paper towel and rub the cleaner into the snow until it comes off. If the paper towel starts to spread the snow, grab a new paper towel. Continue to use the spray until completely cleaned but just remember to clean carefully.

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