A Christmas Cleanup Crisis

Charlotte@Living Well on the Cheap  —  January 9, 2012 — 11 Comments

Nick and I finally got around to dealing with the post-Christmas chaos this weekend. We took down the tree, found forever homes for all of our gifts, and cleaned up Wrapocalypse 2011 (my nickname for what became of the guest room by the time every gift was tied up with care). Unfortunately, it wasn’t all rainbows and Christmas Miracles.

See that dark stain on the floor where the Christmas tree used to be?

Even though we had put a towel down under the tree stand, apparently enough water escaped during our clumsy watering attempts to soak through and damage the floor. This was one of those moments where your heart sinks down to your feet and you wonder why anyone ever allowed you to be a homeowner.

We haven’t even done anything about it yet, except try to avoid looking at it. I’ve done a bit of googling in  between bouts of self-pity and have some ideas, though. My goal is to avoid having to sand and re-finish that area, which is what most of the internet seems to preach as the best overall solution. One website said to place a towel over it and apply a dry iron, but I think that method is best put to use on less severe damage (water spots that appear white in color, such as from a drink set down without a coaster). The other option I’m considering is to apply a towel soaked in vinegar. Seems easy enough and carries little risk of making things worse. Many websites suggested the use of bleach or oxalic acid, but I’m really worried about causing more harm than good. Those will be last ditch efforts for me, if necessary. Part of me wants to just throw a little rug over the spot and pretend that it never happened. I know that’s not the mature and homeowner-y thing to do, though, so I’ll be putting on my big girl panties and dealing with it for better or worse. Any ideas or suggestions? Tell me we’re not the only ones this has ever happened to.

In less gut-wrenching news, my beloved alma mater is playing in the college football national championship game tonight! I am so freaking stoked, and Nick is just beside himself. He jumped out of bed this morning to put on his favorite LSU shirt and then reminded me to be sure to wear purple and gold to work today. I kind of feel like major milestones in my life are a good omen for LSU. I showed up my freshman year-LSU won a national championship for the first time since 1958. I finished undergrad and started grad school at LSU-they won another national title that year. And now I get knocked up and what do they do? Go and have a perfect season. Coincidence? I think not. I’m mostly kidding, of course. I know that the credit goes to the coaches and players, but no one can deny that college football is a big part of life here in Baton Rouge. Some of the swankier private schools are closed today because so many of their students will be attending the game. And I don’t even want to think about what Nick’s mood will be like for the next several days if things don’t go as we hope tonight. He actually lost sleep the other night because a highly recruited local high-school senior announced that he would be attending Alabama instead of LSU. We feel pretty confident about tonight’s game, though, especially since we’ve already beaten Alabama once this year. Anyway, I’m rambling. I hope you all had a restful weekend, that your Monday is cheerful, and that your floors are in pristine condition. Geaux Tigers!

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Charlotte@Living Well on the Cheap

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11 responses to A Christmas Cleanup Crisis

  1. Charlotte- Sorry about your wood. I left a pumpkin sit on a butcher block table and it sort of spoiled and stained the wood through the jute mat even! I hate to tell you but we did have to sand it down. Surely you can find a way to hide the spot! Ms. Joanne

    • Charlotte | livingwellonthecheap January 9, 2012 at 1:15 pm

      Well, at least I know that sanding worked for you! If I get to that point hopefully I’m able to pull it off with a professional-looking result.

  2. I just didn’t water my tree :) Otherwise it prob would have happened to me too. It got filled up when we put it up then we forgot about it and hoped it wouldn’t turn brown, and it didn’t.

    • Charlotte | livingwellonthecheap January 9, 2012 at 1:16 pm

      That’s what I should have done! We didn’t have this problem last year. I don’t know what went wrong, but I feel like Pistachio must be somehow to blame.

  3. Hi Charlotte, I havent got any tips on the wood stain… sorry! I was in South Africa so have just now caught up on my blogs… wanted to wish you a happy new year and say congrats on your wonderful baby news- u look lovely in your stripes with the baby bump! x

  4. Janet (Country Mouse January 9, 2012 at 5:18 pm

    The only tip I have heard about wood stain is to put mayonnaise on it, rub it in, let it stand five or ten minutes and then clean it up. I have no idea if it works. I am all for putting a rug on it.
    I thought all of my Christmas was cleaned up, but I was wrong. I look around a see a mistletoe ball hanging from a light and a Christmas candle and then their is a crystal reindeer hanging from a chandelier. Sigh…..I will keep at it.
    Good luck to LSU.

    • Charlotte | livingwellonthecheap January 9, 2012 at 6:11 pm

      LOL Janet, I was just now tidying up as we have a few friends coming over to watch the game and I KEEP FINDING MORE CHRISTMAS STUFF! Apparently I was more thorough in my decorating than I thought!

  5. Your post prompted me to jump out of bed this morning to see if our tree is doing the same thing! Luckily not, but what a bummer. Hope something easy makes it as good as new!

    • Charlotte | livingwellonthecheap January 10, 2012 at 5:50 pm

      Glad you’re not suffering the same fate as me! We got off scot free last year, hence our total shock to discover the big ugly spot this year!

Trackbacks and Pingbacks:

  1. Repair Scratches in Wood with Olive Oil | Living Well on the Cheap - November 1, 2013

    […] See? I didn’t even edit out all the dirt on my floors. This is total honesty, people. I just poured a little olive oil on a paper towel every night around dinner time and rubbed it on there, going with the grain. I wiped off the excess and that was that. Repeat once a day until you’re pleased. I didn’t remember to do it every day and still saw results within a week. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty much a miracle cure if you’re not willing to sand and refinish your floors. I wonder if it would have any effect on the giant watermark in the living room? […]

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