Christmas trees signal the start of the holiday season and the cheer that goes along with it. Unfortunately, their pointy needles can wreak havoc on hardwood floors. Throw some water into the mix and you’ve got a disaster practically waiting to happen.

Luckily, if you take proper precautions to protect your hardwood floors from Christmas tree needles and spillage, you won’t have to worry about refinishing your floors during the new year.

You have to be conscious about protecting your hardwood floors not only when bringing the tree inside your home, but also while the tree is just sitting in your living room, looking pretty. Here’s how to do that.

First, thoroughly sweep and vacuum the area of the floor where the tree will go. Any debris trapped under the tree stand will scratch the floor.

Then, prepare a barrier to put between the stand and the floor. A proper barrier will prevent the water you pour into the tree stand from making contact with the floor and damaging the finish. It will also help to contain the tree’s needles to an extent.

For the barrier, you can purchase an absorbent mat that’s designed to sit beneath a tree stand, or simply put down a plastic sheet.

Don’t use a towel or a bed sheet for this job, as these will hold onto the water and damage your floor’s finish.

Before bringing the tree into your home, shake it and bang the trunk on the ground outside. This will cause any loose needles to fall off.

Place the tree in a large garbage bag, pulling up the bag to cover as many of the branches as possible. This will keep some needles from falling off and getting tracked across your floor while you carry the tree through your house.

Frequently vacuum the area around the tree to get rid of any loose needles, which can severely scratch your floors if they are dragged around. Keeping the tree hydrated will help to prevent excessive needle loss.