3 ways to avoid holiday home disasters

The holidays are a blissful time of the year. It's the time to get together with family and friends to celebrate all the good things of the year's past and ring in the New Year.

Hosting a holiday celebration brings people together, which can be tons of fun, but it can also wreck havoc on your home. Have you ever hosted a fantastic holiday party then woken up the next morning to find there's been damage to your home? Unfortunately, we can't control everything, but there are some precautions you can take make sure your home will back in order quickly post-party. Being prepared with the necessary fixer uppers is one of those things.

Use these three quick tips to help avoid holiday home disasters:

Don't cry over spilt wine

Serving dark wine on light furniture can be a recipe for trouble, especially as the evening progresses or if there's dancing involved. When guests are having a good time, they can get careless, and you may find drips and drops of red wine on your white or beige furniture. Or a whole spilled glass.

Red wine doesn't have to stain if you treat it quickly. There are a few tactics online for getting out stains, so we recommend you have the following on hand: a clean cloth or extra rolls of paper towels; salt; an electric kettle to quickly boil water; and vinegar. Those supplies should cover you for a variety of home remedies for getting out red wine stains. So when you see a glass tip over, do some quick Googling for a solution, and you'll have everything on hand to save your furniture.

Wipe away glass rings from the tables

Glass rim stains are caused by moisture seeping into the wood of your tables and countertops. As the moisture dries the stain should automatically disappear. But it can take several days to fully dry.

If the party ended a week ago and the stain is still visible, try wiping down the area with a damp cloth and mineral spirits. Home improvement expert Danny Lipford says that you can also remove water stains by "placing a dry cotton cloth over the stain and go over it with a hot iron (no steam). Heat it enough to cause the moisture to evaporate but not so much as to damage the finish."

Gum won't stay for seven years

When it comes to stains, you should treat them as soon as possible. Gum on the other hand needs the exact opposite. Trying to remove freshly planted gum can be a total nightmare while it's still gooey; it can also cause more damage to your furniture, carpet or clothing.

It's best to wait until the gum is hard and then remove it with a butter knife. To speed up the process, freeze the gum hard by applying ice cubes. It's like wax; it's easier to remove in one piece when it's hard.

With these ideas in mind and supplies in your pantry, you should be prepared for whatever the holidays throws (or sticks or drops) your way.