9 Home Fixes to Fake

• Scratched Baseboards
  
  Your best bet: A stain-repair stick like Minwax Blend-Fil Pencil in a close hue (assorted colors, $4.49 each, minwax.com for details) -- it's like concealer for your baseboard's blemishes. Second best: A Crayola marker can help stained-wood boards.
  
  
  

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• Stained Tablecloth
  
  Maybe the covering is a little worse for the wear, too. Have your kids cut out paper snowflakes to discreetly tape over problem areas. Scatter a few extras, so the look seems intentional. If all else fails, set serving trivets on top.
  
  
  

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• Nicked Table
  
  You've got two choices: Marker it or cover it. For the former, try the GHRI's favorite furniture markers, the Guardsman Touch-Up Pen Kit ($5 for three, guardsmen.com). Apply to scratch, buff with a soft cloth, and top with a coat of furniture polish. Or just institute your own cover-up: For coffee or end tables, arrange books, coasters, or nibbles on top, or drape with a nice scarf. For the dining room table, need we even say it? Haul out that holiday tablecloth.
  
  
  
  

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• Beat-up Wood Floors
  
  No need to sand and seal when a quick mop job will do. In GHRI tests, Orange Glo Hardwood Floor Refinisher ($15 for 32 ounces, woodfloorcare.com), applied with a microfiber mop, minimized deep scratches, erased small ones - and dried faster than you can say "12 drummers drumming." And may we introduce you to cheap holiday rugs and runners? If needed, pick up some under-pads to keep them in place.
  
  
  

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• Water Stain on Ceiling
  
  As long as your ceilings are white, you can "make" paint by smoothly sponging on Wite-Out (however, you may want to keep the lights low for that particular dinner party). And don't draw attention upward - keep decorations at eye level or lower.
  
  
  

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• Grungy Carpet
  
  GHRI gives top marks to the Woolite Pod tool from Bissell ($4, woolitecarpet.com for info), which cleans and fluffs fibers in minutes. Also, see previous rug fix for wood floors.
  
  
  

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• Out-of-Control Junk
  
  If the clutter has grown beyond container proportion, corral it in a corner under a sheet or blanket (or in a spare room, if possible). Add a sign, such as, "Secret Santa Work in Progress: Keep Out!" You'll get chuckles and probably some sympathy.
  
  
  

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• Broken Floor Tile
  
  Plop a poinsettia on top and have a glass of eggnog. The exception: If it's in a high-traffic area, clear loose pieces, and point it out so guests don't trip. The explanation: "Hey, it's been a busy year!"

  
  
  Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc. Originally Published: 9 Home Fixes to Fake
  
  
  

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