When you think of this time of year – the beginning of the holiday season and the advent of winter – what are the first things that come to mind?

If it’s Christmas carols, Santa Claus and your favorite holiday tunes, then you are like most Americans – normal and sane.

But if you’re us, the first things we think of are boot stains on wood floors, soggy messenger bags on desks and snow, snow, snow everywhere.

We can’t help it – we’re furniture people!

Here are some of the ways we protect our furniture with the upcoming onslaught of yucky wet stuff on our favorite desks, tables and chairs around the office.

Keep those boots away from the desk

Perhaps our least favorite addition to the workplace in winter in the Chicagoland area is soggy, wet boots. They track in snow, mud and other desirables to the workplace. Somehow, all this moisture inevitably makes it onto chairs and into the sides of desks and conferences tables.

And if your coworkers are really adventurous, you may even catch them laying their yucky boots right on a work table or bench – surely doing some damage to the precious wood.

Be proactive and get boot racks for your fellow workers – they can surely slip in normal dress shoes in their designer messenger bags, can’t they? Alternately, provide ample boot-wiping surfaces at the entrance – or even at each desk, if you have a particularly soggy bunch.

Get wet umbrella bags

Been to a bank lately in the rain? Work in a large building with a well-to-do lobby? Or, visited the Merchandise Mart lately?

If any of these are true for you, then you may have started seeing the wet umbrella bag stations posted at arm’s reach at each of these locations. As furniture aficionados, we think these are the smartest furniture protective device since chair seat covers.

Winter may be known for snow, but don’t discount rain and other slushy stuff that can best be handled by an umbrella. These wet umbrella bags are especially a lifesaver this time of year – not only is the rain and slush cold, it’s often dirty, too.

Wet sleeves and jackets

Now, this one is a conundrum – the wet sleeved guys and gals who waltz into the workplace in December. We think it’s from scraping off hardened ice from windshields, windows and the car roof – and the innocent snow that gets picked up by sleeves in the process.

Alas, what we fear may be the reality is that certain lazy coworkers decided to clear off snow from the windshield with just the sleeve of their jacket or shirt. (OK – maybe you’ve though of doing that too. We have. Or maybe you did it recently. We won’t judge!)

Either way – your best bet is to make sure to provide lots, and lots, and lots of paper towels or other throwaway cleaning element at nearly every corner of the workplace.

Get the ultimate winter protectors

Of course, the most helpful thing you could do to protect your desk and table surfaces is order a glass top – the ultimate winter moisture protector. Check out our glass top offerings for more info, or our glass top gallery for inspiration.