Don't Leave Pineapple On The Floor After Housewarming Ritual — It May Damage Your Flooring

For many Singaporeans, rolling a pineapple into a new home while shouting "huat ah!" is a time-honoured housewarming tradition believed to usher in prosperity, wealth and good fortune.

But one Singapore content creator recently discovered that the popular ritual can come with an unexpected downside after a pineapple appeared to damage the floor of her new home.

In an Instagram video, Erica Zhao (@princessezyt) shared how her family carried out the pineapple-rolling ceremony after collecting the keys to their new home, a five-storey cluster house.

After rolling a whole pineapple into the home, they left it on the floor, thinking little of it.

Less than three days later, they returned to find a large whitish mark on the light-coloured marble flooring where the pineapple had been left.

"My first reaction was shock and disbelief," Erica, 43, told 8days.sg. "We didn't expect a pineapple to cause any damage to the flooring, especially since it's such a common housewarming tradition."

The marble tiles were brand new and came with the house.

“Pineapples are naturally acidic, and with Singapore’s hot weather, the juice may leak out and seep into certain flooring materials, causing marks or stains,” the mother-of-three said.

She advised fellow homeowners to learn from her mistake by placing the pineapple on a tray or wrapping it in a cloth after completing the ritual.

According to Erica, the damage appears to be a visible stain or discolouration on the marble tile where the pineapple was left.

"It is localised to the area directly beneath the pineapple rather than widespread damage,” she said.

The family initially tried cleaning the area, but the mark remained. That’s when they realised it might not be a simple surface stain.

Acidic substances such as fruit juice can react with certain stone surfaces and affect their finish. In some cases, repairing the damage may require professional restoration work.

Erica has informed her contractor and is awaiting an assessment of the damage. While she has yet to obtain repair quotations, she said she has been advised that the affected area can likely be restored through professional polishing.

"We hope restoration is possible without having to replace any tiles," she said.

Despite the apparent damage, many viewers responded with humour, joking that the pineapple may simply have delivered an extra dose of good fortune.

"Too much blessings, it cannot contain," wrote one commenter.

Another quipped: "Deeply etched the wealth in your house, it's a good sign."

One viewer joked that the mark could become a permanent fixture of the home's feng shui, asking: "Would that end up be your feng shui spot?"

So if you're planning to roll a pineapple into your new home for good luck, you may want to make sure it doesn't stay on the floor afterwards.