Use plates, saucers or cache pots. If the plants are thoroughly drained after watering there won't be any standing water.

They make plastic saucers in a wide range of sizes specifically for this purpose. Or many decorative pots come with matching saucers, if that is your preference. Sometimes even cache pots (decorative pots without drain holes that you just slide another pot into) will transmit moisture from their bottoms, so saucers can be useful for them, too.

And will just second the comment to make sure saucers are emptied after watering. Don't let the pots sit in standing water.

If you are being thrifty, I recommend checking out thrift stores or dollar stores. There is an endless supply of things that will work for this purpose. Plates, trays, baking dishes, etc.

Thank you so much @floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK @gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) @popmama (Colorado, USDA z5) Common sense to the rescue. :)

use distilled water only

Not a practical suggestion Mike, I believe distilled water costs money.

I use the plastic saucers, you can find them at most $ stores, I also use dishes I pick up for as low as .10 each at thrift stores.

The nature of the water is irrelevant to whether the pot stains furniture. And distilled water is not necessary anyway.

I use ceramic containers since I don't like seeing plastic in my house other than utilitarian items in the kitchen.

everything costs money. buying new pots and saucers also costs money and no guarantee that they wont get water stain. i think it is better to solve the cause which is water!!!

"i think it is better to solve the cause which is water!!! "

So what does that mean? Stop watering? Or only water such a small amount that it never drains fully through? Neither are viable solutions. And water is water afa staining floors or furniture is concerned, distilled or not.

Saucers or some other sort of solid containment is the reasonable solution. And they don't have to be expensive. You can use the lids of plastic food containers or the containers themselves if large enough. Or recycled aluminum pie pans. Or mismatched saucers or plates from a thrift store or garage sale, often for just a few pennies each.

A watertight saucer, plate etc certainly will guarantee no stain. How can there be a stain if there's no water reaching the tile? And they don't need to be new or cost anything. Any redundant saucer, plate, lid, tub, pot, tray, pan, tin, etc will do.

I think that MTFLF Guy doesn't understand that the problem is moisture from the container leaking and staining the floor. Even plants that are barely watered can cause stains on flooring.

Any non-permeable saucer, platter, plate, etc. can be used, as most of us have discovered. I would use hard plastic, glass, or a glazed ceramic of some sort. Terra cotta saucers can stain, too, unless

water contains minerals that stains the pot. Unless you change the water, it will always have stain no matter what saucer you use

OP isn't talking about staining the pot. They're talking about terrazzo tile under the pot.

And if they were talking about the pots there is still no reason to use distilled water. If you drain your pots thoroughly and wash your cache pots periodically they don't stain.

Hiya, I am indeed talking about avoiding stains on the terrazo tille under the pot...which is an easily rectifiable problem, thanks to you lovely people.

Even distilled water will cause stain on floors. Synthetic fertilizers are basically salts that will leach out. Plus the organic components of soil such as bark and peat will release chemicals over time due to decomposition. In winter it is more obvious when I water and collect the effluent to dispose. It always has a light brown color.

Let's not clutter our OP's good question and our appropriate answers with responses to the child's moronic interruptions.

I started off with cheap plastic clear saucers like these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PX4LNVW?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

They are flimsy, deteriorate fast and crack and cannot really take heavier pots with heavier mixes. I gave up on those and replaced with thicker more durable saucers. They are available in various sizes (limited range though) from garden centers, big box stores, etc in the $3-4+ . Cheapest are the ones from hydrofarm if you buy in bulk - eg: https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-HGS8P-Premium-Saucer-8-Inch/dp/B008XOPUVO

There are better ones available than the hydrofarm ones but will cost more. The main advantage is that they last a long time. My newest ones are probably 4 yrs old and the oldest ones are more than 15 years old and none have cracked yet. Another advantage is that I can lift up the pot with the saucer or drag it across the floor without worrying about them cracking.

Another place to check is IKEA. They have all sorts of stuff that can be repurposed as a plant saucer.

Karen, I love that idea! First, I love ice cream. Second you are re-using! Great idea.