How to Eliminate a Deep Stain From Wood Floors

Wood floors are renowned for their beauty. Damage to the floors needs to be kept minimal, and stains need to come out as soon as possible. Here are some easy tips to get some common stains out of your wood flooring.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• toothpaste
• fine grade (000) steel wool)
• light sandpaper
• wood floor cleaner
• ice
• ammonia
• floor wax
• clorox
• metal scraper
• mild detergent

1. Determine what might have cause the stain, as there are several different ways to approach the clean-up. (i.e. if it is in the bathroom, could be water damage, etc.)

2. For a watermark stain, use toothpaste. Apply toothpaste to flooring and rub it in. Let the toothpaste sit until watermark has vanished and wipe clean with a damp cloth. For a deeper watermark stain, you can use light sandpaper to remove the watermark and finish by cleaning floor with wood floor cleaner and waxing.

3. For crayon or candle wax stain, put a towel down over the stain and use a hot iron to remove the wax from your floor. Use steel wool to pull out what remains and buff the floor.

4. For milk or alcohol stains, rub affected area with ammonia on a cloth. After this dries, apply a coat of wax.

5. If it is an oil based stain, remove excess oil with newspaper. Apply dry cleaning fluid to the area and let it sit for a few minutes. Wipe up the dry-cleaning fluid and clean the area with detergent and water.

6. For mildew or mold damage, you will want to use a metal scraper to remove the topmost area of the mildew/mold damage. For a tough stain, use a 25/75 clorox-water solution to remove the stain. Then use a light sandpaper on the affected area, and wax as normal.

Tips & Warnings

• Always test repair methods on an inconspicuous area of flooring to check for discoloration.