How to Remove Pet Stains From Hardwood Floor

Pet stains on a hardwood floor can be unsightly, and cleaning them up can easily ruin a nicely finished hardwood floor. With a little work and some hydrogen peroxide, you can save your floors.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hydrogen peroxide

1. Once the pet stain is dry, it will have discolored the hardwood floor, creating a dark stain. First, clean the spot with some type of cleaner, whether a disinfectant wipe or pet enzyme cleaner.

2. After the spot has been cleaned, there will still be a dark stain. Here is where the hydrogen peroxide comes into the picture. Hydrogen Peroxide has an oxidizing power that will slowly bleach the color out of the stain.

3. Dampen a cloth with Hydrogen peroxide and place on the stain. Place a heavy book or other object on the cloth to hold the solution on the stain. Leave for only short periods of time, until the stain has blended in with the rest of the floor. This may take a while, but with patience, you will be able to remove the pet stain from the hardwood.

4. If all else fails, you can have the hardwood floors refinished. This is a time consuming and often expensive job, so attempting to use hydrogen peroxide to clean up pet stains is a good first step.

Tips & Warnings

• The darker the stain, the longer you will have to let the Hydrogen Peroxide sit.
• Do not get impatient - if you pour hydrogen peroxide directly onto the stain and leave it for too long, it will bleach the floor and leave a bleach spot instead of a dark stain spot.

Resources

• Dog Training Help

[obtortus]

on 5/28/2009 Nice, I will have to try this! I thought my only hope was refinishing the floor...

[evelyn83]

on 4/16/2009 good article 5*'s