How to Remove Stains from Non-Wood Floors

New floors, whether they are wood or non wood, cost a small fortune. Stains can ruin the joyful experience of having new floors. To keep your non wood floors bright and stain free, follow these steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• This depends on what type of non wood flooring you are removing the stain from. See steps for more information.

1. Grease and oil
   
   Mop up as much of the stain as possible with newspapers and then scrub your non wood floor with a cloth dampened with all purpose cleaner.

2. Wine, ink and crayon
   
   Rub the staind with a clean cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol removes a lot of different stains from non wood floors, but use caution as rubbing alcohol can mar the color of your non wood flooring.

3. Candle Wax
   
   Freeze the surface of the spill with ice to make the wax brittle. Scrape up with a plastic spatula. Works to remove chewing gum from your non wood floor, too!

4. Coffee and other beverages
   
   Lightly rub stain with a mildly abrasive powder such as Comet or Ajax with a damp, hot cloth. For tough stains, remove the stain by following up with an application of hydrogen peroxide and applying to your non wood floor.

5. Blood
   
   Use a solution of one part ammonia and one part cold tap water to remove blood stains from flooring, although if you have blood on your floor, you may have bigger problems then a stain on your non wood floor. Quickly wipe away the solution to avoid discoloration.

6. Lipstick
   
   For no-wax surfaces, use a plastic scouring pad to remove lipstick stains. For all others floor surfaces, rub with a fine steel wool pad and mild cleaner.

7. Paint and nail polish
   
   Scrub the stain with a concentrated laundry detergent and a fine steel wood pad.

Tips & Warnings

• It's always best to test a small area of your non wood floor before cleaning to ensure the solution doesn't discolor your floor.