How to Clean Water Stains From Hardwood Floors
Water stains can often accumulate on hardwood floors when water or other liquids spill onto the floor. Another main culprit is cleaning the hardwood floors with too much water. The water absorbs into the hardwood, causing unsightly stains that you need to remove as quickly as possible. By cleaning floors efficiently, and acting quickly when a spill occurs, you can easily remove and prevent water stains. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Paper towels
- Hair dryer
- 1 cup hydrogen peroxide
- 1 cup baking soda
- Toothpaste
Instructions
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Sop up as much of the water stain as possible by blotting the stain with paper towels. This absorbs any excess water that hasn't yet set into the flooring, making the cleanup process much easier.
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Use heat to dry the stain. Plug a hair dryer into the nearest electrical outlet, and hold it over the stain on a high heat setting. Hold the hair dryer roughly 6 to 8 inches above the flooring, moving the dryer back and forth over the stain until it disappears.
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If the stain isn't gone, place a layer of paper towels over the water stain, and then pour a cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide onto the paper towels. This is the diluted peroxide that's commonly used to heal cuts and scrapes on the body. Let it sit for 30 minutes, and then remove from the hardwood floors. The stain should be completely removed.
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Baking soda has absorbing qualities that draw the water out of the flooring and into the baking soda, thereby removing the stain. Cover the stain with a thick layer of baking soda, and let it sit for one or two hours. Then, sweep up the baking soda, and discard it in the trash.
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As a last resort, smear a coating of non-gel toothpaste over the stain. This toothpaste has an absorbing quality that draws the water out of the hardwood, removing the stain. Let the toothpaste sit over the stain until dry, and then wipe it away with a damp paper towel.
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Tips & Warnings
Always remember to wring water out of the mop before cleaning wood floors. When too much water comes into contact with floors while cleaning, water can easily absorb into the hardwood, creating unsightly stains.
