Wood Floor Is Stained

Background: Most stains can be pre vented or minimized by keeping wood floors well waxed, and by wiping up any spilled liquid immediately. When removing a stain, always begin at the outer edge and work toward the middle to prevent it from spreading.

What to do: To clean dried milk or food stains, rub the spot with a damp cloth, dry it, and re-wax the floor. For stains caused by standing water, rub with No. 00 steel wool and re-wax. If this fails, sand the spot lightly with fine sandpaper. Clean the spot and surrounding areas using No. 1 steel wool and mineral spirits or a commercial floor cleaner. Let the floor dry, then apply matching finish on floor, feathering it out into surrounding areas. Wax after finish dries. For dark spots, including ink stains and fresh animal stains I) clean the spot and surrounding area with No. 1 steel wool and mineral spirits or a good floor cleaner; 2) thoroughly wash the stained area with household vine gar, allowing it to soak for 3 or 4 minutes; 3) if the spot remains, sand with fine sandpaper, feather out 3 inches to 4 inches into the surrounding area, re-wax, and polish.

 

Special advice: If repeated applications of vinegar don’t remove a dark spot, apply an oxalic acid solution of 1 ounce acid to 1 quart water directly on the spot. (This is a poisonous solution; use rubber gloves.) Allow solution to stand 1 hour and then sponge the spot with clear water. A second treatment may be needed. If that fails, sand the area and apply a matching finish, feathering it out into the surrounding floor area. Let the finish dry and buff lightly with No.00 steel wool. Apply a second coat of finish, let it dry, and wax. If the spot still remains, the only option may be to replace the affected flooring. (Note: Oxalic acid is a bleaching agent and, if used, the treated floor area will probably need to be restained and refinished to match original color.)

Helpful hint: For heel or caster marks, rub vigorously with fine steel wool and a good floor cleaner, wipe dry, and polish. For shallow cigarette burns, use steel wool moistened with soap and water. For alcohol spots, rub with liquid or paste wax, silver polish, boiled linseed oil, or a cloth barely dampened in ammonia, and then re-wax. For oil or grease stains, rub on a soap with a high lye content, or saturate a piece of cotton with hydrogen per oxide and place it over the stain. Then saturate a second layer of cot ton with ammonia and place over the first. Repeat until stain is re moved. For chewing gum, crayon, or candle wax, try applying ice until the material is brittle enough to scrape off.