How To Remove Black Stains On Hardwood Floor

Hardwood flooring is a beautiful attribute of any home. Like carpet and any other type of flooring you must clean and maintain wood floors to keep them beautiful.  Tarnishing the floor can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare as it is a difficult task to remove stains once they have set in.  Perhaps a drink spilled and was not properly cleaned up or a cup was left on the ground leaving a ring of condensation. Worse than that, a water damage caused by a leak in the ceiling often times leaves a much bigger stain. Reoccurring stains such as pet urine also prove to be almost impossible to remove without refinishing the surrounding area of the mark. Depending on how deep the stain goes will determine how hard it is to remove.

Asses the Stain

The first question you should be asking yourself is, what does the stain look like? This answer alone will help you determine how you can go about dissolving the stain.  The tarnish will be white or black. White stains mean the stain has not set in past the surface of the wood. A black stain on the other hand is a greater problem and will be more tiring to remove. Black stains indicate that actual wood damage has taken place.

White Stains and Rings:

If the stain is white, you are in luck because that means it is only either in the finish or the waxy surface layer of the floor.  There are a variety of things you can do to remove white stains. You can play the waiting game and wait 2-3 days to see if the stain goes away on its own. If it does not, you may then cover the stain with a dry cloth and rub the cloth with a steamless hot iron pressed against the floor. You may also scrub the area with a lemon oil soaked wool scrub brush. The oil is to prevent scratches on the wood floor. Gently rub the white ring. Following that, simply swipe the spot with denatured alcohol and let set. This may sound simple, but what about when the problem is in fact deeper? How do you remove black stains? Read More