Removing Stains from Hardwood is Simple!

One of the most common ways hardwood floors are stained is by pet urine. Other common ways include the spilling of wine at potential dinner parties, or even just some water spilling over from a cup. It's always best to try to wipe up any spills, even if it is just plain water, as quickly as possible before the stain has a chance to set into the finish or down into the wood.

Hardwood floor stains fall into one of two categories: black rings and white rings. White rings are caused when the liquid spilled sinks only into the finish. Black rings have sunk into the wood causing it to darken.

White rings are very easy to get out. Saturate a pad of fine steel wool with a natural oil like citrus or olive to act as a lubricant against scratching the wood underneath. All you have to do is very gently rub out the stains and voila!

Black rings are trickier because they're already set into the wood, so no amount of gentle rubbing will actually get it out. First, gently sand the finish off the wood with sandpaper. Use an old brush to paint bleach onto the stain. After allowing the bleach to evaporate over a few hours, repeat the brushing of bleach onto the stain. Let it sit overnight and this should remove the stain from your floors.

Your stain might be particularly stubborn, in which case you are going to need bigger guns. Purchase a commercial wood bleach. Moisten the wood with a damp sponge first, to allow the bleach to penetrate into the wood more easily. Then mix equal amounts of the two liquids you will find in your commercial wood bleach kit. Use that aforementioned brush to apply a generous coat of this mixture onto the damp wood. Let it soak in. The bubbling you will soon see is completely normal, don't worry! After about four hours you will start to see real results, after which you are going to need to deactivate the bleach to prevent it from continuing to react chemically with the wood. You can do this by mixing two parts water to one part white vinegar and simply rub the mixture onto the bleached areas using a sponge or a rag.

Then you just carefully reapply a finish to your wood after everything is dry. This actually increases the value of your home!