Q: My daughter just bought a house with lovely hardwood floors. Her two older cats have lost their lunch a few times on the floor and left a bleached-out look on the wood. I’m thinking there is no solution to deal with this situation other than refinishing the whole floor and making sure it is sealed with polyurethane. Do you have any helpful ideas?
— Janet Wenrick, Stow
A: It’s possible the stains are just in the finish, and they might be from moisture. It’s worth trying to remove them before your daughter resorts to refinishing the floor.
She first needs to determine whether the floor is coated with wax or a hard finish such as urethane or varnish. She can tell by putting a couple of drops of water on the floor in an inconspicuous place. If white spots appear under the drops within 10 minutes, it’s a wax finish.
Here’s what the National Wood Flooring Association recommends for removing white spots:
If the floor is coated with wax, rub the spot with #000 steel wool and a little wax. If this fails, lightly sand with fine sandpaper and clean the area using #00 steel wool and mineral spirits or a wood floor cleaner. Allow the floor to dry, then stain, wax and hand buff the area.
If the floor has a hard finish, use a cleaner developed specifically for urethane finishes. If the spot is stubborn, scrub using the cleaner and a scrub pad made for urethane floors.
Have a question about home maintenance, decorating or gardening? Akron Beacon Journal home writer Mary Beth Breckenridge will find answers for the queries that are chosen to appear in the paper. To submit a question, call her at 330-996-3756, or send email to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. Be sure to include your full name, your town and your phone number or email address.
