Ask Mrs. Clean: House Cleaning, Stain Removal and Organizing Tips

[jajm4]

Is there any way to remove grease stains from wood floors?

A cat dragged a chicken thigh around the living room and left stains on the hardwood.

Someone spilled a bottle of massage oil, leaving a large stain.

The floor had been sealed with water-based polyurethane, but now it looks splotchy from the grease.

[mrscleannw]

Hello and Welcome to Mrs. Clean.

After reading about your issue, I have a few suggestions. First, the best advise could be obtained by the manufacturer of your flooring. If you have that information contact them by phone or by web search.

If you do not have information on the manufacturer you can try a homemade mixture of 1 cup white vinegar to 2 gallons of warm water. Cider vinegar is different from white vinegar, and you should NOT use it as a substitute. Apply it with only a damp mop, and then you should wipe it clean with a dry cloth or clean dust mop. The vinegar odor will only last a few hours and is a natural deodorizer.

If the white vinegar does not do the trick, you'll either have to call a professional or you can use the more involved process below (which is what we do for our floors):

Removing stains from hardwood floors requires several steps. Generally stains will require:

1. Removing 1 – 2 layers of finish from the entire piece of wood
2. Sanding the area with the finish removed
3. Remove the dust from the area to make sure it doesn’t get mixed back into the refinishing process
4. Reapply the same finish being careful not to apply more layers than you removed.
5. Buff well.

More hardwood floor cleaning tips from housecleaningcentral.com.

Good Luck,
Mrs. Clean

[jajm4]

Thank you for your response. I don't know what the brand of finish was, since I rent and my landlord applied it before I moved in two years ago. I will try to vinegar and then take it from there.

[ash_work]

Try scrubbing it with a good grease cutting soap to which you have added a small amount of naphtha. Use a stiff vinyl brush and work it in the direction of the wood grain.
If the grease is deep into the wood, you will probably need to find a stain that is similar in color to the grease spot and re-stain the whole floor. The other option would be to remove the grease stained section and replace it.