Moist mop mishaps

January 11, 2015 2:23 PM

Please help me fix my hardwood (rental) floor! I left a barely-damp mop on a hardwood floor for a couple of days and it left a stain. Contrary to other, previous AskMes, this stain is light/white, and looks like tiny little bubbles. I believe there is a polyurethane finish, so I'm guessing the moisture got under the finish and caused it to blister a bit. Rubbing with hardwood floor cleaner hasn't helped. What will?

The mop was damp with water and a scant amount of dilute dish soap (the all-natural variety), so I am thinking it's just moisture, and not chemical interaction, that lead to the staining/blistering. Hoping to get my deposit back from a picky landlord in a few months. Thanks MeFi!

posted by stillmoving to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Putting a cotton towel or cloth on it and ironing it (cautiously) may help.
posted by pipeski at 2:34 PM on January 11, 2015

Our house had some similar discoloration on the floor when we bought it. We were told it was from a steam cleaner, but maybe the damage is similar. We found a local company that specializes in surface repair and restoration. They came out and fixed it, and you can't tell at all where the spot was now. I forget the cost, but it wasn't a lot, and it took less than an hour. If you can't find a company like that yourself, maybe call some local stores that sell and install hardwood if they know of anyone.
posted by primethyme at 2:58 PM on January 11, 2015

Some clear finishes will absorb water in these circumstances and, sometimes, just letting them dry out will correct the discolouration. It won't help if the finish is blistered, but maybe try letting it dry out for a week or so first and then re-evaluating.
posted by dg at 4:27 PM on January 11, 2015

Try rubbing it with wax for wood floors and 0000 steel wool.
posted by francesca too at 5:02 PM on January 11, 2015

Mayonnaise, perhaps?
posted by jon1270 at 5:41 PM on January 11, 2015

A hair drier can help too, with less risk than the iron approach suggested above.
posted by carmicha at 7:06 PM on January 11, 2015

Set a fan to blow on it for a day or so and see if it helps.If it is moisture it may speed the drying.
posted by boilermonster at 9:32 PM on January 11, 2015

the polyurethane finish wasn't water proof and water soaked into the wood. i've seen this white discoloration before with some finished wood and it does seem to go away slowly as it dries... however it dries out very slowly. try the hair dryer and the fan, but it's going to may take hours or days to see improvement
posted by ennui.bz at 9:39 PM on January 11, 2015

I had a similar thing with a wooden table, and the hairdryer trick worked. Start on a low heat. The 'stain' is probably water that seeped into the finish - warm air will cause it to evaporate out again.
posted by twirlypen at 10:41 PM on January 11, 2015

Thanks everyone. I will try the warm air trick, but unfortunately, it's already been a couple of weeks, perhaps too late for this fix?
posted by stillmoving at 8:53 AM on January 12, 2015

Use the iron and tea towel; I did it last week on a water stain that had sat for over a month (Christmas tree holder leaked). You have to go over it several times; took me about 30 minutes to completely eliminate a 6x12" spot. The fact that the "stain" is white means it is in the finish only, not the wood, so is easy to fix --- this is what my online research suggested, and turned out to be true in my case. I can send you before/after pics if you are curious. It was pretty satisfying!
posted by HoteDoge at 7:32 PM on January 12, 2015