Hardwood Floors and Scuff Marks

We all know hardwood floors add value to your home, but cleaning hardwood floors isn't always that easy. Wood floors opposed to tile are softer and are easier to damage with cleaning solvents. Most don't realize that a lot of household and commercial cleaners damage hardwood floors over time.

Scuffs on a hardwood are a very common problem, whether they came from your shoes, kids or pets. You can remove them without resorting to damaging chemicals or cleaners. There are several non damaging tricks you can use to get those stubborn scuff marks up. I have listed a few below.

1. • 1
     Wipe the scuff mark with a wet sponge. Take a pink rubber eraser, the kind you used in elementary school,  and rub with the grain of the wood. If this isn't strong enough, you can find scuff erasers at a hardware store. They are just harder rubber. Do not use a plastic or gritty eraser, this will damage wood floor.
   • 2
     Rub a clean tennis ball over the scuff with the grain of the wood. You can put it on the end of a mop or broomstick by cutting an "X" in it and sticking it on the end of the stick. This way you can stand instead of kneel to clean the spot. This is a good technique if you have frequent scuffs.

     (I highlighted this section because this trick tends to be our favorite in the commercial cleaning industry. It works on most marks that are hard to get up) 
   • 3
     Mix baking soda and a small amount of water into a paste. Rub it gently onto the scuff with a sponge or toothbrush. A non-gel toothpaste may be used as well. These are both mild natural abrasives. Work in the same direction as the grain of the wood. Dry it off with a soft towel when the scuff is gone.

     
     

     We use a great hydrogen peroxide based cleaner to clean floors but still struggle with scuff marks. The tennis ball method tends to work well. 

     
     

     You can use the same tips above on your tile floor as well. Tile floors are a little easier because they are harder to damage than hardwood floors. You can use a magic eraser ( Also perfect for soap scum which I will talk about in another post.) 

     
     

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