Sometimes, rug pads can leave stubborn marks on your wood floors because of the toxic chemicals that are present in the fillings of these rugs that can leak into the wood flooring resulting in damaging your precious hard wood floor.
It is wise to remove rug pad residue in order to protect the floors as loose rug padding and carpet pad stains can seriously damage the floor. So, it is necessary to understand How To Remove Rug Pad Marks From Hardwood Floors!
Such carpet pad marks are due to rubber backing or latex backing that leaves stains behind on the hardwood flooring.
There are various procedures through which you can protect your floor.
Such as, there are adhesives used to cover the rug pads if they are not slippery.
There are various rugs that stay in place and the rubber backings could leave marks on the floor.
For such reasons, you need to know how to clean rug pads to keep your floor clean and in good shape.
No matter what kind of flooring you have, whether it’s bare wood, tile floor, or hardwood flooring, you never want to see dirt and other stains being left.
But with the passage of time, some cheap rugs cushion break down and damage the hardwood floors.
That is why it is crucial to understand what to do when you find rug pad marks on a wood floor.
What are the Tools To Rug Pad Marks From Hardwood Floors?
- Denatured Alcohol
- powerful hardwood floor cleaner
- WD-40, helps in removing tape stains
- soft cloth
- murphy’s oil soap
- mop
- plastic knife for scraping rug pad residue
- spatula
- bucket
- stain remover
How To Remove Rug Pad Marks From Hardwood Floors? (5 Steps)
There are numerous steps that you can follow for the successful removal of rug pad marks from hardwood floor and bringing forth a fresh floor.
Step 1
First of all, you can make use of Denatured Alcohol because this mineral spirit has no smell and it is useful in many ways, such as, to thin paints or to clean chemicals.
You have to wait for a little while for it to show its magic.
After you have sprayed the Denatured Alcohol, the sticky padding will fall apart and it will be easy for you to take it off and clean your floor underneath.
Step 2
You can also make use of your Plastic Scraper Knife for removing stains.
Use it to scrap the loose carpet padding off and give a complete floor finish.
But, do keep in mind that avoid using a putty knife on your floor with a steel blade as it can damage your hard floors.
Step 3
For a perfect and deep clean you have to understand that you have to scrape the padding first and then wipe or clean the residue.
Only then your floor will be clean and prepared to be mopped. Otherwise, if there are scrape marks or dust on the surface it will create a messier situation.
Step 4
Afterward, you need to spray on a Hard Floor Cleaning mist as it is one of the finest ways to clean up stains or smells on wooden floors.
It does a great job of getting rid of stains and smells that rug pads leave behind on wooden floors.
There are diverse forms of hard floor cleaners that can enhance the natural surface of your floor while keeping it safe, and keeping the spots cleaned up.
You have to keep in check which cleaner is safe for your hardwood floor.
Step 5
In the end, you will need a floor mop that can scrub and remove rug pad residue thoroughly.
The finest mop that you should look for is the one having two nozzles with cleaning mats.
Such features will allow you to take them off and wash them from top to bottom to get rid of the toughest stains and give them a whole new look.
Why do Rug Pads leave Stains?
If the rug pads have left rigid stains or sticky residue on the wood floors then it is probably made of plastic having a rubber backing or latex backing.
Such rug pads that are made of rubber or latex should never be put on solid wood floors.
Carpet pad or rug pad usually give off a lot of harmful and toxic chemicals that can stain your hardwood floor over time.
Such chemicals will damage the surface of your wood floor, making it look dirty and unpleasing.
Other than that, these rug pads have glue on them that keeps them from slipping and some of these low-quality rugs will fall apart and crumble, thus leaving an adhesive substance behind on the hardwood floor.
Nonetheless, the rubbery waffle marks create a pattern on the backs of some rug pads that look great but they leave rug pad lines on your floor making it difficult for you to remove.
These carpet pad marks, rug stains & sticky residue can be a problem because they are never simple to remove without the right supplies and tools.
However, if you do not know how to use the right tools, you will probably damage your hardwood floor.
Methods for Cleansing Area Rugs
Cleaning the area rough is a wise decision if you have wooden floors in your home and for that, it is necessary that you use a vacuum for the carpet as it will help you get rid of any dirt and dust that hides in them.
Moreover, you can spray the rug’s surface using a hardwood cleaner as it is made specifically for washing area rugs and ensuring that it is thoroughly and deeply cleaned.
Afterward, you need to let the cleaning solution sit for a while, and vacuum it up as the carpet will no longer have any dirt, grime, or spots on it.
Is there a rug pad that won’t damage my hardwood floors?
There have been multiple complaints regarding how a rug pad has ruined the expensive hardwood floor of some buyers and there are various places that are selling cheap rug pads.
There are some plastic-backed rug pads having rubber, latex, and waffle marks that can seriously be a problem and are difficult to get them off.
As rubber and latex-backed rug pads are harmful so it is recommended that they should never be used.
To avoid such damage on your wooden floor it is wise to not use such cheap rubber or latex-backed rug pads. But, for every problem, there is a solution.
The safest option you can rely on is a rug pad that is purely made up of felt.
For complete protection and comfort, it is necessary to choose a cover that is purely felt as it does not have a rubber, plastic, or latex back, thus it will not leave any stain, mark, and glue residue behind.
There is one drawback that comes along, these rug pads have low weight so they can move around.
To counter this problem, you should put heavy furniture on top of your rug.
This method will allow the rug pad to stay in place.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
1). Why do rug pads leave stains behind?
Sometimes, rug pads can leave marks on your wood floors that are hard to get rid of.
This is because some rug pads are filled with toxic chemicals that can leak into the wood flooring and damage your valuable hardwood floor.
2). Which rug won’t damage the wood floor?
For full protection and comfort, you must choose a cover made of pure felt, which doesn’t have a rubber, plastic, or latex back and won’t leave any stains, marks, or glue behind.
3). What are some tools that can help in removing the stains?
- powerful hardwood floor cleaner
- WD-40 helps in removing tape stains
- soft cloth
- murphy’s oil soap
- mop
- plastic knife for scraping rug pad residue
4). What sort of floor mop should be used?
You will need a floor mop that can scrub well and get rid of all the rug pad residue. The best mop is the one with two nozzles that have cleaning mats on them.
Conclusion
How To Remove Rug Pad Marks From Hardwood Floors, can be done cleverly if you follow the above-mentioned steps carefully.
By keeping in mind the necessary steps and methods you can remove the stains or any sticky rubber covering. Plus you won’t have to throw away your old rug.
Other than that, the expert way to get get rid of such stubborn stains is to dry out, brittle rubber support off of a wooden surface by softening it and then scraping it off.