Even the most statement carpet gets old after a while. But other than the pain of throwing it away, comes the dread carpet pad stains.
Just as you remove the old carpet, you notice old and sticky carpet padding that is glued to your floors. If this situation sounds familiar, then you might want to learn how to remove carpet pad stains from hardwood floors.
Here you can use soap or vinegar. If that’s not your cup of tea, you could also opt for a chemical cleaner. Lastly, using a heat gun or blow dryer can loosen the pad stains.
If you’re hungry for more after that sneak peek, then let’s see how this mammoth task is done. Not to worry, we’ll definitely break it down for you. Let’s jump right in!
How to Remove Carpet Pad Stains from Hardwood Floors?
Now, what do carpet pads do? You simply place those under carpets for creating a barrier between the carpet and the floor. It’s more useful for polished floors as it’ll protect the polish with everything it’s got. Either way, protection is always there.
You see, carpet paddings absorb excess moisture from spills or washes that would otherwise stain the floor. Moreover, it also helps in sound absorption from all the trampling that occurs.
But when this useful padding gets stuck to the hardwood floor, things can quickly turn ugly. Removing this could take forever without the proper know-how.
Now there are many DIYers that swear by the manual technique. This requires you to take some sandpaper or putty knife and just scrape the padding off.
Although this may be effective in getting rid of fabric paint off carpets, this is a pretty impractical solution when you have to clean the whole room.
Moreover, using such abrasive methods can also damage the top layer of your hardwood floors. Instead, here’s what you can do.
Route 1: Using a DIY solution
First, on the list, we have a DIY technique that has helped loads of people with this issue. The best part of this solution? It uses items that you already probably have lying around in your home.
Soap water solution
Soap and water are a great way to loosen any kind of dirt. Although this is an obvious fact, you’d be shocked by how many people choose expensive cleaning services instead of it.
Although necessary from time to time, why choose the difficult path beforehand?
To make this easy cleaning solution, all you need to do is mix 2 to 4 tablespoons of detergent liquid in a liter of water. Mix this well and pour it into a spray bottle.
On another note, a soap solution is also a great way to clean carpets. Even if you have some bright colors on the carpet as they get less dirty, the carpet still needs cleaning from time to time.
After you’ve done this, spray liberally on the carpet paddings and let it sit. Then, take a blunt putty knife and scrape the padding away.
Repeat this process until there’s no more padding-left on the carpet.
Vinegar water solution
Another great way to get the carpet padding off the floors is a vinegar and water solution. Vinegar works as a great agent to remove the stickiness of the carpet pad and get it off the carpet.
To make this, just mix equal parts of distilled white vinegar and warm water. The warmer the water is, the better this solution will work. Also, warm water is a great way to remove carpet streaks after cleaning.
Mix well and pour this lightly on the pad stains. Make sure to not oversaturate, as this could lead to water damage on the floors.
Route 2: Using a chemical cleaning solvent
Now if the DIY route isn’t cutting out for us, we get it. Sometimes the tough carpet pad stains require more than just plain soap water.
For huge areas or when a pesky stain just won’t budge, the better approach would be to use a chemical cleaner. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need a store-bought one.
Let’s see how we can do it ourselves.
Ammonia water mixture
Ammonia and water make a powerful solution that works like magic when applied on carpet pad stains.
However, there are some precautions to take. If you’ve ever worked with ammonia, then you know that it has a strong and offending smell.
Also, ammonia is harmful to your health unless you take the necessary precautions. Thus, always remember to wear protective gloves and masks and work in a well-ventilated room.
To make this mixture, use ammonia and water in the ratio 1:1. Then, pour this mixture on the carpet padding and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. This will dissolve the pad stains properly.
Afterward, scrub it clean with a wired scrub or scrape it off with a flat putty knife.
Route 3: Using heat
Even after you resort to various cleaning techniques, you may still find that some pad stain spots just won’t disappear. No amount of scrubbing and cleaning seems to work on such stains.
To crack this tough nut, simply bring up the heat. In order to do this, use a heat gun or a blow-dryer.
Apply hot air on the pad stains after you’ve soaked it in a cleaning solution of your choice. This will help further loosen the sticky pad and you’ll find it gliding off as smooth as butter.
Final Touch-ups
Before you go, let’s go over some final few steps that can ensure a shiny and clean hardwood floor. The moment of glory isn’t too far away. Just overcome the final obstacles.
Wipe off with a wet towel
No matter what cleaning solution you use, don’t forget to wipe the floor with some plain water. This will remove any toxic substances if you use a chemical cleaner.
Moreover, your floors will thank you for it in the long run.
Let the floor dry
Last but not the least, always make sure that your floors are dried properly. You may need to vacuum them for this purpose.
Just make sure you sanitize the vacuum cleaner before using it on clean floors.
Conclusion
That is an end to our post. We hope you enjoyed reading it and learned something new. Just remember, if one method doesn’t work then there’s always a better option.
If you have any further questions on how to remove carpet pad stains from hardwood floors, do let us know in the comments below.
Until then, be happy and live life to the fullest!