How To Get Old Wax Off Hardwood Floors

To clean old hardwood floors start by using a plastic spatula or dull putty knife to scrape off any dried paint gum or other hardened materials.

How to get old wax off hardwood floors. Jill nystul august 18 2019 in today s post i want to share a floor cleaning tip with you that i used to remove a mysterious hazy buildup from my hardwood floors. Next sprinkle a few drops of water onto a worn area of the floor to test the soundness of the finish. Before stripping the wax buildup remove furniture from the floors you re cleaning sweep up any loose debris and mop to remove dirt. Using an ice cube to harden the wax drippings is one way to remove wax from hardwood floors with minimal scraping required.

If waxing a floor that doesn t need it the wax will react negatively with the finish and create a cloudy look. Sweep away loose dirt dust and other debris and mop the floor with warm water to remove any grime or. Take care to dry any remaining water as standing water can easily damage the surface of hardwood floors. Try working in sections with a mop and going over it with a dry microfiber cloth on a dry mop.

To remedy this strip the old wax buildup before waxing again. A small application of cleaner on a microfiber mop is all that s needed to clean your floors. While waxes vary most contain an emulsion of paraffin or carnauba an extract from brazilian palm trees in a solvent when you apply the wax the solvent evaporates and only the wax coating remains. Floors that have a polyurethane finish do not need to be waxed.

Find out what causes hazy residue on hardwood floors and learn how to get rid of it. How to remove old wax from floors without chemicals. Removing old wax from wood floors is time consuming but it is not an impossible task. If the wax is fresh and still malleable you may need to hold the ice cube for a minute or two.

Even freshly washed and waxed floors. When cleaning hardwood floors less is more. Waxed floors such as linoleum or vinyl can flake or become yellow due to age or too many layers of wax. Simply hold the ice cube in place on the wax for 30 seconds even if the wax has already cooled.