Rugs are a value addition to hardwood floors as they not only provide additional texture and contrasting colors but also protect your floors in areas of high traffic by absorbing the grit and not letting it go to the hardwood floors.
To keep them in place so they don’t slide under the feet of people, rug pads are used which are made of rubber and induce friction.
This, however, leaves residues and marks on the floors once the rugs have been removed.
To remove rug pad marks from hardwood floors, apply WD-40 and let it sit. Gently scrub with a cloth or brush. Use a mixture of dishwashing detergent and warm water to wipe away residue. Rinse and dry thoroughly. This method helps without damaging the floor.
However, the process requires some detailed processes and some important measures which are to be noted beforehand.
Therefore, you must read the entire passage so you don’t miss out on anything.
Table of Contents
Why Does The Rug Pad Leave Marks On Hardwood Floors?
Rug pads are sticky and often made of rubber; when this rubber degrades, it gets stuck on the hardwood floors and remains there even when the rug is removed from the surface.
Rug pads are used under rugs to keep them in place and prevent them from moving all across the floors.
Their rubber material provides considerable friction, preventing them from getting swept across the floors.
Besides, some rug pads have a light adhesive solution applied to them which is covered by a superficial layer.
This layer is peeled off before installation, placing the rug in the desired spot.
With time, as pressure is applied on the rug due to the extensive traffic, the rug gets pressed onto the surface, and the texture of the rug pad gets imprinted on the surface of the floors.
How To Remove Rug Pad Marks From Hardwood Floors?
Using WD-40, along with a few other measures, is the best way to remove rug pad marks from hardwood floors after the rug has been removed.
WD-40 is a renowned lubricant extensively used in various industries for lubrication and reducing friction.
It is also useful when it comes to removing rug pad marks from hardwood floors after the removal of the rugs.
It is extremely effective in losing the rubber and the adhesive solution, which might keep the rubber attached to the surface so that they both can be removed and the surface can be cleaned.
However, various other steps are involved in the process, and WD-40 alone will not be able to clean your hardwood floors.
But rest assured, as we have listed all the information and the important steps so you can follow them to remove the rug pad marks from your hardwood floors.
Materials Required
Before you can start the process, there are some items that you must gather beforehand so you don’t have to scavenge for them during the cleaning and removal process.
Here is a list of the items you will need:
- WD-40
- Bucket of Water
- Plastic Scraper/spatula
- Scrubbing brush
- Mop
- Clean cloths
- Dishwashing detergent
Loosen Up The Residue From The Rug Pad
Rug pads leave a lot of residue on the surface of your hardwood floors, which gets stuck with the wood due to the adhesive solutions involved.
Scraping these without losing them up can scratch the surface of your wooden flooring and might even cause small dents or scarring.
Therefore, the best solution in this situation is to use WD-40 to loosen up all the residue so it can be removed easily without damaging the surface of the hardwood floors.
Spray the solution on the affected area thoroughly until it is covered in the solution.
However, make sure to concentrate the amount of solution on places where the rubber is stuck on the surface of the hardwood floors.
Once this has been done, you must allow the solution to sit on the surface for some time.
WD-40 requires time to react with the substances on the floor and loosen them up before you can start removing them.
Although the time might vary according to the product, you must let the solution sit on the surface for at least 5 minutes.
Scrape The Surface
Now that the residue from the rug pad has been removed, it is time to scrape the surface with the plastic scraper we got earlier.
A metal scraper could also be used in such a situation, but it poses the risk of damaging the finish or scratching the surface of the wood.
Hence, it is best to use a spatula which is a much softer approach.
Use the spatula to scrape the residue until it comes off completely carefully. Make sure to go in slow strokes rather than scraping them aggressively.
Wash The Surface
Loosening up the residue and making it come off the surface does not mean that the hardwood floors are clean and your job is done.
You need to collect and discard all the pieces before you move towards cleaning the hardwood floors and making them spotlessly clean.
Use the dishwashing detergent and mix it with water in a concentration of 2/1 with 1 part of the mixture and 2 of water.
Once you have the solution ready, use a mop to apply it on the surface thoroughly so that the floor can be cleaned.
However, you would need to clean it further using the scrubbing brush to ensure that the floor is cleaned down to the last wood grain.
Scrub it gently to ensure the proper removal of any adhesive material stuck on the floor.
Once this has been completed, rinse the solution for the surface using a clean damp mop.
After mopping the entire surface, check it again manually to see if any residues are left on the surface that need to be handled.
Dry The Surface
After cleaning the surface and ridding it of all the impurities that would have come off from the rug pads, it is time to dry the surface.
Drying is crucial to the process, as you can’t let water stay on the surface for too long.
You can use a clean towel/cloth or another dry mop to soak up all the water from the surface.
Another useful method to boost drying would be to turn on fans to improve ventilation in the area. Once the surface has dried, your work is mostly done.
How Do You Remove Rug Pad Residue From Hardwood Floors?
You need to use WD-40 to loosen up the residue of rug pads so they can be removed from your hardwood floors.
Often, the rug pads feature a coating of an adhesive at the bottom which results in the pad getting stuck to the hardwood floors rather than gripping it.
When the rubber starts to degrade over time, the adhesive makes it stick to the surface of the hardwood floors and it becomes a stubborn residue when the rug pad is removed from the floors.
Scraping it directly can cause scratches on your hardwood floors hence, a suitable way is to use WD-40 which is a designated lubricant that allows the rubber to loosen up and the adhesive to lose its stickiness.
Hence, the floors are freed of the residue which can now be cleaned and removed from the surface.
How Do You Get Rid Of Rug Pad Marks?
WD-40 can also help to remove the rug pad marks from the hardwood floors. Due to pressure and constant traffic, the pattern of the rubber under the rug pad gets imprinted on the surface of the wood.
This becomes difficult to clean as it is not a residue and it does not come off with cleaning.
Therefore, spraying some WD-40 and letting it sit on the surface is a suitable solution to cater to this problem.
Once the time has passed, you can clean the floors with a microfiber cloth and give it a little buff to ensure the shine on the floors.
How Do You Remove Stains From Hardwood Floors?
Using a commercial cleaner such as Bona Pro or Lysol can be a suitable option to clean the stains from the surface of the hardwood floors.
You can also use homemade remedies such as vinegar and baking soda to remove the stains from the floors but make sure that the surface is finished before you are using any of these methods.
If the floors are unfinished, you must get a suitable product for an unfinished surface that will not damage the grain of the wood and still remove the stains efficiently.
Why Put Baking Soda On Rug?
Using baking soda on your rug is a highly effective way of absorbing drinking odors and ensuring that the surface of the rug remains clean.
Baking soda is a natural absorbent and a cleaner and putting it on your rugs can not only absorb the bad odors but will also soak up any spillages and prevent them from leaving a stain.
It is a super-efficient remedy to prevent stains on your rugs in case of spillages.
Bottom Line
Removing rug pads from hardwood floors is not a complex project but removing the residue and marks they leave certainly is.
Hence, if you also have hardwood floors in your house and you are thinking about removing the rugs from them for any reason, beware that they are bound to leave marks and residues on the floors.
However, you must not worry as the method mentioned above is highly effective and will help you get rid of both marks and scars left behind after removing rug pads.
Hence, you can proceed with your rug removal process right away!
As a co-creator of FlooringFlow.com, Emma Sophia comes on board to answer all your questions related to any flooring problems. Together with John Henry, she’s gained extensive experience in fixing many flooring problems in their own house as well as in friends and family’s. Now, she wants to share her knowledge that she gained during floor remodeling, restoring, and DIY projects.
